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.
Exhausting!
We visit Vetterman Exhaust for a behind-the-scenes look at how exhaust systems are made.
Cleco Card
If you are like most metal airplane builders, you probably have a couple of plastic cups or buckets full of Clecoes in your shop....
Risk and Reward in the Thin Air
Losing people in a flight program is gut-wrenchingly hard and today I feel for all of the folks at Scaled Composites. None of them...
Finding the Perfect Project
The information in our Buyer's Guide is just the start. Here are some additional insights to help you make the right decision.
In Case You Missed It
Editor’s Log
Mary Bernard discusses staff changes at KITPLANES and the new series and columns that are making their debut this month.
Build Your Skill: Composites, Part 5
In this series installment, author Bob Fritz takes you through the basics of building a carbon fiber tank, including measuring, layout, patterns, cutting, epoxy-flox application, sanding, sawing, epoxying and finish work.