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Updated:
May 05, 2008
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for the latest news and periodic email updates.
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Click
Here for the STOL
CH 701 Online Builder Resources
Coming
Events
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May 2008:
Great new photos (and videos) of builder completions!
See
the newest additions to the photo galleries:
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PRESS REVIEW:
"The STOL CH 701 is not misnamed; it really is a
short-takeoff-and-landing plane that can operate from incredibly
small spaces... Featuring
CNC precut and predrilled aluminum skins, the CH 701 is easy to
build quickly. On three occasions, Zenith demonstrated this with kit
startup, completion, and first flights in seven days using
volunteers at the Florida Sun'n Fun fly-ins."
KITPLANES magazine,
May 2008 issue. "Unbreaking the Bank... Build and fly one of these
eight kitbuilt, Light Sport-legal planes for less than $40,000.
Really!" Cover story by Dave Martin, pages 16 - 25. |
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Next hands-on factory workshops:
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Zenith Aircraft's "Spring
into Summer" Fly-In Gathering:
Saturday, June 21, at
the Zenith Aircraft factory in
Mexico, Missouri.
Fly-in or drive-in to attend our informal spring fly-in gathering. |
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Trip photos:
Flying the STOL CH 701 and STOL
CH 801 x-country to Sun'n Fun |
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Builders Report on attending the workshop
Chad and Kristel recently attended one of Zenith
Aircraft's hands-on
factory workshops.
The young couple
from Colorado share their workshop experience with this photo report.
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STOL-Adventures.com has released its first
full-length DVD featuring the STOL CH 701. Titled "Canyon
Surfing," this video shows off the aircraft at its
best in off-airport, back-country environments: Landing and taking
off from rough river beds, short grass fields and curved private
roads. Flown by experienced STOL pilots Christopher Desmond and
Michael Heintz, this fast-paced adventure includes steep turns,
tight "canyon turn-arounds" and remarkably steep approaches and
climb-outs, providing an excellent demonstration of the STOL's
amazing capabilities.
Order your copy today from
www.stol-adventures.com, or
click here to
see a short preview of the video on YouTube.
New "behind
the scenes" video clip from creating the "stol-adventures.com" DVD |
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Great new
video clips demonstrate the STOL CH 701's outstanding handing
characteristics and slow flight capability.
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NEW
STOL
CH 701 Rotax 912S Engine Installation DVD
The latest DVD in this series provides a step-by-step overview of
installing the Rotax 912S engine to the STOL
CH 701 airframe.
Step-by-step instructional building videos from HomebuiltHELP.com
on building your STOL CH 701 now make building your own kit
easier! The videos (on DVD) are an excellent supplement to the
detailed STOL CH 701 Drawings and Manuals.
Building your STOL CH 701: NEW Wing
Construction | Forward
Fuselage | Rear
Fuselage |
Building
the Rudder Tail Kit | Horizontal
Tail | Control System |
Scratch
Building Basics | More
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Rotax 912S Engine Installation Workshop hosted by
Quality
Sport Planes (QSP) in California (October 2007)
The hands-on workshop assists builders with the steps required to
properly install the Rotax 912S
engine with new rear ring mount, including cooling, oil, fuel and
electrical systems. For those who were not able to attend, the
entire engine installation process was videotaped by
HomebuiltHelp.com to share with other builders. |
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Roberto
Brito of AirFox (near Sao Paulo, Brasil) hosted a three-day workshop
for builders in Brazil (Oct.12 - 14, 2007) to gain hands-on
experience in scratch-building
their own STOL aircraft. |
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Zenith Aircraft
Company's 16th annual OPEN
HANGAR DAY and Fly-In Gathering held on Saturday, September 29, 2007, was a
great success with dozens of aircraft flown in and hundreds of active
participants!
- Click
here for a photo recap from the day's activities
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Awesome STOL flying and
slow-flight demonstrations at the Open Hangar Day.
