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.
Piles of Parts
Lycoming's three-day Engine Disassembly and Reassembly course kicked off this morning, and once again, here we are - this time the goal being to...
Everyone’s Welcome!
Who attends the Lycoming Service School? You'd be surprised at the variety! Personally, I have flown behind these (and other) engines for most of...
Things I Learned in Class Today
The best quote yet from Jim Doebler - "These engines will whisper before they scream." In other words, listen carefully to what your engine is telling you - problems caught early are much easier to fix.
Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’…
Today's session at the Lycoming Service School included a little hands on time with maybe the most "radical new technology" to be included in...
Alphabet Soup
There's an old joke that says that Lycoming once made two identical engines - but nobody can prove that it did! The genesis for this humor is undoubtedly the special publication we reviewed in today’s engine class titled Lycoming Certificated Aircraft Engines, otherwise known as SSP-110-1.
Back to School!
This week, we're at the Lycoming Engine Service School to learn about how the factory says they should be maintained, overhauled, and operated - and we hope to bring our readers along for the ride.
Speaking of Kneeboards
I normally fly with a compact, fabric kneeboard that wraps around my thigh with an elastic Velcro strap. Been using these for years -...
In Case You Missed It
So Long, Lead
As the prospect of leaded aviation fuels fades into the sunset, the search is on for a replacement, and you may not like where things are headed. By Marc Cook.