Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/307497
22 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 ONE WEEK WONDER THIS YEAR DURING EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014, EAA and Zenith Aircraft are combining ef orts to demonstrate to the aviation community just how quick (and simple) today's mod- ern light aircraft kits are to build. And what better way to do that than with One Week Wonder, actually building an air- plane during the week and doing so with nothing but volunteer labor? If you're in the crowd watching the airplane go together, all you have to do is ask and you can get into the building action yourself. The Zenith CH 750 Cruzer kit will be opened when the show begins and will actually be taxiing when the show ends. To summarize, those at AirVenture 2014 who want to try their hand at building an airplane can assist the crew of volun- teers and actually build a CH 750 Cruzer in seven days. Start to fi nish. You can stand around and watch, or reach out and fi nd that building an airplane isn't as dif cult as you thought it would be. The goal is to have the airplane inspected and doing taxi tests, ready to fl y on day seven. Because of airspace concerns, it won't actually be fl own until a few days after AirVenture folds its tent. Zenith Aircraft President Sebastien Heintz says, "I've want- ed to do this for many years for many reasons. Among other things, I want to demonstrate to the homebuilt community how quickly and easily a modern kit plane, in this case a Zenith, can be built. We want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that building an airplane is a viable project for anyone, while at the same time showing how far kits, and the support for those kits, have evolved over the years. Building a kit airplane today is a far dif erent endeavor than it was in the '80s or '90s." In 1976 Sebastien's dad, Chris Heintz, did a similar project at Oshkosh, but it was with Zenith staf ers, not volunteers. Sebastien continues, "Since this is an EAA project, we are working hand-in-hand with them. We want to showcase the many EAA resources and programs that are available to homebuilders to help them successfully complete their own kit aircraft project through programs and resources such as SportAir Workshops, local EAA chapters, Technical Counselor Photography courtesy of Lee Fray Zenair founder and designer Chris Heintz (second from right) watches as Zenith staffers riveted the wing skin on a Zenair CH 200 at Oshkosh in 1976, completing the aircraft in eight days. Here's a video from that event. E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 2 2 EAAEXP_May14.indd 22 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 1 7 P M 5/5/14 3:17 PM