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Short
take off and landing (S.T.O.L.) demonstrations from
around the world on building and flying the STOL CH 701:
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The STOL CH 701 "Fast
Build Kit" offered by FlightCrafters
/ Zenith Distributing. The Zephyrhills, Florida company offers
onsite professional builder assistance. STOL CH 701 "Fast Build
Kit" and builder assistance is also offered by Quality
Sport Planes in California.
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Delivering two STOL CH 701
"Fast Build" kits by trailer (see photo below) from
FlightCrafters in Florida.
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Quality Sport Planes' Open House & Regional Fly-In (held on
Saturday, May 5,
Cloverdale, Calif.): |
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West coast representative Quality
Sport Planes' Open House and Regional Fly-In
was a great success.
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Builders
and enthusiasts exchanged building and flying ideas and stories.
Click
here
for more photos
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| From the
Sun'n Fun fly-in (April 17-23, Lakeland, Florida): |
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Photos
from Sun'n Fun
Flying the STOL CH 701 at Sun'n Fun 2007, plus a few photos of the
1,000 mile trip to and from Florida.
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Great
food and great company!
The 3rd annual "Webmasters BBQ"
was held on Thursday, April 19 at the campground. Thanks
BBQ sponsors: JabiruUSA,
FlyCorvair.com,
HomebuiltHelp.com,
Quality
Sport Planes, and the webmasters of www.ch601.org
and www.ch701.com.
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Visiting the factory for a demo
flight in the STOL CH 701
Robert Haines, of Du
Quoin, Illinois, with Zenith's demo pilot, Roger Dubbert flying the
STOL CH 701.
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April 2007: JabiruUSA
(of Tennessee) announced a new firewall-forward package for the
popular Jabiru line of four and six-cylinder direct-drive, air
cooled engines. At left is a custom
Jabiru 3300 installation
with a new fiberglass cowl and engine mount.
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On the cover of Light
Sport and Ultralight Flying
magazine, February 2007 issue. "Off-Runway Air
Recreational Vehicle: Zenith's CH 701 Kit is Sport-Pilot
Ready." Cover story by Dan Johnson, pages 26 - 35:
"While no
CH 701 will be envied for its striking good looks, the STOL design more
than makes up for its workhorse appearance with toughness and
outstanding short-field performance. And a 20-year-plus history in
the field speaks volumes to the model's market and aerodynamic
success."
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Raptor / Vulcan Aircraft Engines introduced a brand-new prototype 105-hp
turbo diesel aircraft engine (mounted on a STOL CH 701 airframe)
at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida (January 2007).
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The FlightCrafters
/ Zenith Distributing crew at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo with a
STOL CH 701 Quick-Build Kit (Sebring, Florida).
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Introduced at AirVenture
(Oshkosh) 2006: 100-hp Rotax
912S Firewall Forward Installation Package with rear ring engine mount
for smoother operation and bold new cowl.
Zenith Aircraft also
introduced a new second generation domed bubble
door option with a composite door frame (which replaces the
aluminum tube frame of the previous bubble door).
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New Kit Features - Same Low Price: The
standard STOL CH 701 kit includes many CNC
pre-cut and pre-drilled skins and components, and also includes new
updated CAD Drawings and Photo Assembly Manuals.
Click
here to view a video clip of parts manufacturing with the CNC
router at the Zenith Aircraft Co. factory (3 min. / 5.75 mb).
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National Geographic
magazine used a STOL CH 701 in Chad's Zakouma National Park (Africa) to
photograph massive elephant herd movements, featured in the March 2007
issue of the magazine.
(Termite mounds hidden in tall grass can do damage to a prop!)
- Click
here for the National Geographic story
- Click
here for more info on the STOL CH 701 used for anti-poaching in
Africa.
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Read
Christopher Desmond's adventure as he flies his CH-701 from Northern
California to the Copperstate fly-in in Arizona.
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NEW
STOL CH 701 video clips:
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January 2007 Factory
Workshop: Despite ice and snow
cover, and the cold, all workshop participants were able to go up
for a flight in the heated factory demonstrator STOL CH 701. This photo was taken on January 19, 2007, in front of the Zenith
Aircraft factory.
