Two engine seminars will be held at Zenith Aircraft Co.’s 20th annual Open Hangar Day and Fly-In next weekend, Sept. 16-17) at its kit manufacturing facility in Mexico, Missouri.
In addition to looking at Zenith’s planes and touring the factory, visitors will be able to learn about engine choices for powering the two-seat LSA-class Zenith planes, including the high-wing STOL CH 750 light sport utility plane and the low-wing CH 650 cross-country cruiser.
The following engine seminars will be offered on Friday afternoon, Sept. 16:
Jabiru engines UL Power engines: Jabiru aircraft engines have become the most popular engine choice on Zeniths, according to company officials. Zenith builder/owner Mark Stauffer of JabiruUSA will present a workshop on “everything you’ve always wanted to know about operating and maintaining the popular Jabiru aircraft engines,” including the air-cooled 4-cylinder Jabiru 2200 and the 6-cylinder Jabiru 3300.
UL Power engines: The UL Power engines from Europe are generating a lot of interest from builders for good reason, Zenith officials said, noting these are next-generation direct drive air-cooled lightweight engines featuring full FADEC technology. Robert Helms from UL Power North America will present details and answer questions about the UL Power light aircraft engine, as seen on Zenith’s demonstrator CH 650 aircraft.
Corvair engine guru William Wynne of FlyCorvair.com will explain why the Corvair auto conversion continues to gain in popularity as a choice for powering light aircraft, as seen on many Zodiac CH 601 XL-B aircraft, and now on the CH 750 and CH 650.
Viking Aircraft‘s Jan Eggenfellner will showcase one of his new 110-hp Honda Fit auto conversions. Viking Aircraft is a new company that offers complete firewall-forward packages of the engine for installation in Zeniths.
Zenith promotes the use of alternative engines, and does not design airframe around a specific engine, company officials note. Other popular engines installed on Zeniths include Rotax, Continental and Lycoming powerplants.
These free semininars start at 1 pm at the Zenith Aircraft factory, and are open to everyone (not just Zenith builders and owners), However, pre-registration is required as space is limited.
Other seminars slated for the Open House include:
Friday seminars:
- Kirk Kleinholz from the Dynon Avionics factory will demonstrate and explain all the features and capabilities of the popular Dynon SkyView glass panel display system.
- Performing a proper Weight & Balance on a newly built kit airplane is something every builder has to go through. Zenith builder Mike Pruett of Scales4Planes.com will show you how this can be done quickly and easily. Mike will weigh an actual Zenith aircraft and work through the Weight and Balance report for the aircraft, using the light aircraft scales offered by Scales4Planes.com/Weigh-Systems Inc.
- How EAA Can Help You Build and Fly Your Own Aircraft: Charlie Becker from the Experimental Aircraft Association hosts a seminar on EAA’s available resources to help builders, owners and pilots of amateur-built aircraft, including the technical advisor and flight advisor programs, as well as details on Sport Pilot / LSA rules.
- Garmin Avionics: Tim Casey from Garmin Avionics will talk about the G3X “glass cockpit” system for kit planes and light sport aircraft. The G3X adapts proven technology from Garmin’s top-of-the-line integrated flight deck systems, in a package that fits your panel and budget.
- Sport Pilot flight training. Buzzy Devoll of Buzz Air Flight Academy will discuss Sport Pilot flight training as well as transition training to Zeniths. Buzz operates both a STOL CH 750 and a ZODIAC CH 601 XL-B/CH 650 S-LSA aircraft in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area.
Friday will wrap up with the Zenith Builders Banquet at the Elks Lodge (next to the airport). Door prizes will be awarded, including a new Garmin Aera 510 handheld GPS (valued at over $1,000) to one lucky winner. RSVP soon as space is limited.
In addition to the seminar presenters listed above, other partners participating at our Open Hangar Day include: Matco wheels and brakes, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, FlightCrafters and American Light Sport Aircrafters builder assistance centers, HomebuiltHELP.com (instructional DVDs), Wicks Aircraft Supply, Composite Design power panels, the Zenair Newsletter, and more.
On Saturday, the factory at Mexico Memorial Airport (MYJ) in central Missouri will be open for tours and Zenith’s factory-demonstrator kit aircraft will be on display. Company staff will demonstrate kit production and fabrication techniques used in producing the all-metal kit aircraft parts made at the factory, including cutting and pre-drilling kit parts on the CNC router, forming and hand finishing wing ribs and other kit parts, and aircraft aluminum welding demonstrations. Visitors will also have a chance to build their own small sheet-metal project in the Zenith factory.
EAA chapter 1225 will provide a hot BBQ lunch at noon on Saturday, and we will have complimentary coffee in the morning. A simple “hotdog and soda” lunch will be available at noon on Friday, Sept. 16, compliments of the American Light Sport Aircrafters builder assistance facility.
For more information: ZenithAir.com
