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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.

Hand to Hand with a Bending Board

0
You’d think that with a quick-build fuselage, the factory could have made a frame that matched.

The Trick to Riblets

0
If you have built (or have attempted to build, or are looking forward to building…) an RV-style metal trim tab, you are probably wondering...

The “Flying by Feel” Fallacy

12
Smart pilots embrace tools like AoA systems to reduce risk—not ego-driven notions of flying solely 'by feel.'

Come Up With An Easier Way

2
The assembly manual might tell you to do something one way, but sometimes it's possible do do it better.

Whatever it Takes

0
No matter how many different tools you have, you always need something else.

Strings Attached

1
There are times in building an airplane when you want to have some strings attached - particularly when it comes to lining things up....

Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer—My New Seats

1
I came in from the shop for lunch the other day, and what did I find sitting on the front step of the house?...

Off-Label Tools

3
Aluminum broomstick from the 'Big Box' home improvement store to the rescue.

Countersinking Block

1
Get perfectly countersunk holes in thicker material.

Which Control Stick?

4
Refining the control stick for the F1 Rocket—a balance of comfort, clearance, and decades of piloting perspective.

In Case You Missed It

Lancair Evolution

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Lancair Aircraft is revolutionizing its already successful turboprop line of kits with the new Evolution, a 750-horsepower, Pratt & Whitney-PT6A-powered, carbon-fiber composite, 380-mph four-seater to be available later this year.

Engine Beat

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UL Power of Belgium adds two new engines to its product line that are distinguished by the inclusion of Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). By Steve Ells.
pulse oximeter

Medical Or No—You Could Still Fly

2
Three ways to meet FAA medical requirements—BasicMed, Sport Pilot and more—could help you get back in the air. Here's what pilots need to know.
p-38 2/3 scale

Forked-Tail Masterpiece

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Jim O’Hara’s scratchbuilt P-38 is a multi-generational effort .