AirVenture Plans To Build A Plane At Next Year’s Show

How long does it take to build your own experimental airplane? A Zenith CH 750 normally takes about 500 hours, but next year the company plans to build one in just 160 hours -- seven days -- with help from EAA AirVenture visitors along Celebration Way, at the center of the show. "You've heard of kissing booths?" asked Chris Heintz, of Zenith Aircraft. "We plan to have a riveting booth, where people can pull one rivet on the project. And with about 7,000 rivets in the airplane, that's about 7,000 different people who can be a part of this." The goal is to show visitors that homebuilding can be accomplished with everyday tools and skills that are easy to master.

"With the kits today, anyone who has the desire and who knows which end of the screwdriver to use can learn the skills they need to build an aircraft," said Charlie Becker, EAA's homebuilt community manager. Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft Co., agreed. "This is an all-metal construction," he said. "There is no gluing, mixing compounds, or having to use special equipment. We want to show people just how easy it is. These are really homebuilt planes in that they can be built in your home workshop or garage." Heintz said he hopes to get as many people involved as possible. "For people who have never built an airplane, this will show them how easy it can be," he said. "And if we can do it in seven days at AirVenture, they can do it in six months or a year at home."