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Paul Dye

Paul Dye
953 POSTS 30 COMMENTS
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

1
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...

Automotive Plugs in Lycomings

13
Tips, tricks—and tools.

Love and Hate

3
Mistakes were made. (And fixed.)

Weep No More

9
When a fuel-tank repair means crafting your own rivets.

Slack Time – Part 5

1
Prop Swap!

Slack Time – Part 4

0
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

6
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

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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

1
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

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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

Iterate, Modify and Fix

0
Wind tunnel.

Completions

0
Builders share their successes.

Cable-Exit Fairings

0
Don't let unsightly cable-exit holes spoil the look or performance of your aircraft.

Power, Scotty, I Gotta Have More Power

2
“I canna give ye more, Cap’n. The dilithium crystals are already overloaded.” —Star Trek This month’s...