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.
Tail First
“Where did you get this?” my mom demanded, shaking a thick brown envelope at me. One that had been hidden under my mattress. I...
No One Is Watching
For better or worse, kit manufacturers are under no FAA oversight. There are no independent engineering reviews. No mandatory wing loading or landing-gear drop...
A Cautionary Tail
One Monday morning I opened an email from the second owner of a Onex. It was sent at 8:12 p.m. on Saturday. An attached...
Executing the Execution
Airplanes are born of time and tedium. Mostly tedium. A harsh statement, yet a true one. There’s just no way around deburring the thousands...
Hand Tools: Modified, Made and Improvised
Merriam-Webster defines a tool as “A self-absorbed male prone to wearing a necklace”…wrong one…here it is: “A handheld device that aids in accomplishing a...
Fit and Trim
A first flight reveals truths that only air moving over an aircraft’s surfaces can reveal. Will the engine cool properly? Will the cockpit fill...
Keeping a Battery Current
“With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being...
One Week Wonder—That’s a Wrap!
With one second remaining on the clock, the Sonex One Week Wonder was still one hour from having a functioning nervous system. Deadlines. Who...
Patience, Kindness and Understanding
AirVenture! It’s finally here. How is it a year can pass so quickly yet take so long? For many, AirVenture is more than the...
Can We Talk? (Boy, Can We!)
One of my favorite AirVenture activities is eavesdropping as people tell their buddy about the Sonex product line. They confidently say that Sonex took...
In Case You Missed It
Got Threads?
What to do when you've stripped a spark plug hole or other threaded receptacle in your homebuilt (once the cursing has stopped)? We have ways...
