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.
We Keep Killing People…
I guess it's a Monday Aviation Journalist thing - time to get grumpy and complain. Over on our sister publication, AVweb, Rick Durden is...
Nose Job
There comes a time in every plane's life when you just have to take her down for maintenance. Our RV-3B is probably the most...
Two “Fly-ins”
Not too many days ago, a dry lakebed near our home became the temporary residence of about 70,000 people as the annual Burning Man...
(Almost) Engine Hanging Time
We riveted on the firewall of our Dream Tundra project the other day - a major milestone because we think that means we have...
Head on a Swivel
Do you ever get too comfortable when you're flying? I routinely fly from our airpark down to a neighboring private airpark to work on...
Over the Wall
Anyone who has spent any time in the pits at the Reno Air Races knows of "the wall" - the line of concrete barriers...
The Envelope, Please
Seeing as how we're all part of the Experimental aviation business here, let's talk a little about test flying, shall we? Almost everyone who...
RVs Kick Off the Sport Class!
Wednesday morning was a last chance for qualifying for most of the classes at the Reno Air Races, and the first heat races commenced...
Easy Heater Box Control
Our Dream Tundra project is a good example of how it is hard to think of everything when designing a firewall layout with a...
A Full Field!
Good morning from the Reno Air Races, where the Sport Class seems to be taking over! Today is the final day of qualifying here...
In Case You Missed It
Flight Review: Falken Avionics iPad-based EFIS
By now, the Apple iPad has established itself as a strong utility player in many aircraft, most often running as a so-called electronic flight bag (EFB) to display moving maps, charts, weather and traffic. But Falken Avionics’ Flight View system has a different take on putting Apple’s tablet to use—as a primary instrument.
2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer’s Guide
The 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide features a stunning 316 designs.
Ask the DAR
Can a builder modify a Vans RV-12 kit under the 51% rule? How about changing the gross weight of a RANS S-7? Plus, the FAA releases revised homebuilding rules.