James B. Dabney
James Dabney has been flying for 40 years. He earned his private pilot's license in college via the Air Force ROTC flight instruction program. In the Air Force, he accumulated 1500 hours as a Weapons System Officer (WSO), flying the F-4D and F-4E. He earned his instructor ratings (CFI in single engine, multiengine, and instrument airplane) after retiring from the Air Force Reserve. Jim started building his Pulsar in 1990, with the first flight in 2009. (His EAA Technical Counselor was Paul Dye.) He is now building an RV-14A. After he left active duty, he worked for several years developing flight design software for the space shuttle, and performed independent verification and validation of NASA flight software. Now, his day job is Professor and Chair of Systems Engineering at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
In Case You Missed It
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir continues his series on digital logic (CMOS), and makes the little logic circuits do things that their inventors never considered.
Rocket Life
All it took for author Doug Rozendaal to gain additional respect for his F-1 EVO Rocket was a couple of months without it. Even though he didn’t have to go cold turkey and had other airplanes to fly, they weren’t the same. He offers an appreciation for airplanes with that fighter feeling.
Zen Four a Day
Flying four of Zeniths designs at the factory in Mexico, Missouri, prompted a deeper appreciation for the company's utilitarian approach to design. By Marc Cook.
Aero ‘lectrics
Columnist Jim Weir puts two, two, two LED lights in one hole, angled to ensure the maximum nav light visibility in any direction. He explains how to put the system together and explains why heat matters.