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From the archives:
Designer Chris Heintz flying the
prototype STOL CH 701 (powered by a 52-hp Rotax 503) in 1986.
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Zenair Press Release
(July 28, 2006): Zenair Ltd.
announced that it has terminated its longstanding license agreement
with Czech Aircraft Works, under which Chris
Heintz designs were
produced in the Czech Republic for the European market. The aircraft
will continue to be available in Europe through the established Zenair
dealer network, with kits coming from Zenith Aircraft Company
(Missouri, USA) and assembled aircraft from Zenair Ltd. (details)
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KITPLANES
magazine, April 2006 issue. Cover story: "You
Want Utility? Zenith's 801
Packs 4 Seats to Short Strips: Plus Easy to Build - Only 500
Hours!", cover story by Dave Higdon, pages 20 - 25:
"Heintz
introduced the 701 almost 20 years ago as a two-place utility
design... shocking an industry unaccustomed to the radically
cambered airfoil and no-kidding utility appearance," writes
Higdon. "Overseas, 701s serve as cargo haulers, crop dusters,
spotting planes and missionary-support aircraft. Closer to home,
farmers and ranchers use the 701 to patrol property, track cattle or
wildlife, and serve in many the same roles as those fulfilled by
small helicopters - albeit at a fraction of a chopper's costs."
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Sun'n Fun
2006: The 2nd
Annual "Webmasters BBQ" was a great success, hosted by the www.ch601.org
and www.ch701.com
webmasters.
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Click
here
to view photos of custom ski installations for winter
flying.
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A custom turbo-diesel engine
installation (82-hp "Smart"-car engine) Mercedes
Benz Smart car turbo diesel aircraft engine installation
View the
custom engine installation photo galleries:
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Click
here
to view the Instrument Panel photo galleries
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June 2005,
Recreational Flyer (Canada): "STOL for the people: Zenith's amazing CH 701," cover story by Gary Wolf and Mary Mills, pages 4 - 10.
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Great
Visibility
(with new full bubble
doors)
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Great new
video clips demonstrate the STOL CH 701's outstanding handing
characteristics and slow flight capability.
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Photo from builder Bruce
Carr of Australia:
"...a STOL CH 701 being used for what was it was designed for: I
had a friend with a 701 visit at my home strip. The strip is only 290
ft. long with a uphill gradient of 8 degrees. After landing no
brakes were used and we had to actually use some power to get to the
position where the plane is parked." More
photos
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Winter flying on skis
in Alaska with Bob Jones and Ken Barnes
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Metalworking
101
is a two-hour DVD that covers the complete
assembly of the STOL CH 701 rudder starter kit. Independently
produced by a CH 701 builder, the DVD provides an excellent
introduction to getting started on your own STOL CH 701 kit
project... the next best thing to attending a factory
workshop. The DVD makes an excellent companion to the rudder
starter kit.
Click
here for more info.
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The January 2005
issue of KITPLANES
magazine profiles designer Chris
Heintz in a cover story by
Tim Kern (pages 12 - 19). "Zenith designer Chris Heintz has
combined innovation and forthrightness to achieve success."
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Demo pilot Roger Dubbert
and Brian Taylor pose in front of their twin planes at
Zenith's Open Hangar Day.
Twin planes
(Note: This image
is sized 1024x768 and makes an excellent desktop wallpaper image:
Right-click the opened photo and choose "Set as
background" or "Save as wallpaper")
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October 2004:
Designer Chris Heintz is profiled in the
October 2004 issue of Kitplanes
magazine: “The Top 20 – Meet the most influential figures who have shaped
the homebuilt aviation industry” by Rick Lindstrom (pages 59 – 63):
“The Zenith philosophy helps customers all the way through flight
testing, ensuring that the completed kit will meet expectations and fly safely
as well. Zenith’s goal? Happy
customers."
