Many thanks to all those who attended!
The weather was a little threatening to the South, but remained decent in Midland all day long! We had a good turn-out by air as well as by car, even though quite a few planes from southern Ontario didn't make it past the rain that separated us.
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For many, the highlight of the day was meeting Chris Heintz again. Chris shook many hands and was happy to see so many from far and wide (one builder drove in from Nova Scotia just for the occasion)!
On display in front of the Zenair factory: A jabiru-powered CH 750 Cruzer on a set of Full-Lotus' brand new 1450A amphibious floats for Light Sport Aircraft.
A number of beautiful Zodiacs flew-in for the event including the above CH 601HD, CH 601-XL and CH 601-TD.
All STOL Models were represented with the above STOL CH 750, STOL CH 701 and Zenair's own STOL CH 801.
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The Float-equipped CH 750 CRUZER was front-and-center all day, and was flanked by a full display of floats offered by Aircraft Floats Manufacturing (AFM): Full-Lotus floats as well as Zenair's own Aluminum float kits...
Older Zenair models that flew in included the above three CH 300 Tri-Z (3-seat kit aircraft from the 70s & 80s). The CH 300 is a precursor's of today's 4-seat Zodiac CH 640.
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This bright orange Zenith CH 200 was among the very first built in Canada from a Zenair kit. The aircraft first flew in 1977 and was used by Zenair for a number of years as its primary demo-plane at local fly-ins as well as at major shows like Oshkosh (77, 78 & 79). The aircraft is based in Ontario and is still being flown regularly by its latest owners. For more great pictures of the event taken by Gustavo Corujo, please see here: http://gusair.com/htdocs/html/zenair14.html |
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Here is a very modified Zenair CH 300 with a custom canopy ("the original builder wanted gull-wing doors rather than a bubble, so he just made these" said the pilot/owner upon arriving). Other unique features: customized landing gear system and modified fin & rudder design...
Amateur-building: It's what you make it! |
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Guided factory tours were popular with visitors keen on learning more about airframe kit production at Zenair. On display were the CNC machines used to cut and pre-drill aluminum parts, partially assembled Quick-Build fuselage kits for the STOL CH 750 and the Zodiac CH 650, a float bulk-head forming demonstration, and a walk-through of the welding shop, and the factory's cutting area (shears) and bending area (manual & hydraulic bending brakes & presses).
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Builders who flew in with their Zenair picked-up a cap and lunch ticket; a few had Chris sign their anniversary-edition Zenair T-shirt... T-shirts, caps, stickers and pins are still available through the Zenair Gift Shop.
Can't have a birthday without a cake! ...and we had cake! Over 200 slices served to an eager, plane-loving crowd with a very sweet tooth!
Join us for the 2015 Event:
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It's not too late to get your Anniversary T-Shirt, stickers, cap or an autographed copy of Chris Heintz' book:
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS