|
Visit ZENITH.AERO Online Community for
Zenith Aircraft Builders & Flyers for news and updates from
owners and pilots from around the world.
|
|
|
Check out the new Zenith
CH 750 CRUZER aircraft. Zenith's latest design is
based on the STOL CH 750 but optimized for more speed, and features
a new wing design (with single strut and without slats) and an all-new tail.
|
|
Start building your STOL CH 701 or
CH 750
for just $375 at the factory or with the
Rudder Starter Kit
Next hands-on workshops held at the factory:
|
|
New Video Clip from Zenith.Aero
Bob Jones of Alaska demonstrates his
STOL CH 701 "Sky Jeep" on snow skis.
|
|
Great new photos (and videos) of builder completions!
See
the newest additions to the photo galleries:
|
|
Updated (2/14/13)
X-Plane
10.20 Flight Simulator files for the STOL CH 750 (now supports
64-bit computing!)Fly the
Zenith STOL without leaving
your armchair! View
screenshots | Download
the free files for X-Plane
|
 |
New
video clip from
Zenith.Aero:
STOL CH 701 at the STOL (short take off and landing) competition held at
the Omaka Airport by the Marlborough Aero Club (New Zealand) on Saturday
Feb 2, 2013.
55 pilots from around the country competed in 4 weight class categories.
Zenith CH701 ZMX won the light sport category averaging 18 metres to get
it airborne. Scores were counted as the total of shortest distance for
takeoff and for a full stop landing over two circuits. CH 701 winning
score was 50.4 metres.
|
 |
"El Jeep
del aire"
Zenith STOL CH 750 on the cover of AVION & PILOTO magazine,
February 2013 (Spain)
|
 |
Flying the STOL
CH 750 cross-country:
Video clips of the 1,000 mile trip to and from the Sebring Sport Aviation
Expo.
Flight
to Sebring | Flight
home
|
 |
NEW Video
Clip:
French documentary excerpt of a STOL CH 701 on Zenair floats (with folding
wings) in the southwest Pacific islands. Guy Kane and his Zenith STOL
floatplane participated in the "Lapérouse Expedition" to
research the 18th century explorer Lapérouse's mysterious shipwreck in
the south Pacific. The aircraft provides awesome versatility and utility
and is the perfect tool for air reconnaissance! |
|
Tenn-Air
specializes in custom professional builder assistance with the STOL CH 750
to get the kit owner "in the air quickly." Tenn-Air (Tennessee Aircraft Development,
LLC) is headed by the same principals
behind Jabiru USA and Arion Aircraft, with extensive experience
building light aircraft and with Jabiru engines. Tel. (931) 680-2800
|
 |
EAA Video Update
#2: EAA staffers building the STOL CH
750
|
 |
NEW Video Clip:
Float flying fun in the Zenith STOL CH 701 (on Zenair
amphibious floats) with Troy Townsend and friends from I-Tec |
 |
PILOT
magazine, November 2012 issue, cover story: "Zenair CH 750 - A
kitplane with remarkable performance." Pages 50 - 56, cover story and
flight test review by Dave Unwin:
"The takeoff was
impressively brief, indeed we were flying also as soon as we started to
roll. ..visibility is every phase of flight really is excellent.
"I decided to hold the aircraft in a stall, and with the stick on the
back stop it simply sank straight ahead in a very stable condition with a
vertical speed of less than 500 fpm. You could ride it down to the
ground like this, and although you might burst the tires you would
definitely walk away. This is a very safe airplane."
"In conclusion, I was
hugely impressed by the STOL CH 750. In many ways an excellent example of
"function over form," its STOL performance is remarkable.
