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.
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...
Stewarding the Stewart 51
There are two objects whose every feature are so well known, almost wired into our DNA, that their likenesses cannot be estimated in reproduction, they must be...
Doubt: A Cautionary Tail
Doubt. It's part of human nature and it loves visiting itself upon homebuilders. We doubt ourselves and the plans. We convince ourselves we don't know...
Getting Repair Help
It happens every year. A landing mishap renders an airplane stranded. A flat tire renders an airplane immoveable. A dead battery renders one a...
In Case You Missed It
The Effects of Ignition Advance on Cylinder Head Temperature, Speed, and Efficiency
If a little is good, more is better, and too much should be just about right. Not!
Letters
Whole-Plane ParachutesI enjoy KITPLANES very much and look forward to every issue. But I've...
Homebuilding on the Edge
Out in the California desert, innovation in homebuilding is the rule, rather than the exception. By Marc Cook.