Paul Dye
Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 40 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.
It Takes a Team
Wherever I have gone on the AirVenture grounds this year, I have received compliments on the coverage that Kitplanes has been providing on the...
Trying On a Classic
I am of an age such that the BD-5J figured large in my imagination as I was learning to build and fly airplanes. While...
Surviving the Storm
Early arrivals at AirVenture generally get a chance to see the calm before the storm - and this year, they got to survive the...
Oshkosh – Before the Show
Taking advantage of a clear weather window, I launched from Nevada at first light and sailed along with tailwinds (and two fuel stops) to...
Carving Fiberglass the Easy Way
Shaping fiberglass parts might be messy, but it doesn't need to be hard. When I need to cut back an edge, I find that...
In Case You Missed it
Flight Review: Four to Tango
Chuck Berthe puts Team Tango’s Foxtrot 4 through its paces, and finds it to be a capable aircraft with the potential to be even better as the design is refined.
Roll Your Own
Although the KK-1 is scratch-built, builders Ken Scott and Ken Krueger have used all of the modern tools at their disposal to expedite the design and building process. This month, Scott discusses the more than satisfactory results of load-testing the wing and horizontal stab;