Every time Sebastien Heintz is able to fly on his own wings, he sees it as a magical experience.

And in just two short days, he will once again share his love for aviation with fellow recreational pilots and aircraft enthusiasts at the annual Homecoming and Open Hangar Days.

Every summer for the last 33 years, Heintz, owner of Zenith Aircraft Co., has opened his hangar doors and invites his customers and community to his manufacturing facility for two days of learning and collaboration.

“When you go up in the air and you’re looking down on the world, it’s really fascinating," Heintz said. “When you fly, you see that there’s just a lot more out there – you get a different perspective.”

Heintz’s fascination with flight began in early childhood.

“I kind of grew up around airplanes, so it wasn’t something I had to seek out,” he said. “It was just part of my upbringing.”

His father Chris Heintz was a pilot and an aeronautical engineer who wrote the book on small aircraft manufacturing.

“Flying on Your Own Wings: A Complete Guide to Understanding Light AirplaneDesign” was published in 2010. It offers readers insight into aviation mechanics and foundational knowledge so pilots can design and build their own airplanes, something he shared with his family long before its publication.

“We understand the physics of it, how flight works, but it’s pretty darn cool when you can go flying and see the wings right there,” Heintz said.

His three older brothers are also pilots, two of whom followed in their father’s footsteps and became engineers.

But Heintz was inspired to carve his own path.

“Growing up around these airplanes, I loved the business, loved the airplanes; I loved the concept of building your own airplane and teaching other people how to build an airplane,” Heintz said.

The struggle, however, was finding his place in that world.

So he founded Zenith Aircraft Co. with the support of his father in June 1992, as a way to bring recreational aviation and plane building directly into the hands of hobbyists.

Heintz was born in France, but he grew up in Canada after his family emigrated in the early 70s.

He attended business school in Canada, where they emphasized the importance of location.

America offered a better market for his build-your-own plane business model, and Heintz said he chose Mexico, Missouri, of all places primarily because it is right in the center of the U.S.

From a business standpoint, Heintz thinks that the Mexico Memorial Airport is a great asset.

“A lot of communities Mexico’s size don’t have airports,” Heintz said. “I always think that the Mexico community should promote that we have an airport here.”

As a recreational pilot, the perks are even better.

“Mexico has a good facility,” Heintz said, pointing out the airport’s two runways. “Jay (Jacobi) is an excellent airport manager here and we’ve really enjoyed our relationship with the city of Mexico.”

Zenith has expanded twice since it was first built as it continues to modernize and streamline the manufacturing of plane parts in order to continue shipping build-your-own aircraft kits all over the world.

Even after all these years, Heintz still flies just for fun two to three times a week.

“I feel lucky because I've been doing this here in Mexico for 33 years and I still enjoy coming to work every day,” Heintz said.

In fact, he often finds his time on the ground to be less than impressive.

“When I jump into a car, I feel like I’m stuck on land because you have to follow a road,” Heintz said. “These airplanes are incredible little machines. You can go anywhere you want with these airplanes.”

Heintz’s passion for aviation has brought something undeniably special to Mexico.

“The fact that we are able to build an airplane, build the wings and then fly on them, it truly is kind of magical in that aspect,” Heintz said.