Kerry Fores
Kerry Fores was born and raised in Oshkosh, WI and was interested in homebuilding by age 12. Between 1998 and 2003 he scratchbuilt and polished a Sonex, which he named Metal Illness. Kerry logged nearly 500 hours in Metal Illness and was awarded Plans Built Champion at AirVenture 2006. Kerry is retired from a 21-year career at Sonex Aircraft, most of it dedicated to supporting builders. Kerry is on the web at thelifeofdanger.com.
Beyond the Stats
Shoppin’ for a project, are ya? Here are some truths: Factory-stated build times are bare minimums. Double them and then toss that number out...
Inserting Bolts, Installing Nuts
I never set out to write a hardware trilogy, yet here we are. A little ditty on washer usage begat a column on bolt-length...
Length Matters
Last month I wrote about AN washer usage. This month I’ll take on AN bolts—specifically, their grip length. Riveting stuff, huh? No? Somewhat captivating?...
AN960 Washers, the Penny and My Thoughts
Not a week (sometimes a day) went by during my Sonex career that I wasn’t asked about washer usage on threaded fasteners. Often, a...
Get Bent
I harbor two writers within. A technical writer who favors brevity and a creative writer, an essayist, who wants to engage your senses and...
Self-Debriefing Your AirVenture Experience
Every flying lesson ends with a debriefing. What worked, what didn't, where can improvements be made? If you recently attended The Big Show in...
AirVenture’s Last Day
AirVenture is an organism that obeys no calendar. The Friday prior to this year's opening the airport was as full as I've ever seen...
Thick Wallet?
This is one of many vendors at AirVenture offering a solution to those whose wallet is too thick. This vendor, however, is the only...
Decisions, Decisions.
So you thought picking the perfect homebuilt was difficult? Well, strap in because there are dozens more decisions to follow, including how to strap...
Homebuilding’s Perseverance Award
I caught up with EAA’s Charlie Becker—which is easy to do as he drags around the weighty title Director for Chapters & Communities and the...
In Case You Missed it
Bearhawk LSA
Simple and light—very light: The Bearhawk LSA is the latest addition to the Bearhawk family, the culmination of decades of design experience.
Cowl Flapped
Invention and experimentation in actual practice (compared to idealized fantasy) don’t usually offer up...