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.
Tale of Two Pitots
As part of an EAA Safety committee promoting the use of angle of attack flying, I fly a lot of different AoA systems. In...
Experience for Experience Sake
I’ll admit it, I like merit badges. I like certificates of achievement. I like the recognition that comes with doing something new and different....
Tune-Up Time
Like the proverbial frog who doesn’t know that the pot of water is getting warmer, it is easy to adapt to an airplane or...
Always Another Tool
One of the things I brought back from AirVenture last week was a kit from Flyleds to build two LED landing lights that we’re...
Grandaddy Document
We’re helping a neighbor friend clean out the hangar of her late husband, and running across all sorts of things that he collected as...
That Looks Familiar
Quite a few years ago (long before I moved out of Texas), we used to go visit long-time “Ask the DAR” author Mel Asberry...
Escape from Oshkosh
There comes a time when—no matter how much fun you’re having—you have eaten your limit of brats and cheese curds, and it’s time to...
OSH23 – The REAL Kneeboard Notes
When I put my occasional musings on the web for KITPLANES, I refer to them as “Kneeboard Notes,” jottings that come to mind as...
In Case You Missed It
Arion Lightning
Test pilot Chuck Berthe flew the Arion Lightning not once but twice, in two different factory demonstrators.
Ranting About All Those &%#@$! Screws
It’s condition inspection time again for the ol’ box kite, hence my grumbling mood....
Error Chain
Departure Stall! Good aircraft design and a bit of luck made it survivable. By Gary Knight and James Wiebe.
Light Stuff
Dave Martin returns to Sebring, and found a healthy supply of browsers and buyers. A healthy supply of aircraft, great weather, reasonable ticket and food prices, and no race noise combined to make the show a success.