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.
Something Doesn’t Look Right
Look ma’ no eyebrow cooling holes!
The electric Xenos project rolls on, and forces one to rethink what we hold to be conventional. Most air-cooled...
A Two-headed Stick
No, you have not entered the magical realm of a circus freak show—this really is exactly what it looks like—a control stick with two...
Dealing With Off-Nominal: Part 1
Taking a closer look at “off-nominal” flight experiences and what to do about them.
The First Liar
Throughout the history of places where pilots gather—be it a hangar, lounge or friendly saloon—one thing has always held true: the old saying that...
Home Away from Home… Thanks Dynon!
One of the hidden treasures in the Reno Air Race pits, tucked in among the Sport Class racers and their pits, is a bite...
Better Safe…
As competitive as he is, Sport Class President Bob Mills is first and foremost a pilot with excellent judgement. So when he taxied out...
Harbingers of Winds to Come
The atmosphere in Reno, Nevada this year gives you two choices - you can have smoke, or you can have wind - which drives...
In Case You Missed It
Building as a Group
The Independence Five is an Oregon-based group building a bevy of DH.2s. Dean Sigler explores their approach to building and reports on how the project is progressing.
Four Decades Old, Look At Us Now
Publisher Dennis Shattuck took a flier on a growing segment of aviation back when...
Van’s RV-12
In typical fashion, Van’s Aircraft refused to rest on its laurels after the RV-12’s prototype debut last year, and sought to improve on an already good design. The new production airplane has changed (beyond its color), with a castering nosewheel, toe brakes instead of a grip, reshaped control sticks for better clearance, ground-adjustable seats fore and aft as well as in tilt, and the list goes on. Best of all, this day/VFR machine is still a delight to fly; by Ed Kolano.
All About Avionics: We Came, We Saw
There are seemingly few more mundane tasks than making holes, but there are as many ways to do them, as there are different sizes and shapes of holes. This month, Stein Bruch describes how to cut holes in the panel yourself, using tools you may already have around the shop.