	The Ikarus Breezer is another modern kit aircraft, in this case hailing from Germany (www.aerostyle-gmbh.de) and largely aluminium rather than composite, to suit different skill levels of different builders. It can be powered by a range of engines between 70 and 100hp, most popular being the ubiquitous Rotax 912, which gives it a cruising speed of 125mph. Seating two, its gross weight is 1,040lb. It is 20 feet 10 inches long with a wing span of 28 feet 4 inches. Kemble, July 2005
	The Ikarus C42 is a little two seat microlight of aluminium tube and canvas construction, and powered by an 80hp Rotax 912 (or 100hp 912S), which gives it a top speed of 120mph and range of 400 miles. Several hundred of these simple machines have been built since they were first introduced in 1996. Gross weight is 990lb, which allows it to fit into the microlight category pretty well everywhere such a thing exists. It is 20 feet 5 inches long with a wing span of 31 feet. Kemble, July 2005
	The Isaacs Fury was designed by Mr J.O. Isaacs, using construction methods he had learned at Southampton building his Currie Wot. It is a 7/10 scale replica of the 1930s Hawker Fury single seat fighter. Initially powered by a 65hp Walter Micron engine, and first flown as such in 1963, it was later fitted with a more suitable 125hp Lycoming. Wing span is 21 feet, length 19 feet 3 inches and gross weight 1,000lb. Plans were later made available to other homebuilders. 15 are currently registered in Britain, including this one, powered by a Continental C90 engine and pictured at Cranfield in July 1984. The lower picture shows another Fury in more `traditional' colours.
	The Jabiru (www.jabiru.co.uk) is a two seat light trainer designed in Australia, which can be either homebuilt or (less commonly) factory built. It is powered by an 80hp Jabiru 2200 engine, which was developed for the Jabiru aircraft but is now a popular choice for many other homebuilt types. With empty weight of 650lb and gross weight of 1,190, it has a pretty impressive useful load. It will cruise at 115mph for over 1,100 miles. This one was at Top Farm in June 2007.
	The Jurca Gnatsum is a 2/3 scale replica of the American P-51 designed by French amateur constructor Marcel Jurca, powered (in this example) by a Ranger inline engine. The designer's impish choice of name is, of course, `Mustang' spelt backwards. Top speed is over 200mph, not bad for a home-built machine! I am surprised it is not more popular; it is of course somewhat complex, and a single seater, but it looks tremendous fun. I have no record of where this picture was taken but it looks suspiciously like Cranfield in the mid 1980s.
	This front view of a Jurca Tempete shows the extraordinary aspect ratio of the wings, which are evidently designed for speed rather than endurance! The prototype of this wood and fabric single seater first flew in France as long ago as June 1956. it can be powered by a wide range of engines, from 65 to a thumping 180 horsepower. Even the 65hp version cruises at over 100mph, and anything above 90hp makes it practical for aerobatics. Gross weight of 950lb would technically allow it to be classified as a microlight. It is 19 feet 2 inches long, with a wing span of only 19 feet 8 inches. This one was at Cranfield, July 1983
	The KIS Cruiser was derived from the original KIS design, which stands for `Keep It Simple', always an excellent maxim. Marketing of this mainly composite machine is now undertaken by the Pulsar organisation (www.pulsaraircraft.com). It is unusual in being a four seat homebuilt; construction is mainly composite. It can use various engines from 160 to 210hp. In general, it cruises at 190mph and has a range of 900 miles. Gross weight is 2,400lb; it is 23 feet long with a wing span of 29 feet. This one was at Kemble, July 2005.
	The Lancair is a racy two seat composite kit aircraft with (optionally) retractable undercarriage, designed by Lance Neibauer (www.lancair.com). Its whopping 310hp Continental IO-550 engine (enormous for a homebuilt) gives it a staggering 280mph cruising speed, and a range of 1,200 miles - far better than most factory-built machines. The prototype of this two seater flew in 1985. It is 22 feet long, with a wing span of 25 feet 5 inches, and gross weight of 2,200lb. This one visited Kemble from Luxembourg in July 2005.
	Although the Lancair Columbia was developed as a four seat version of the Lancair range, it is now marketed as a factory built machine by a quite separate organisation (www.flycolumbia.com). The same engine is retained, and great attention is paid to safety aspects such as seat design. It has fixed undercarriage and is heavier (3,400lb gross weight) so cruising speed is `only' 205mph with the same engine as the two seat Lancair, but the bigger wing carries more fuel so range is up to 1,500 miles. This is certainly a very serious touring machine. This one was at Kemble, July 2005
	The original Luton LA4 Minor was designed in the mid 1930s by Mr C.H. Latimer-Needham. Plans were made available to homebuilders from 1937, making it one of the very first of the home-built aircraft. It is a very simple, light, single seat wood and fabric aircraft, making it a popular choice for builders looking for ease of construction and maintenance. Wing span is 25 feet, length 20 feet and maximum weight 750lb. Top speed is 85mph and range 180 miles. It can be fitted with a wide variety of possible engines. Its popularity tailed off in the 1980s as more modern designs with greater range became available. Still, there are 29 registered in the UK as of October 2005. This one was built by Flight Lieutentant J.R Coates (later designer of the Swalesong) at Bassingbourn in 1948, and is still airworthy in 2005. It was pictured at Cranfield in July 1983.
	Marquardt Goodwood, August 2007
	The Mignet Pou-du-Ciel (Flying Flea) was the aircraft which first started the home-building movement. It is a small single seater of very simple, wood and fabric construction, having an extremely unusual tandem-wing design. There are no ailerons; turns are made purely with rudder. Pitch control is achieved by pivoting the upper wing to alter its angle of attack. Monsieur Mignet first flew his prototype in France in 1933. The concept of a Permit to Fly, with construction standards monitored by authorised inspectors under the aegis of the Ultralight Aircraft Association, later to become the Popular Flying Association, was invented to deal with the question of how to provide airworthiness certificates to Fleas. Unfortunately the design had a serious flaw: in a substantial nose-down attitude, the position of the upper wing relative to the centre of gravity gave insifficient pitching moment to raise the nose, making a fatal dive into the ground inevitable. The Flea was banned in September 1936, after 83 had been built in the UK in a remarkably short time. This one is preserved in the museum at Old Warden. Photograph by Ivy in April 2005.
	The Monnett Sonerai II is theoretically a two seater, but its 65hp Volkswagen engine often limits it to one in practice. John Monnett originally designed the Sonerai in the USA in 1971 as a racer, and the Sonerai II retains the short (18 foot 8 inch span) wing. It is 18 feet 10 inches long, which makes it one of the few light aeroplanes to be longer than wide. However, on 65hp, it manages to achieve a 150mph cruising speed! Gross weight is 950lb. Plans are available from www.greatplainsas.com/sonerai. This one was at Cranfield, July 1988
	The Murphy Rebel is theoretically a two seater, but it can be modified to accept a third seat at the back, making it a most unusual homebuilt configuration. It looks like the sort of rugged machine which could even survive the harsh conditions of Canadian bush flying, which is not surprising since that is exactly what its designers (www.murphyair.com), based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, had in mind. It is an aluminium kit, powered by a choice of either Rotax or Lycoming engines between 80 and 160hp. it can cruise at up to 120mph and has a range of up to 880 miles. It is increasingly popular. This one was at Cranfield, July 1988
	The Murphy Sprite is nothing to do with the company responsible for the Rebel, but is in fact a private modification of the Practavia Sprite by Irishman Mr A. Murphy. Its 140hp Continental engine made it a `2+2' seater, meaning that you have to be very small to get in the back. It visited Cranfield in July 1988.