Zenith Kit Aircraft Building Workshop: Lake City, Florida
What a great group of participants! Recap of the Zenith hands-on kit airplane building workshop class held in Lake City, Florida, at the Wheels & Wings facility on December 2 & 3, 2022. On Saturday, Amy and Herman of Wheels & Wings (builder assistance facility) hosted an Open House and informal Zenith fly-in gatherings, with a number of beautifully-built Zenith airplanes in attendance.
The workshop class started on Friday morning, following an introductory talk by Zenith Aircraft owner Sebastien Heintz. The workshop classes are designed specifically for the first-time airplane builder, and have become popular with sport aviation enthusiasts who are considering to build their own aircraft and are unsure if they have the required skills, workspace and tools. During the workshop each participant builds and assembles their own Zenith aircraft rudder tail section from a standard Zenith kit.
In the process of building the rudder assembly, participants tackle many activities including learning how to read drawings (blueprints) and work with assembly instructions (manuals) under the expert guidance of experienced staff. They learn the procedures for putting together an aircraft assembly, including drilling and riveting. In the end, they have an assembled rudder that is ready to install on a Zenith kit airplane.
“The rest of the kit is constructed the same way as the rudder, using the same tools,” said Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft Company. “People get far more out of the workshop than just a finished aircraft rudder: they go home with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to build their own airplane. Most importantly, they learn that kit building is enjoyable and something that can engage the whole family. Many of our prospective builders bring their spouses or other family member. With modern technology and good instructions, aircraft construction has become much easier than most people think, and our workshop classes are good examples of this: most participants now complete the rudder kits during the first day.”
The hands-on workshop is an excellent way to learn about building your own amateur-built kit aircraft and about the many advantages of owning and flying an airplane that you’ve built yourself. For many, building an aircraft (from a kit) is a very rewarding experience, and today’s modern kits make it easier and quicker to build than even before.
More about attending a Zenith workshop: https://zenithair.net/builder-workshops/
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