Zenith Aircraft Homecoming 2025

Thank you to everyone who visited and participated at the 34th annual event!

What a great 2025 Zenith Homecoming Open Hangar Days & Fly-In!!
Thanks to our sponsors, and thanks especially to all the Zenith builders and flyers who continue to make this the educational and fun event that it has become!

Zenith Aircraft Company will be hosting its 34th annual Zenith Homecoming / Open Hangar Days & Fly-In this September 19th & 20th at its kit aircraft factory at the Mexico Memorial Airport in Mexico, Missouri.
The annual fly-in event is a homecoming for Zenith Aircraft customers from across the U.S., with many Zenith customers flying in to central Missouri, with their completed Zenith kit aircraft (whose parts and components were all made at the Zenith Aircraft factory in Mexico, Missouri).

Check out these views from last year’s event:

The Open Hangar Days & Fly-In event includes two full days of activities, with educational seminars and workshops, an aircraft show, contests, social activities, as well as a Zenith banquet dinner on Friday evening. Factory tours of the modern kit aircraft factory, aircraft building and flying demonstrations, and other activities are planned for visitors.
Educational seminars and workshops begin on the first day (Friday, September 19th) and take place throughout the day with various topics relating to airframe (the aircraft fuselage, wings and tail), engine, and avionics, as well as related topics (including insurance, transition training, and more). The knowledge gained from these educational seminars gives the individual aircraft kit builders an opportunity to learn more about the choices they have in building and finishing their own aircraft. Charlie Becker, EAA’s Director of Chapters & Homebuilt Community Manager, will speak about government issues affect sport aircraft owners and builders, including MOSAIC, task based phase 1 flight testing, LODA, Basic Med and fuel issues, as well as additional seminars and panel discussions on topics of interest to Zenith builders and flyers, including flight safety (transition training and first flight preparedness). Friday’s activities conclude with the popular Zenith Aircraft banquet (catered BBQ) held outdoors in front of the Zenith Aircraft factory with the planes (weather permitting), with special guest speakers.

Saturday’s schedule is packed full of activities including tours of the newly-expanded Zenith Aircraft kit production facilities, Zenith aircraft “show” with many categories and prizes, more seminars on Zenith aircraft kit construction and maintenance, flying and other demonstrations, and concludes with a popular fried chicken dinner and awards ceremony starting at 4:30 pm.
Hands-on building projects in the Zenith factory are being planned once again. There will be Zenith Aircraft presentations on aircraft kit construction, as well as representation from more than a dozen vendors of products and services for Zenith customers (avionics, engines, insurance, etc.).
The Zenith Aircraft Homecoming is the premier annual event for Zenith customers and aviation enthusiasts, and is presented by the Chris Heintz Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation to further the works of aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz (1938 – 2021) in ongoing education and support of his innovative light aircraft designs around the world.
For more than thirty years Zenith Aircraft Company has been manufacturing “easy to build and fun to fly” aircraft kits designed by Chris Heintz. Under the leadership of Sebastien Heintz, Zenith Aircraft continues to be the number one brand of light sport aircraft in the United States (based on actual FAA registrations numbers). Zenith Aircraft produces kit aircraft for the DIY (do it yourself) sport aviation market, with superb short take-off and landing capabilities demonstrated by the STOL CH 701 and STOL CH 750 models, as well as economical two-seat cross-country cruisers: The high-wing Zenith CH 750 Cruzer and the sleek low-wing Zenith CH 650. With builder choices in mind, all Zenith aircraft kits are designed to offer builders a wide variety of suitable engines, avionics, and custom kit options. Zenith Aircraft builders typically build their own airplanes in 400-500 hours from a complete kit, or can choose to build from component kits, quick build kits, or scratch-build from plans (blueprints) only. The STOL CH 750 Super Duty, a larger short take-off and landing (STOL) airplane with a rear jump seat, is the latest model from Zenith Aircraft.
The annual Zenith Aircraft Homecoming event is a great way for Zenith Aircraft’s customers to meet with each other to share their love of building and flying, and to get to know the factory staff, while also learning about building, maintaining and flying their airplanes. While area hotels sell out well in advance of the event, there will also be free camping available at the Mexico airport. Further details, with a seminar and events schedule, will be published closer to the event date.