I flew it on a flat-calm day and was amazed at how little runway I used,
and this was the first time I'd ever flown one. I would imagine that with
a few hours on type, and say 20 kts on the nose, you could land (and
equally importantly - take off again) practically anywhere."
|
 |
"Launch
Party"
EAA employees start building their own Zenith STOL CH 750 kit plane:
Saturday, September 29, 2012, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
|
 |
Video Clip:
Flying
the STOL CH 750 with the 130-hp UL Power 350iS engine and DUC Flash
propeller. |
 |
Follow-Up from Zenith Aircraft Company's
20th
anniversary / Open Hangar Day & Fly-In held this past September 21
& 22, 2012
Thanks to great weather and great company we had a wonderful Open Hangar Day and Fly-In to
celebrate Zenith Aircraft Company's 20th anniversary.
|
|
from EAA.org:
EAA Employees To Build a Zenith CH750
September 5, 2012 - What better way to educate our staff about the
ins and outs of a homebuilt airplane than to build one ourselves?
The project has been launched by EAA's communities manager, Chad
Jensen, with full support from EAA senior staff and sponsorship from
Zenith.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for EAA to show our love and
appreciation for homebuilt airplanes," Jensen said. "The
response I've received from interested staffers has been phenomenal,
and we can't wait to get started on the build!"
"Support of the E-AB community is something I am committed to
doing, and seeing an opportunity like this to work with EAA on
project that will not only provide an education to their employees,
but to also see a group project come together and end up in the EAA
Employee Flying Club is something I am very proud to be a part
of," Sebastien Heintz of Zenitha Aircraft Company said.
EAA will be looking for more sponsorship opportunities as we work
our way through this project. Ultimately, the goal here is education
and professional development of our staff, and ending up with an
airplane to fly at the end is icing on the cake! Read
more | Follow
the new EAA blog
|
|
"STOL CH 701 on the beaches of
India" as featured in latest email update
|
|
Article Reprint: "Bob
Barte builds a Sky Jeep in his garage" in Alaska
|
|
New STOL CH 750 features: Adjustable
Seats for the STOL CH 750
Watch
the video clip
|
|
EAA AirVenture 2012: The new
Rotax 912iS with fuel injection
Watch
the video clip
|
|
EAA AirVenture 2012: Time lapse
video of the "Aviators by Design" project where teens
build a STOL CH 750 kit
Watch
the video clip
|
|
|
EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh) 2012 follow-up
report. Five video clips and photos of the many Zenith activities at
AirVenture 2012... Read
more...
-- STOL CH 750 Quick Build Kit (supplied with
assembled fuselage!) and new adjustable seats! --
|
|
Scott
Ehni's amazing custom "Turbine 701" was a featured
"Homebuilts in Review" aircraft at AirVenture 2012. Video
Clip
|
|
New Video Clip:
|
|
New Video Clip:
- The sights and sounds from this year's Quality Sport Planes Open House and West Coast Zenith Fly-In. Saturday, May 5, 2012 at the Cloverdale Municipal Airport in northern California.
|
|
New Video Clip:
|
|
April 16, 2012:
Zenith Aircraft Company introduces updated 3rd edition of the STOL CH 750
design
with a taller cabin, now supplied as the standard configuration.
|
|
New Video Clip: Zenith
STOL on Skis in Alaska with Bob Jones
(See the same airplane flying
on floats in Alaska)
|
|
New Video Clip: "Gone
(Ice) Fishing"
|
|
From
Zenith.Aero:
First Flight (2/22/12): Jerry Bryan's Zenith STOL CH 750 (flight by CH
750 builder / pilot Mike Schlichtman)
|
|
New Video Clips:
|
 |
| Mark
Swalley's Zenith STOL CH 701, as featured in the December 16,
2011, issue of General
Aviation News magazine: |
|
"Swalley got
interested in the Zenith design after seeing it during a visit to AirVenture in
2003. “My wife calls it my $25,000 airplane ride because it led to the purchase of the kit,” he
says. Swalley notes that he started building the Zenith in 2003 “before I had my pilot’s
li-cense — like the Wright brothers. I had no flying experience while I was building.”
"The [plans-built] airplane took three and a half years to
build (from scratch). As of this July, Swalley had
approximately 230 hours on the airframe. He adds he especially enjoys the STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aspects of the
design. “The shortest landing I ever made was when I put it on the numbers and never left them,” he grinned.
“ I cruise at about 90 to 95 miles an hour.”
