Paul Dye
Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 40 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.
Editor's Report from SnF – Set-up Day – Monday, April 20
Lakeland, Florida is welcoming the 41st Sun 'n Fun Fly-in this week, and today was set-up day for vendors and show volunteers. We got...
Celebrate the Centennial of NASA's Predecessor: The NACA
Many homebuilders don't know of the debt they owe to an organization that would have been 100 years old today - the National Advisory...
Marking Rivet Locations
Laying out rivet patterns can take a lot of time, especially when the drawings specify distances from a leading edge or other reference mark,...
Making Parts
Building an airplane is, without a doubt, a daunting task. Whether you are starting with a kit, plans, or scratch-building, going from that first...
In Case You Missed It
The Fly As You Go Plan
Learned colleague Paul Dye recently wrote about the time-limited nature of aviation hardware. That...
Down to Earth
Amy Laboda discovers that a newly installed EFIS, six-weeks away from her RV-10 and an acute caffeine deficiency challenge her inner student.
Archive: December 1988
A Great Lakes biplane was on our December 1988 cover, and the issue contained...
Flapjacks and Fly-Ins
One of the most enjoyable and useful “tools” is membership in a local chapter of the EAA.