The 29th annual Zenith Aircraft Company Homecoming, held the weekend of Sept 25-27, 2020, saw a record number of pilots flying in for the annual event.
“Our annual Homecoming event gave the opportunity to builders and pilots to visit the factory while also meeting with fellow builders and owners, to get ideas and inspiration for their own projects. Select vendors were also on hand to meet with Zenith builders and pilots and to share details about their products,” said Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft Company. “We were blessed with great weather on both days, allowing for a record number of Zenith customers to fly in for the annual Homecoming.”
Many events were held outdoors to allow for social distancing, including the Zenith banquet on Friday evening, which had more than 220 people in attendance, according to company officials.
Other highlights of the Open Hangar Days and Fly-In included workshops and seminars, and a STOL (short takeoff and landing) flying demonstration on Saturday with the various high-wing Zenith models (powered by different engines).
Watch a video of some of the flying demonstrations below:
Visitors were able to tour the Zenith Aircraft kit production facilities at Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ) to see and to learn how the all-metal kit parts are fabricated, while Zenith Aircraft staff and volunteers demonstrated the building process.
You can see more photos from the Homecoming on Zenith’s Facebook page.
Only time will tell whether this was a good idea or not..
As someone who personally attended, I will say this was a fantastic event and Zenith did a great job of encouraging masks and facilitating social distancing. Keep in mind this is rural Missouri, where COVID cases are few and far between. We all chose to be there and enjoy ourselves, including my 88-year-old grandmother with her walker. It might not look like it in the pictures and videos, but social distancing was in place. COVID isn’t going anywhere, and we’re surrounded by risk in everything we do. It’s time to enjoy our lives again.
Mark, Mark, Mark….sigh. Listen to a guy who’s NOT from a “rural” town., NYC, NY, epicenter for all that is this unholy, VERY REAL disease called Covid-19 has done damage to. It’s attitudes like yours that is causing the spread of it TO your rural towns. This was a FLY IN. As in folks came from EVERYWHERE ELSE BUT YOUR RURAL TOWN to attend an airshow of sorts that even the EAA had enough brains to cancel due to the VERY REAL THREAT of spreading an often FATAL disease to all in attendance. You DO NOT have to have symptoms to be a carrier. I repeat YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE SYMPTOMS TO BE A CARRIER. You may have even had it already and not even know it! Not everyone will have symptoms bad enough to even cause problems, but the main demographic, that includes your 88 year old grandmother, was put at serious risk a they are the ones who are often the ones who can not fight off Covid’s effects. IT COULD HAVE KILLED HER, not you, but HER. This disease isn’t “going away”, it’s here, it’s still as deadly as ever, and it put everyone, EVERYONE at this gathering in danger. I truly hope no one was carrying this with them when they congregated in a poorly ventilated, CROWDED hanger and all of you got extremely lucky on that day. I wish no ill feeling on anyone, even those who don’t have the common sense to at least do the minimum reading on something as seriously threatening as Covid.
Michael, I appreciate your concern and passion for safety. We have that in common. We just have different experiences, and that’s understandable given our backgrounds. In the last 6 months, what you define as an “often fatal” disease has affected less than 2% of the US population and for those affected, has (at most) about a 2.5% fatality rate. I just checked the current stats but you’re welcome to validate. We all have the right to establish our own risk vs reward thresholds, and it’s ok that they’re not always aligned. You’re welcome to stay safely at home, or to accept the risk and enjoy your life. I can assure you that no one in attendance was lacking in common sense just because they chose the latter.
Michael, Michael, Michael…sigh. So you think you have some special insight because you’re from NYC,NY. No! You are like so many of the Perpetually Offended people in our society that think your opinion actually matters. Again, the folks at the fly-in were well informed citizens of the United States with the right and free will to live their life as they please. We need to protect those needing protection and not worry about those not willing to protect themselves. As I see it, the leadership in NYC & NY is the genesis of most of your issues. My suggestion is to cut back on the caffeine and take a deep breath.
Imagine a virus so deadly that you have to be tested to even know you have it.
If you want to wear a mask, or hide in your closet, it’s a free country. Protect yourself from those election season gremlins.
If folks choose to take their .0027% chances (data from CDC), it’s their decision.
Thumbs up Steve !
Wow, such ignorance is the reason this disease will kill, and HAS killed, maimed and messed up, so many folks out there. This isn’t political, but the media have made it that way and folks like you actually believe that….and I’m sad for you, your families, and all the folks you know or come in contact with as they will be the ones who suffer for it. I live in NYC, have a brother who’s not even immune compromised who had the misfortune of getting this and BARELY surviving it. And I have seen first hand what this is, it doesn’t care who you like in an election, what color you are, what line of work you do, it’ll mess you up equally. And it’s particularly nasty to the demographic of folks who attended this ill conceived gathering, SENIORS. It seems to like killing them the most. WAKE UP. This is real, not going anywhere, and just because YOU TWO haven’t had the, um, pleasure of seeing just how bad this really is, don’t spread your ignorance to others, it’s sad.
As far as I can see, nobody was tied up or chained to the airport. I did see some masks in the photos albeit only a few. I don’t know about any of the readers but, I was raised to take personal responsibility for my actions. I don’t need the government or Wayne, James, Dave or the rest of the crew dictating what I should do. That said, I do where a mask where prudent but I don’t think Zenith has any responsibility for what the participants do or don’t have over their face. The participants were just as free to have as they were to have not. So, to all the Perpetually Offended in our society, just stop.
We all want to fly. We all want to gather with like minded folks. We’re all sick and tried of being cooped up. We’re all tired of this coronavirus. But it’s activities like this that keeps the virus spreading. Could be some Zeniths for sale here in the next few months.
Let’s grow up people and start taking this pandemic seriously.
Agree
Missouri has lots of covid- often spreads before sxs or feeling sick. Was a bad idea, lack of masks shows
Ignorance- like skipping a bunch of rivets because u r lazy.
A perfect case of “let’s spread Covid.” I don’t think there was a single case of anyone wearing a mask. Certainly there was no attempt to maintain social distancing.
Zenair can now claim another 1st … passing the pandemic among the aviation community.
I don’t think Chris will thank his son for exposing him … a senior … to the end result.
Marketing Mismanagment!
I’m not impressed.
Sorry to be the wet rag here, actually I’m not,….but I’m seeing the most vulnerable portion of our society to Covid standing around in a crowded hanger/outdoors with absolutely no protection whatsoever (masks at the very least…!!). Zenith should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this. I’m never going to consider any of their aircraft because of this. Shame on them!! I truly hope everyone made it our safe and sound……