NORTH LAS VEGAS -- The plane that crashed Friday morning in North Las Vegas was called a kit plane.

It's a form of flying that has grown in popularity over the years.

Kit planes in general go back to the infancy of aviation.

Everyone flew kit planes, which are basically homemade planes.

These days, most people fly on commercial airplanes, but kit planes are still up there.

According to Kitplanes.com, more than 10,000 kits were sold in 2004, and that number was growing rapidly each year.

Anyone can build one, but to fly it, a pilot's license is needed, and the plane must be checked by an FAA inspector.

The model that crashed Friday was a rear propeller Velocity 173 RG aircraft.

The plane is 19 feet long, just under 8 feet tall and weighs about 2,400 pounds.

It reaches top speed at around 210 miles per hour.

Kit planes are not a casual purchase. This model cost about $28,000.