Co-hosted by Quality Sport Planes (QSP) at their facility on the Cloverdale Municipal Airport (O60), this workshop coincides with their open house and west coast Zenith fly-in event (Saturday, May 21st). For more information, contact Ivan at 707-894-4084. Roger Dubbert from the Zenith Aircraft kit factory will be a co-host of the event. Check out the photos from past QSP Open House and Zenith fly-in events.
Zenith workshops have become popular with sport aviation enthusiasts, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in building their own Zenith Aircraft kit plane. Participants get to actually start assembling kit parts under the direction and guidance of professionals, and “graduate” from the workshop upon completing construction of their own aircraft rudder tail section.
Zenith Aircraft’s hands-on workshops are designed primarily for first-time kit airplane builders 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 expert guidance. They learn the procedures for putting together an aircraft assembly, including drilling and blind 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 Zenith Aircraft’s Sebastien Heintz. “Participants 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, who often encourage them to move forward with the rest of the kit. With modern technology, such as final hole size CNC match drilled parts, and good instructions, aircraft construction has become much easier than most people think.”
Participating at the hands-on workshop is an excellent way to learn about building your own (amateur-built) kit airplane and about the many advantages of owning and flying an airplane that you’ve built yourself. For many, building an aircraft is a very rewarding experience, and today’s modern kits make it easier and quicker to build than even before.
- Check out photos from past workshops as well as videos from past workshops
