Annual Event Opens Factory To Aviation Community

The annual Zenith Open Hangar Days will get underway Friday and continue through Saturday in Mexico, MO. The event presents the opportunity for visitors to tour the Zenith Aircraft factory, meet the Zenith staff, and to socialize with fellow pilots, builders, and aviation enthusiasts.

Zenith owners are encouraged to fly-in for the event and participate in the first-ever Zenith Aircraft Show sponsored by Matco Mfg on Saturday at the Zenith factory. The event will be peer judged in various categories with many great prizes. All aviation enthusiasts are invited to look at the various Zenith aircraft during the event and vote for their favorite for the People's Choice Award.

The STOL Competition sponsored by Kitplanes Magazine will take place on Saturday afternoon and is a crowd favorite and a lot of fun for Zenith aircraft flyers to participate in.

The One Week Wonder (as shown participating in the STOL Competition last year) was built from a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer kit as a group build project involving over 2,500 volunteers at Oshkosh in 2014 in just seven days. EAA's newly painted One Week Wonder airplane will be on display during Open Hangar Days presented by EAA CEO Jack Pelton and EAA Director Charlie Becker.

The new SAM -EX (pictured, below) is on the way to Zenith Aircraft for the first time from Canada and will be on display during the Open Hangar Days event. The all-metal tandem taildragger two-seat SAM-EX is powered by 180-hp Lycoming O-360 engine, and is now being offered as an affordable easy-to-build complete kit requiring less than 600 hours to assemble.

The Zenith Banquet dinner will be held on Friday evening at the Mexico Elks Lodge (right next to the airport) and for the BBQ dinner on Saturday at the Zenith factory starting at 5:00 pm. The Zenith banquet will feature EAA CEO Jack Pelton and a Zenith Game Show. Then, an awards ceremony will take place on Saturday evening to announce the winners of the various contests held throughout the day, followed by local talent The Highwater Band for live entertainment with 60's & 70's blues & rock-n-roll at the Zenith factory.

A camping area is available at Open Hangar Days 2016, along with 24-hour access to the pilot lounge (with showers and internet access) at the Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ).

(Images provided with Zenith Aircraft news release)

FMI: Full Schedule (subject to change)