The 2023 SUN ‘n FUN Calendars are here! Included in those calendars are 12 amazing paint schemes on various aircraft. Each month we want to tell the story of each aircraft and how it got its uniqueness. Starting with January, we will focus on the Vans RV-3B named “Tsamiyu.” This aircraft is owned by Paul Dye and Louise Hose. The aircraft features a purple and blue dragon-like figure across the top. The paint scheme was based on the movie “Avatar,” with the word “Tsamiyu,” meaning Warrior in the native language of Navi, created specifically for the movie. The aircraft was picked for January since it would coincide with the release of the 2nd installment of the Avatar franchise, Avatar: The Way of Water.
The husband and wife duo wanted to build an aircraft together after they were married. Paul and Louise finished the aircraft in 2011. “Tsamiyu” has a custom interior and is IFR certified. The engine is an IO-320 by Mattituck. The propeller is a Whirlwind 151 Constant Speed. The gross weight of this RV-3 is 1,300 pounds.
“Tsamiyu” has been featured in publications such as General Aviation News, Kitplanes, and Van’s Aircraft. In prior years, you may have seen this aircraft in person if you have gone to the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, as they have this RV-3 on display in the Homebuilt section.
A little bit about Paul according to his website www.ironflight.com,
“As the longest-serving NASA Flight Director in history, Paul Dye was in a leadership position for 38 Space Shuttle missions, nine of which he served as the Lead Flight Director, responsible for development and training for the mission, as well as real-time execution of all facets of the shuttle flight. Coordinating the work of thousands of mission planners, flight controllers, trainers, and astronauts, Dye spent twenty years in the center seat of Mission Control. These years were preceded by twelve years spent as a systems flight controller and more years spent as an International Space Station Flight Director before his retirement in 2013.
Paul Dye has nearly 50 years of aviation experience as an aerospace engineer, aircraft builder, and pilot. His scope has ranged from restoring classic light aircraft to planning and leading manned spaceflights. His love of flying machines dates back to early childhood, and he became involved with full-sized aircraft as a teenager, rebuilding J-3 Cubs with an FBO in Minnesota. He earned his degree in Aeronautical Engineering with a specialization in aircraft design and flight testing from the University of Minnesota in 1982. He has flown over 130 different types of aircraft, many of them experimental and many of those on their first flights. Dye is a licensed Commercial pilot rated for single and multi-engine, instrument, seaplanes, gliders, and several experimental jet aircraft. He is also a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic.
For 33 years, he worked in increasingly responsible roles within the US (NASA) Manned Space Program, both as a technical expert in spacecraft systems and, eventually, as the overall lead of many missions to space. He retired from NASA in 2013 as the longest-serving Flight Director in U.S. history. The winner of many prestigious awards, including the Johnson Space Center Director’s Commendation, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and four NASA Exceptional Service Medals, Dye is the author of “Shuttle, Houston: My Life in the Center Seat of Mission Control”, his 2020 book covering the shuttle years from the perspective on MCC. He delights in bringing the lessons learned from the most advanced flight operations back to the next generation of space operation professionals and to general aviation pilots and builders. He is well-known as a risk-management specialist and advises designers and builders – as well as pilots – on ways to build and operate aircraft with greater margins of safety. He is a Leadership Consultant and speaker available to corporations and groups who wish to better their organizations and people.
Always a prolific writer, he has been a frequent contributor to type-club newsletters and websites for many years. After retiring from NASA as a Lead Flight Director for Human Spaceflight, he became Editor-in-Chief for Kitplanes Magazine, a publication dedicated to supporting the experimental aircraft industry. Now Editor-at-Large, he attends most of the large aviation meetings and fly-ins around the United States, test flies aircraft for individuals and for magazine evaluations, and enjoys speaking to aviation and civic organizations on various topics related to aviation.”
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