“You must use creativity and responsibility together to build airplanes,”
Heintz says. “And considering the past 30 years, I have not wasted my life”
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EAA
Experimenter
magazine, January 2004 issue.
Cover story, by Dan Johnson, pages 24 - 29.
"Even
though it is only handsome in the way of a Hummer, the CH 701 enjoys
a good reputation for its durability and outstanding STOL
performance."
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KITPLANES
magazine, January 2004 issue. Cover story:
"Easy to Build, Fun to Fly: Which Zenith is Right For You?"
by Dave Higdon. Pages 8 - 15. Comparison of the ZODIAC XL and
the STOL CH 701 designs:
"The bottom line: Hands down, both airplanes easily fulfill
their respective missions. Best of all, they do so with flying
traits that should challenge few pilots of average competence."
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Another
Major Step Forward for Sport Pilot:
December 24, 2003
From EAA:
Christmas came early to the aviation community when Department
of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta signed off on the
sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rulemaking package and
forwarded it to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) late
on Tuesday, December 23. OMB now has 90 days in which to
review and return the package to the FAA, at which time it
would be published in the Federal Register as a final rule.
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Cover Story, Nov/Dec
2003 Issue of Water Flying magazine, a Seaplane
Pilots Association publication.
"Zenair CH 701" by Larry Zetterlind, Pages 20 -27.
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Learning to fly in India...
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November 2003:
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"It deserves a kiss after
a wonderful 1,000 mile trip through Brazil..."
- Gervazio Degan,
Londrina, Brazil
November 2003
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Domed
"Bubble Door" Increases Cabin Width by 6-Inches and Maximizes
Visibility.
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From EAA
Experimenter magazine, August 2003, back cover: "With big
tires and lots of lift-enhancing devices, the Zenair CH-701 is a great
backwoods aircraft on wheels, floats, or skis..." |
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A STOL CH 701 in New
Zealand... and more pics of builder completions
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Brian Clark, managing
editor of Kitplanes
magazine reports on attending Zenith’s factory
workshop in the July 2003 issue of Kitplanes magazine: He concludes
that it’s "…a worthwhile investment to attend a workshop
before making the larger decision of whether to build the kit."
"Try Before you Buy" by Brian Clark, pages 54-57.
Read the full story in the July 2003 issue of Kitplanes
magazine. Details
about about factory workshops |
Double vision... |
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A pair of STOL CH 701 aircraft is
Germany. |
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Twin brothers build a pair
of STOL CH 701 aircraft in Australia - and plan to circumnavigate the
Australian continent in their aircraft.
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Many builders copy Zenith's
"official" paint scheme |
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March 21 & 22,
2002: Nine STOL CH 701 rudder tail assemblies being built at the
Zenith Aircraft factory workshop.
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November 2001 EAA
Sport Aviation magazine: "Three-Part Planning - Getting
ready for light-sport aircraft," by Ed Kolano, pages 52 - 59.
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STOL
CH 701 screensaver program for your PC:
- Click
here for more information and to download a free copy.
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Flying the STOL
CH 701 off the beach in Greece...
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FLIGHT REVIEW:
Northern Pilot
magazine, "STOL CH 701 and 801 - Form Follows Function",
by Peter Diemer, cover story, pages 22 - 29. August / September
2001 issue. Click
here for subscription information.
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July 2001:
Designer Chris
Heintz upgrades STOL CH 701 design to 1,100 lbs. gross weight, new
standard kit features, and new 4th Edition CAD Drawings.
With the release of new edition drawings
and manuals for the STOL CH 701, a number of design upgrades have been
introduced. Summary of changes and new features:
- The design gross weight has been
increased to 1,100 lbs.
- New 4th edition CAD Drawings -
Now shipping
- Dual wing tanks (2 x 10 US Gallons) replace the header tank
- Formed acrylic plexiglass
windshield now standard equipment in the kit.
- Top hinged "swing-up" door is
now standard equipment
For additional information:
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| Sample
FlightSim screen shots... |
New photo galleries on the STOL CH 701 kit
assembly:
Hundreds of construction photos.
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