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.
Efficient Glass Work
Here's a short little tip for making your composite work a little more efficient.
How many times have you started a work session by mixing...
A Time for Lists
There comes a time in every homebuilt project where you need to start making lists. To-do lists. Up until that time, you are simply...
Wiring Time!
It's easy to tell when a shop is deep into avionics wiring - at least it is in my shop! I generally start by...
Easy Hole Spacing
One of the curses of modern CAD technology is that designers can draw something up, then have the computer dimension it on the drawing...
Timing
Building an airplane is something that requires not only specific shop skills and experience, it also takes a great deal of planning—at least if...
Power to the Panel!
When you're elbow deep in wiring, it is motivating once in awhile to clear all of the debris, check all the connections, and apply...
All of Us are Smarter than Any of Us
One of the best things about this job is the number of contacts I get from members of the homebuilding community - It's like...
Me and the Val
It is so easy to take things for granted when you have had them for a long time. I've been flying my RV-8, which...
It Starts With One Pair of Pliers
The job was to remove and replace a cotter pin (in order to remove and replace a clevis pin) in the nose-wheel well of...
In Case You Missed It
Roll Your Own Control Locks
A lightweight, inexpensive alternative to wrapping a seat belt around the stick. By Axel Alvarez.
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.