Paul Dye
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.
The Process
To the uninitiated, it looks like it’ll be done soon, doesn’t it? But “The Process” still has a long way to go.
Fear Not the Rivet Cutter
Kits these days are pretty good, as are their instructions. When they tell you to use an AD4-7 rivet in a particular hole, it's...
We Have a Fixture!
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
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.
Twelve Volts Anywhere, Anytime
A handy tool to have in the shop, avoiding a bunch of random long wires that always seem to get in the way.
Becoming a DAR
A designee is a private individual with the experience and skills necessary to do the work mandated for the FAA.
Hard-working Brakes
You wouldn’t think that a little 1,000-lb MGW aircraft would require this much braking.
In Case You Missed It
Wind Tunnel
Recently, there has been increasing interest in the efficiency of all vehicles, including airplanes. Designers are seeking to make airplanes that perform better and burn less fuel. Barnaby Wainfan takes a close look at the aerodynamics and mathematics behind this deceptively complex process.
Second Chance Six
Part 7: Did you know that trailering an airplane across town is an all-day event? I didn’t.
The Proof Is in the Putting
Putting it on the hangar roof and wiring it to the airplane, that is....