ITT: Discuss Experimental/Amateur-Built Aircraft and Light Sport Aircraft

For those who don't know, Experimental/Amateur-Built Aircraft are planes that people build from kits or plans in their garage and then get them certified to be able to legally fly them as if they were any other aircraft. Light Sport aircraft are planes that have been certified for personal/non commercial use in a way that bypasses a lot of the normal procedures for certifying such aircraft.

Both of these categories of aircraft can be flown by anyone who is licensed as a pilot, and they are both (generally) cheaper than planes certified through the ordinary means, with Experiementals often being far cheaper.

Also worth mentioning are Ultralight aircraft, which are planes that can be flown without any registration/certification or pilot license. The downside of these is they are very limited in performance and there are a lot of restrictions on where and how they can operate.

Some links
The EAA, the premier homebuilding organization and arguably the people who got Light Sport Aircraft to be a thing
https://www.eaa.org/eaa

Barnstormers, aircraft classifieds, includes a lot of stuff for people getting into homebuilding or sport aviation.
https://www.barnstormers.com/

Aircraft Spruce, the biggest vendor for homebuilding supplies and aircraft parts, probably in the world
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/

Some kit manufacturers
Van's Aircraft: https://www.vansaircraft.com/
Sonex Aircraft: https://www.sonexaircraft.com/
Kolb Aircraft: https://www.kolbaircraft.com/
Zenith Aircraft: https://zenithair.net/

Special mention to the Legal Eagle, an ultralight designed by an old ass guy from the midwest, can be run with a cut-up VW engine, a lawnmower engine, and I've even seen a guy slap a radial on one of these. Plans available here: https://legaleagleairplane.com/

Gang shit