Builders,
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Pictured below is Crystal Meyr, in the Corvair tent at the Zenith Aircraft 2018 Open house. She is from the next town over from Zenith, and she was with family, making her first visit to the factory. Although she is not yet part of aviation, she was welcome because Zenith works very hard to affirm their position as a 25 year employer and part of their community, and they really understand the meaning of hospitality.
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Read this Close: Crystal is in her 20’s, a wife, mother and middle school teacher, all great, but check out the image on her phone: It is her personal 1964 Chevelle, which she has owned for a decade, and personally done a frame off restoration on. I know 1960s Chevys very well, and after just a moments conversation, it was very obvious this woman is a real Motorhead, a person who really understood her machine, not someone content to write checks to be a mere owner. Little wonder that our tent, focused on learning and building Chevrolet aircraft engines, caught her attention. If you know both cars and planes, you understand there is actually more hours of work in her restoration than building a Zenith 750. She clearly has the mechanical aptitude and persistence to be an aircraft builder.
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After meeting her, I explained she should try out a demo flight. I walked her into the office to meet Joyce, who greeted her warmly and extended Roger’s card. When we stepped out to the ramp, she met Roger in person, and got a look at the factory 750 Cruiser. Her family were very pleasantly surprised by how outgoing the Zenith crew were. This was not special treatment, this is a typical example of how they address visitors and builders.
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Over my 29 years in aviation, I can’t think of a single company who can match Zenith for a relaxed, welcoming attitude to both builders and their community. We all know many outfits who are owned by people with control issues, people who only treat people with thick wallets courteously, people who will never be seen as assets to their communities, far less be there for 25 years. Zenith is the polar opposite of such people, and this is the element that runs through their work. It may take a number of years for Crystal to show up at a Zenith open house in the Chevy powered Zenith she will build, but no rush, Zenith Aircraft will certainly be around for the long run.
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