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.
Come Up With An Easier Way
The assembly manual might tell you to do something one way, but sometimes it's possible do do it better.
Strings Attached
There are times in building an airplane when you want to have some strings attached - particularly when it comes to lining things up....
Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer—My New Seats
I came in from the shop for lunch the other day, and what did I find sitting on the front step of the house?...
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...
In Case You Missed It
Editor’s Log
Mary Bernard explores the background of Jeff Ackland and his new Radial Rocket RG, this issues cover story.
Around the Patch
Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook saw some reasons to be cheerful at AirVenture, especially the upcoming refinement of the 51% rule for homebuilders.
Barefoot Flying
A relative newcomer to the U.S. kit aircraft clan, the Sport Air Corsario import from Rio de Janeiro borrows characteristics from other amphibians while displaying a personality and pleasurable flying qualities uniquely its own; by Dave Higdon.
The Home Machinist
Bob Fritz visited the TechShop workshop in Menlo Park, California, and got to play with lots of big, shiny toys that any homebuilder would covet.