Now THAT's a compressor!

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OK shop-hounds, we all like to talk about the size and quality of our air compressors, but I am humbled by what I found on a recent trip to Minnesota and the Soudan Underground Mine. This 100 psi, two-cylinder compressor supplied air for the underground mine continuously for half a century, in volumes enough to probably power every homebuilder in several states simultaneously.

Of course, it predates modern aircraft construction – and while I’d hate to pay the electric bill (that room behind houses a small sub-station), just think of the bragging rights at your next EAA chapter meeting.

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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.

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