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AVweb Les Krumel invested 22 years building his award-winning Thorp T-18. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always liked to make things, and I thought an airplane would be the ultimate project,” said Les Krumel of Moriarty, New Mexico, a mechanical engineer who recently retired as a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force who worked on aerospace projects. That understatement defines his humble personality. Making almost every part, Krumel invested 22 years in his project, and he was not yet a pilot when he started in 1993. Born and raised in Nebraska, Krumel’s father, Ermi...

AVweb Anyone who has seen the Cygnet SF-2A will remember the two-seat, side-by-side taildragger because it looks like no other. Contrary to the high- or low-wing choices favored by designers of Amateur-Built and certified aircraft, the Cygnet extends its wings from the shoulder like outstretched arms. Even more unusual, the wingtips are 14 inches ahead of and 11 inches above the wing root. And in the right light, looking across the 13-foot span of each panel, it is clear that the fabric is attached to diagonal members instead of fore-and-aft ribs. Each of these features serves...