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Paul Dye

Paul Dye
916 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.

The Trip Home

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One of the great things about flying your own airplane to AirVenture and back is that you get to fly a bunch of cross-country, especially if you live 1500 miles away across the great western United States.

AirVenture in the Mirrors

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As I pushed the throttle in, lifted off of Wittman Field's runway 36(L) and pulled in to a right turn for a heading of...

Remove Before Flight

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Walking the grounds at AirVenture this afternoon, I ran across this pitot care flag that obviously came from our neighbors to the north! Interestingly...

Airplane Tracks

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Yes, I believe it was a light single, a tail dragger. Spent at least a week sitting in the same spot at Oshkosh to...

Little Audrey Interesting Oddity

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I've seen "Little Audrey" hanging in the EAA museum many times, but never really noticed this little detail before. It is common for airplanes...

O2 Simplified

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We stopped by Mountain High's booth to take a look at their oxygen hardware, and liked this neat idea for mounting a cannula without...

Name that Cockpit

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Yes, its experimental. No, its not a kit. Yes, it is at Oshkosh. Yes, it technically would qualify for small N-numbers and an NX designation. One of the...

It looks familiar, but…

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At first glance, it looks like an RV-4--but what's with the retractable landing gear?

Exciting Flight Test Software

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Starting out the morning at the annual EAA Technical Counselor/Flight Advisor breakfast, I saw a presentation by a Boeing test pilot about a new...

Educational Brothers!

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I ran into these two familiar-looking guys in one of the display buildings at AirVenture, and had to stop and give you a big...

In Case You Missed It

Cylinder Hones and Honing

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Honing and lapping are similar inasmuch as both employ abrasive action to remove metal...

University of Jabiru

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If you're considering or have already made the decision to use a Jabiru engine on your kit aircraft, Texas Sport Cub builder Dave Prizio says this three-day course will add to your confidence when installing and maintaining it.

Vacuuming Connectors

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Vacuum electrical connectors before installation to avoid difficult troubleshooting later.

The STOL Equation

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Barnaby Wainfan explains the challenges designers face in creating viable STOL aircraft.