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Paul Dye

Paul Dye
908 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.

IRAN

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It is sometimes easy to remember that we do annual condition inspections to find things that might be wrong with the airplane. I know...

Those Custom Models

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Get your own homebuilt built, in miniature.

The FeelFlight Grip

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Product evaluation: Who’s that knocking on my finger?

Constant-Speed Props

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How do they work?

Dealing With Off-Nominal, Part 3

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Distractions, minor emergencies and the worst-case scenario.

Lathe Bauble

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You do NOT need a machine shop, lathe, or mill to build any kit aircraft, but...

Dealing With Off-Nominal: Part 2

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What to do when the engine has “quit.”

Something Doesn’t Look Right

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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

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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

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Taking a closer look at “off-nominal” flight experiences and what to do about them.

In Case You Missed It

Homemade Open-End Wrench

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Anyone who knows me is familiar with my love of homemade tools. It comes...

15 Ways to Make Your Airplane Safer

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Ed Wischmeyer reminds us of some simple maintenance tasks that will help keep an aircraft shipshape.

Wind Tunnel

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Flying Flea, part 3.

Plane and Simple

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Drilling in tight places.