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Paul Dye

Paul Dye
907 POSTS 26 COMMENTS
Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, 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.

We Have a Fixture!

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I needed a fixture – and I decided that I’d just “Go Big” ad make it out of steel. This baby isn’t going anywhere!

Crew Coordination, Working the Weather

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Having a reliable and well-trained partner can help to evaluate not only a course of action—but the decision-making process that goes into that plan.

Sling Shot

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Rotax’s 916 enlivens Sling’s four-seaters.

Twelve Volts Anywhere, Anytime

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A handy tool to have in the shop, avoiding a bunch of random long wires that always seem to get in the way.

Buy the Thousand-Pack

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Cheap and colorful ties: there is a place for them in the building process.

Becoming a DAR

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A designee is a private individual with the experience and skills necessary to do the work mandated for the FAA.

Hard-working Brakes

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You wouldn’t think that a little 1,000-lb MGW aircraft would require this much braking.

The Final Steps

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What you need to get your airplane’s experimental airworthiness certificate.

Fly-Ins Made Simple

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One of aviation’s great pleasures is to meet up with a bunch of friends at some out-of-the-way airport and just watch airplanes, enjoy the...

Attach Instrument Boxes Without New Holes

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Without screws or rivets, you’re looking at adhesive.

In Case You Missed It

A Celebration of KRs

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I have to admit that the KR has never really had a prominent spot...

Light Stuff

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Dave Martin introduces us to the Gobosh factory-built Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA) from Poland. Positioned at the luxury end of the LSA spectrum, there are two models: the all-metal G700S and the composite G800 XP, each of which includes standard six-pack instrumentation and leather seats.

Ask the DAR

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What's the difference between the FAAs SLSA (Special Light Sport Aircraft) and ELSA (Experimental Light Sport Aircraft) designation? DAR Mel Asberry clears it up.

Alternative Energies

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Graphene “paper,” drag-racing electric motorcycles and hybrid aircraft were hot topics at the Electric Aircraft Symposium in Santa Rosa, California, and illustrated the progress being made in alternative energy sources. By Dean Sigler.