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.
Which Control Stick?
Refining the control stick for the F1 Rocket—a balance of comfort, clearance, and decades of piloting perspective.
Just a Little Squeeze
The horizontal stabilizer on our F1 Rocket (like most RV-type aircraft) has a very thin profile—a symmetric airfoil with a finely pointed nose. Getting...
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!
In Case You Missed It
Vacuuming Connectors
Vacuum electrical connectors before installation to avoid difficult troubleshooting later.
The Dawn Patrol
Built in to any aircraft construction project is time for head scratching and trying to recall why you just walked from one end of the shop to the other. These are some of the most valuable moments.
