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Paul Dye

Paul Dye
915 POSTS 27 COMMENTS
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.

Sling Shot

2
Rotax’s 916 enlivens Sling’s four-seaters.

Twelve Volts Anywhere, Anytime

1
A handy tool to have in the shop, avoiding a bunch of random long wires that always seem to get in the way.

Buy the Thousand-Pack

8
Cheap and colorful ties: there is a place for them in the building process.

Becoming a DAR

3
A designee is a private individual with the experience and skills necessary to do the work mandated for the FAA.

Hard-working Brakes

1
You wouldn’t think that a little 1,000-lb MGW aircraft would require this much braking.

The Final Steps

1
What you need to get your airplane’s experimental airworthiness certificate.

Fly-Ins Made Simple

1
One of aviation’s great pleasures is to meet up with a bunch of friends at some out-of-the-way airport and just watch airplanes, enjoy the...

Attach Instrument Boxes Without New Holes

6
Without screws or rivets, you’re looking at adhesive.

Ultimate Avionics Work Surface

2
Wiring a panel? How about upgrading to the ultimate avionics work surface?

Wire Supports

0
If you’re building/wiring an instrument panel, especially one with modern EFIS screens and avionics, you no doubt have dealt with the problem of how to secure wire bundles.

In Case You Missed It

Sizing an Avionics Cooling Fan

0
How much is enough?

Editor’s Log

0
Whats he gonna do next?

No Limits!

0
Marco Cherubini is a paraplegic, but that didn’t stop him from building an RV-7 and fulfilling his dreams of flight.

Jet Eze

2
Turning a dream into reality, part 1.