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.
Free Flight
Acknowledging risk and taking steps to minimize it are safer than denying that it exists.
RV-1 Flies Again
After nearly a year of restoration work by countless volunteers, the first "reflight" of the VanGrunsven RV-1, N5827N, occurred on February 19, 2012 from...
Free Flight
Perfection is unattainable for most builders, yet it is what many strive for. Paul Dye posits that sometimes “good enough” may be just what you need to finally get out of the shop and into flying.
Build It Better: What’s Your Backup Plan?
The word “redundancy” is often heard in aviation, and with good reason. But a well-thought-out backup plan involves more than just having two of everything.
Finding the Source
While on a routine technical counselor consultation, Paul Dye discovered hidden treasure: Richard VanGrunsven’s original RV-1. He details a bit about its history and preparations for its planned tour this summer.
Understanding Your Risks
Paul Dye discusses risk management, and how you can decrease the chances of having an aviation mishap.
Free Flight
Paul Dye visits the hallowed halls of flight and reflects on the bond that exists between aviators past and present.
Build It Better: The Choices We Make
Paul Dye debuts his new series on the myriad considerations that go into building and flying Experimental aircraft.
Free Flight
Expecting your avionics software to be free of bugs is unrealistic, but there is a way to avoid being bitten.
Free Flight
The words "test pilot" conjure images of steely-eyed derring-do, but the reality is often a world away from all that.
In Case You Missed It
Roll Your Own
Weight and balance, taxi tests, first flights and debriefings. This is what it all comes down to when you design and build a one-of-a-kind Experimental aircraft. Happily, the airplane lives up to its builders expectations… and then some.
A Visit With Glasair Aviation
I had a reason to fly up to Arlington, Washington, to see the current...