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.
Where The Magic Happens
The Reno Air Races have a lot of great things, but when you talk to those who’ve spent a lot of time watching all...
And They’re Racing!
It’s September in Reno, and to aviation buffs, that means one thing - Air Racing!
Hangin’ It Out There
Strolling through the Formula 1 hangar at the Reno Air Races, we came upon Steve Temple's Heat Stroke with its cowling off, and thought...
Build, Maintain, Inspect
One of the big reasons that people build their own airplane is the flexibility afforded by the FAA when it comes to maintenance and...
Spirit of Flight
Every year the Society of Experimental Test Pilots present the Spirit of Flight Award in recognition of outstanding work in the field of homebuilt...
They’re Only Slightly Off
You’d think that an organization as large as the EAA could reliably count something like conventions, so we have been slightly amused over the...
The Perfect Getaway
It had all the makings of a great caper movie - two guys opening a hangar in the dark with a surreptitiously obtained key,...
Nose(Gear) Job
If you find yourself at AirVenture, wandering around the Van’s Aircraft booth, make sure to take a look at the fuselage they have tucked...
In Case You Missed It
Setting Up Shop
Before you decide you cant build a plane because you don't have enough shop space, think again. After all, as author Bob Fritz points out, projects have been built in apartments. This article wont go quite that far, but it does detail some pitfalls to avoid and makes suggestions about maximizing the ease and efficiency of working in a limited-space environment.
Avionics Special: Garmins G3X Engine Monitoring System
Ponying up for the engine-monitoring portion of Garmins G3X EFIS suite requires careful consideration, but the result is a truly integrated solution. By Marc Cook.