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.
Size Differences
Back in the months leading up to the reveal of the RV-15 Test Article at AirVenture 2022, there was a lot of speculation as...
Yup—That’s a Mustang!
Well, its actually a “Carbon Mustang”, the Scale Wings SW-51, a new kit from a German company, represented in America by an Arkansas group,...
Shhhh – I’m Blending In
Walking the pits at Reno, you pass through a few rows of RV’s, Lancairs, and Glasairs, then a couple of aisles of T-6’s. Next,...
Morning Brief
If you think that Reno Racing is just a bunch of guys that hop in their planes and go ripping around the pylons, then...
Reno From Home
We all know that the best way for an aviation enthusiast (especially a homebuilder) to watch the Reno Air Races is in person, with...
RARA and Other Trivia
Wednesday morning greeted the assembled racers and spectators with smoke. Lots of smoke. And not the kind smoke that comes from smoke oil on...
Oil Filter Anti Drainback Valve
For those of you using 48108-2 oil filters on an angle adapter, here’s a bit of trivia for you. Not everyone knows that these...
The Slow Failure
Mechanical fuel pumps are pretty reliable, in general. I know folks who will disagree, having replaced them early in the life of an engine,...
In Case You Missed It
Around the Patch
In keeping with the spirit of this years Directory of Plansbuilt Aircraft, Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook extols the virtues of enjoying the process of building of an airplane as much as the flying of it.
Stand-alone VHF Radios
Our market scan reveals plenty of models with advanced feature sets and space-saving designs.
Ask the DAR
A reader asks if he can use his Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft for instruction. DAR Mel Asberry’s answer: It’s not a problem, but charging for transition training of a non-owner pilot requires a specific operational exemption.
Shelving Progress
By introduction to his Civilisation television series, Sir Kenneth Clark made a case for...