Thaddeus Kerns was born in Santa Ana, California on June 5, 1894, and died in a plane crash on July 15, 1913. At a very young age, he built a full-sized plane with his own hands, with the exception of the engine, based on the Curtiss model. He taught himself how to fly with determination and courage. He even obtained a patent for a “flexible rib” in 1911, when he was only 17 years old.