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.
A Matter of Survival
If your aircraft turns in to a smoldering pile of ash and your gear happens to be in the baggage compartment, well…what you’ve got is what you’ve got.
No Charge – No Kidding!
Crimps are important, and as much as we hate it, you need special tools to do them right.
Ready for Main Engine Start!
That’s a phrase I haven’t heard since my space shuttle days, but it ran through my head yesterday as my wife got ready to...
How to Save 24 Pounds – and Look Great Doing It!
Our loyal RV-8, the Valkyrie, is rapidly approaching the 2000 hour mark on the Hobbs, and all of that time, she has been flying...
Puttering in the Shop
The dog days of August means that its hot in the shop in the afternoon! Out here in the Nevada hinterlands, it doesn’t pay...
In Case You Missed It
Free Flight
To fly or not to fly? Often it depends on the weather, which can be uncertain. That’s why it’s good to have IFR clearance, and crucial to have a backup plan.
