Zenith Open House - part 2

Having just set up my tent I decided to have a quick look around.

Several Zenith models had already arrived and were tied down for the evening.  The first one I see?  Val and Craig Westedt's magnificent Corvair powered Zenith 650!  I follow their adventures and they were back for another flying visit to the factory, where the kit was made. The plane captured a lot of attention, and Val was actually beginning to lose her voice by Saturday from speaking with so many Zenith builders. 

As I am admiring the really nice paint scheme on their plane, William Wynne of FlyCorvair and Dan Wessman of Sport Performance Aviation arrived with their trailer.  They attend the Zenith weekend every year and encourage builders like me to bring their core parts for evaluation and more importantly an entire two days to educate the finer points of the Corvair conversion.

With nothing better to do, they readily accepted my offer to help unload their trailer and set up the Corvair College tent.  What a great opportunity to get to know one another!

Counter-clockwise from left: William Wynne, Craig and Val Westadt, me and Dan Weseman in the back. Photo credit: FlyCorvair.net

Once we got them set up and the tent secured for the evening, I was invited to join everyone at the local Mexican restaurant for something to eat and drink.  This is something I love about experimental aviation - the unwavering friendliness of fellow aviation enthusiasts!

Above, some of the people who displayed their products at the open house. I felt honored to have been invited to share their evening. Some of these people have been in this business for more than 20 years. Despite this, I felt welcome and included as a participant, not just a consumer! Photo credit: FlyCorvair.net

9 hours of driving was finally catching up to me, so after a real nice evening, I bid everyone good night and headed back to the airport and my tent for a good night's sleep.  The next day promised to be busy!

Stay tuned for more in Part 3!