Paul Dye

If you are building an airplane, and are far enough along that you are installing nuts and bolts, you have probably already discovered that nothing is permanent until you are ready to put fuel in the tanks and go fly (and even then … ). You are going to p... See more

Nope—not talking about flying here—I’m talking about building—specifically, I am talking about cutting and fitting baffle seal material. No matter if you choose the old standard black fabric-reinforced rubber or one of the fancier silicone materials, baff... See more

There is an old saying in the kit aircraft world that when you are 90% done, you only have 90% left to go. The fact is that experienced builders know that when you have something that looks like an airplane, you are rarely more than halfway complete—that ... See more

Let me say this right up front — I have frequently touted the use of packing tape to keep fiberglass layups from bonding to something where you don’t want a bond — like building fiberglass fairings that mate with aluminum parts. Yup — I’ve used it and rec... See more

I have been mostly a metal airplane builder most of my life, although I did start out with tube-and-fabric. My fiberglass experience has been tips, fairings, and cowlings of those metal airplanes, and I have always envied the folks who can create an entir... See more