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.
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...
In Case You Missed It
The Home Machinist
What do you do if you want to cut a longer-than-usual taper? Well, first you'll need to create a simple tool from some round stock that will provide target zones for your dial indicator, and then you may need to buy some more tools-what a shame! Home Machinist Bob Fritz takes you through the process. Hint: Choosing the right Morse Taper is critical.