Hundreds of flying enthusiasts descended upon Mexico’s Municipal Airport last weekend Sept. 14-15 for Zenith Aircraft’s 32nd annual Homecoming weekend.
Sebastien Heintz, founder of …
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Hundreds of flying enthusiasts descended upon Mexico’s Municipal Airport last weekend Sept. 14-15 for Zenith Aircraft’s 32nd annual Homecoming weekend.
Sebastien Heintz, founder of Zenith, told the Ledger his company produces airplane kits that are sold to buyers and assembled by the buyer. Most of the planes that flew into Mexico’s airport last weekend were Zenith planes.
“That’s why we call it the homecoming because they come back in as finished flying airplanes so it’s really neat,” Heintz said.
Many pilots who attended the event brought campers with them or went the old-fashioned way and pitched a tent next to the runway. Both days were filled with activities that included different seminars, tours of the factory, and a hands-on assembly exercise. This year’s event also featured a seminar targeting women interested in flying.
Heintz said this is the 31st year his company has been in Mexico and the company had the first Homecoming Fly-In as a grand opening.
“That’s why we're always one ahead of the number of years we’ve actually been here,” Heintz said.
This year’s event was the biggest yet with more than 50 airplanes flying in and more than 500 spectators over the two days.
The company is currently expanding its operations and will add 10,000 square feet of warehouse space to accommodate the growing needs. Zenith currently employs 18 local people.
“We have a full order book and we’re just running out of space,” Heintz said. “That’s just going to allow us to do more of what we currently do. We have all the pieces we can currently handle out of here. We’re pleased we can expand here in Mexico.”
Heintz said he originally picked Mexico because of its location and airport. Recently Mexico’s airport was featured in a trade magazine as one of the must places to stop on a long trip.
“It’s not too busy so it’s easy to get in and out of and it’s a good location,” Heintz said about Mexico’s airport. “We’ve got two good runways and we chose Mexico Missouri specifically because of its good airport facility. We continue to enjoy that.”
The Homecoming Fly-In weekend featured pilots from all over the country and as far away as the east and west coasts. Heintz said it’s fun to learn all of the places pilots come from.
“They’re flying from all different directions so it’s a really neat thing,” Heintz said. “It’s always interesting to hear their stories.”
