According to Kitplanes magazine, more than 10,000 airplane kits were sold in 2004, the last year figures were compiled. That's more than five times the number of factory-built small aircraft sold that year. A prominent player in the kit airplane field is Zenith Aircraft Company, based in the small town of Mexico, Missouri. WKNO's Darel Snodgrass visited Zenith, took a ride in one of their STOL (short takeoff and landing) airplanes, and talked with the company president about kit planes. Zenith conducts factory workshops several times a year, where people who are interested in building an airplane can come to the factory and a build a rudder for the particular plane they're interested in building. Darel also talked with a few of these ordinary folks who have dreams of flying their own homebuilt airplane.
A Visit to a Kit Airplane Factory
