Kit aircraft manufacturer Zenith Aircraft Company hosted its 33rd annual Homecoming fly-in and open hangar days on September 20 & 21 at its headquarters located at Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ) in central Missouri. Zenith builders and flyers from around the country flew in (and drove in) to the Homecoming, one of the largest of its kind in the nation, to attend educational seminars and to share in camaraderie with fellow Zenith builders and flyers.
This year’s event included a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Zenith Aircraft’s recent factory expansion, and also marked the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the low-wing Zenith CH 600-series designs by designer Chris Heintz. Zenith (anagram of Heintz) aircraft have been produced in kit form at Zenith Aircraft Company in Mexico, Missouri, since 1992 and the Zenith Homecoming and Fly-In event has been hosted annually ever since.
The local Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce organized the well-attended Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Saturday and presented Zenith Aircraft with a Progress Award for the expansion.
The Zenith expansion project adds more than 10,000 sq.ft. to the Zenith Aircraft kit aircraft factory. The expansion provides additional space for increased kit aircraft parts fabrication, as well as shipping and receiving, and allows for an expanded Zenith aircraft “showroom” hangar area (used to host many of the Zenith Homecoming activities.
In the future, the hangar will also house the newly formed Chris Heintz Foundation with educational and historical displays of the works of aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz, the lead designer of the kit aircraft produced by Zenith.
The 2024 Zenith Homecoming event was a success by all measures (despite some weather on the second day of the two-day event). The grassroots event provided both educational and fun activities for all visitors, made up primarily of Zenith builders, owners and pilots, as well as future builders and pilots, and enthusiasts.
Highlights included well-attended hands-on workshops, seminars, and panel discussions where experts, as well as amateur Zenith builders and flyers, shared their experiences. The Zenith Homecoming celebrates Zenith builders and flyers, and they came out in force once again, with several dozen flying in to the central Missouri from around the country in their beautifully finished Zenith kit aircraft.
The educational seminars and hands-on workshops kept visitors busy throughout the day, learning about building and flying kit aircraft. Back by popular demand, volunteers hosted a women’s only workshop to introduce women to kit aircraft building. Visitors toured the modern Zenith Aircraft kit production facilities including guided tours of the recently expanded sections of the Zenith factory) to see and to learn how the all-metal aircraft kit parts are fabricated, while Zenith Aircraft staff and volunteers demonstrated the ease of the kit assembly with modern final hole size match-drilled parts.
The late summer/early fall weather allowed for outdoor socializing and dining, with evening dinner events held outdoors on the ramp in front of the factory and surrounded by aircraft.
Select suppliers and vendors (who supply products and services needed to finish and fly kit aircraft) were invited to participate once again at the Zenith Homecoming, meeting with new and existing Zenith aircraft builders, owners and pilots, and sharing information about their services and products. Long time sponsors, such as Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, have continued to support the Zenith Homecoming event year after year, and suppliers and sponsors offered great prizes that were awarded to lucky visitors. Once again, EAA Chapter 944 provided a hot breakfast of pancake and sausages both mornings, sponsored by Wheels & Wings (builder assistance services) on the first day, and by KITPLANES magazine and AVEMCO aviation insurance on the second day.
EAA’s Charlie Becker participated to provide an update on FAA rules and initiatives affecting homebuilt aircraft and Sport Pilots, updating visitors about the FAA’s MOSAIC rule changes. Zenith Aircraft also hosted guided factory tours of the recently expanded factory and kit assembly demonstrations to showcase the newest kit technology (utilizing CNC final hole size match drilled parts and components). Visitors were able to see up-close all the airplanes that were flown in, and meet with the owners (also usually the builders) of the custom-built airplanes. As part of the annual homecoming festivities, Zenith hosted an informal outdoor “dinner banquet” on Friday evening on the Zenith ramp with more than 250 guests.
Sponsors and supporters of the event provided the popular prizes awarded to visitors, including Dynon Avionics, Avemco, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, Garmin avionics, Sensenich propellers, AeroLEDs, iFly EFB, EarthX batteries, DUC propellers, EAA, Continental Aerospace, Citizens Bank, Lab One, and others.
This annual Homecoming event has grown organically over the years to become the prime annual gathering (and “Homecoming”) for Zenith builders, owners and flyers. Organizers use the event to educate the Zenith community (made up of builders, owners and flyers) about building and flying Chris Heintz designs, with seminars of basic light aircraft construction as well as important educational seminars on ongoing airworthiness for existing CH-series light aircraft.
