Most of the world has seen him fly -- but often in the guise of
some other person... whether it be James Bond or The Phantom. The
man behind the stick for some of aero-movie-dom's most famous
scenes is none other than JW "Corkey" Fornof... one of the best
pilots in the biz and a helluva nice guy. Better yet, he claims to
be ANN's biggest fan... and with that particular approbation (one
he hasn't been bashful about voicing -- Thanks!), it seemed only
natural that he become the subject of an Aero-TV feature.
Fornof is more than James Bond's 'stand-in pilot.' Corkey is a
living/flying legend... for all the right reasons. Corkey flew with
his father, J.W. "Bill" Fornof, in a world famous two ship air show
with matching bronze Bearcats for a number of years (until Bill's
tragic loss in 1971). Their airshow business was based in Houma and
involved routines built around the flying of the T6, Mustang and
his favorite warbird, the rotund but formidable Bearcat. He has
over 17,000 hours in over 287 different types of aircraft and has
worked as a test pilot, corporate pilot, and formed the first
civilian jet demonstration team. He is a member of the Screen
Actors Guild and the Motion Picture Pilots Association -- among
others. He has planned, organized and flown some of the most
thrilling aviation stunts in movies -- movies with immediately
familiar names -- like License to Kill, Face Off, Moonraker,
The Phantom, or Six Days and Seven Nights. And to add
to these distinctions, he's flown for over 100 commercials and even
done his thing on MTV.
These days, though, Corkey is living a love affair while
extolling the virtues of the little sporty two place plane that
will not die... Roy Lopresti's exquisite "Fury." Corkey loves this
thing, noting that, "The LoPrestiFury flies like a little fighter.
It does everything my Mustang would do except 500 kts... This is
one sweet ride. Roy LoPresti was right on when he designed this
plane. The Fury is perfect for aerobatics or cross country
flying".
The Lopresti gang knew what they were doing when they drafted
Corkey to be the Aerial Ambassador for their dream-plane. The
Lopresti camp rightly notes that, "If you're going to show off a
fast, sexy, high performance aircraft, it helps to have a secret
agent as your pilot. The Fury possesses the thrilling excitement of
air combat or an aerobatic WWII fighter. It's precision and
perfection allows smooth rolls and figure 8s. One can glide
cross-country in this leather-seated beauty listening to tunes of
your choice through the Bluetooth Headset and 'Intuition' Ipod
system."
So, for now, Corkey tours the aviation world with the Fury,
stopping at air shows and aviation establishments all over the
country -- and taking on the occasional film job. The Fury program
benefits immensely from his demonstrations and spokesmanship...
while demonstrating the charms of the single engine, retractable
two seat sport aircraft designed by LoPresti Speed Merchants and
destined for serial production.
Roy's dream lives on, courtesy of his son, Curt, who has is
realizing his father's dream by pushing to manufacture and market
the Fury in the not too distant future. This 222 mph airplane
sports a bubble canopy, sticks, economical operating costs,
aerobatic performance and a sweet soul that offers excellent
handling. ANN and Aero-TV look forward to meeting the first of the
new generation of Fury owner/pilots -- ASAP.
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.20.24): Light Gun
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