Paul Dye
Paul Dye has been the Editor-in-Chief and Editor at Large. He retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 50 years of aerospace experience on everything from Cubs to the Space Shuttle. An avid homebuilder, he began flying and working on airplanes as a teen and has experience with a wide range of construction techniques and materials. He flies an RV-8 and SubSonex jet that he built, an RV-3 that he built with his pilot wife, as well as a Dream Tundra and an electric Xenos motorglider they completed. Currently, they are building an F1 Rocket. A commercially licensed pilot, he has logged over 6000 hours in many different types of aircraft and is an A&P, FAA DAR, EAA Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor; he was formerly a member of the Homebuilder’s Council. He consults and collaborates in aerospace operations and flight-testing projects across the country.
Hardware Musings
Two thoughts come from the shop today:
First—all you RV pilots out there, the nylon locknuts you need are MS21083N8. They are about a buck...
Slack Time – Part 4
So about welding…
I have spent 50 years working on airplanes of all types and materials—from tube and rag to metal plus a bit of...
Parked Props
As anyone who studied for their private pilot exam 50 years ago should know, airplane propellers should be parked horizontally—that's so that when it...
Slack Time – Part 3
Flying airplanes need attention, even when they aren’t flying and especially when the factory issues a new service bulletin! This winter, Van’s Aircraft put...
Conflicting Cues
Many years ago, after a visit to my snowbird parents, I was IFR and climbing to my eastbound altitude of 9000 feet. We all...
Slack Time – Part 2
So about that lathe and how it begat the need to learn welding. A recent addition to our airpark neighborhood is KITPLANES Home Shop...
In Case You Missed It
Buzzwords: Maneuvering Speed
Ed Kolano unravels some of the misconceptions of the oft-misunderstood term, “maneuvering speed,” and explains the implications for pilots of homebuilt aircraft.
Flight Review: Seven into Ten
The four-seat Van’s RV-10 has been an enduring presence in the homebuilt universe, but its best years may still lie ahead. By Marc Cook.
Floating Nut Plates
The floating nut plate. It sounds like it should come with an allergy warning,...