- Jiminy Cricket!,
By Meg Godlewski, General
Aviation News magazine, page 23, December 16, 2011. |
|
 |
Patricia with the STOL CH 701 on the
cover of "99 News," the official magazine of the International
Organization of Women Pilots (Oct. Nov. Dec. 2011 issue)
"This amazing woman is
setting a new level for firsts, including the first woman to obtain
Ghana’s National Pilots License and the first woman and first
black African to obtain the coveted Rotax Aircraft Engines
certification after training and assessment in Austria with Rotax
Aircraft Engines at the Regional Innovation Centre. The first female
engineer to undertake the course, she was among 33 participants from
20 nations and five continents. She is now teaching, engineering,
flying, doing photo-video missions, training, conversion flights and
check rides. What she loves about flying? “Everything. Especially
the fresh air that takes away all of your worries and the ability to
view the world in a different way.”
- "Patricia Mawuli Nyekodzi:
She Walked out of the African Bush and Discovered the Sky"
by Karlene
Petitt, 99 News (Oct. Nov. Dec. 2011 issue, pages 8 and 9). Read
the article
|
 |
Video Clip:
"Field
Testing" new and bigger tires on the "Sky Jeep" STOL
CH 701. These are quality 21-inch tundra tires (21 x 8.00 x 6)
that fit on the standard STOL CH 701 6-inch Match wheels.
|
 |
Video Clip:
STOL Flying in northern California: STOL CH 750 and CH 701 light
sport utility kit planes
|
 |
Video
Clip:
Some of the STOL planes at the Quality Sport Planes Open House/ Zenith West Coast Fly-In held on October 8, 2011, at the Cloverdale Airport in scenic northern California.
|
 |
NEW
Instrument
panel kits now with the latest 10-inch Dynon SkyView
avionics and new power panel.
|
 |
NEW Video
Clip Wing Kit Assembly: Joining and riveting the internal kit parts together of the Zenith STOL CH 750
Here,
we show putting together the match-drilled parts of the wing kit. We
line the parts up, cleco (clamp), and rivet - it's that simple!
You'll notice that in this video clip we're using final hole size
match-drilled parts (straight off the CNC table).
|
 |
Follow
up report from the 20th annual Zenith Aircraft Open Hangar
Day and Builder Fly-In Gathering (September 17, 2011)
|
 |
New videos from
Zenith.Aero: Zeniths
to Oshkosh summary
"Zeniths to Oshkosh" - "Chris Heintz Day" at EAA AirVenture 2011
- presentation on the ConocoPhillips Plaza, July 25, 2011
"Zeniths
to Oshkosh 2011" - On the flightline at EAA AirVenture 2011
|
 |
New video from Zenith.Aero:
Video Clip showing a Zenith
STOL CH 701 "sky jeep" being flown in and out of a r/c
model flying club's grass field, putting into perspective the great
short take-off and landing capabilities of Zenith's STOL (short take
off and landing) light sport utility aircraft designs.
|
 |
Updates from EAA AirVenture 2011:
|
 |
July 19, 2011:
HD
Video Clip: Flying the STOL CH 750 on a hot 100-deg. F. day
"Since it made it up to 100-degrees today (!) we
decided to fly our STOL CH 750
demo plane, equipped with the six-cylinder Jabiru J3300, to see
how it would cool and perform on such a hot day. Verdict: It
performed flawlessly and cooled us down nicely."
|
 |
From Zenith.Aero:
Video
clip of Mark Bybee's STOL CH 701 kit-built airplane, with
custom-built dual control sticks (replacing the standard center
"Y" stick control). This plane is equipped with the Jabiru
2200 (85-hp) engine.
|
 |
Great video clip demonstrating a STOL CH 701 with the 85-hp Jabiru
2200 engine. |
 |
New Video Clip:
Flying
Off-Road in the STOL CH 701 "Sky Jeep" |
 |
From Zenith.Aero:
Great
STOL
photos from around the world submitted by builders, owners and
pilots. |
 |
May 2011:
New rounded nosewheel fork
assembly for the STOL CH 750 and CH 701 is now
available.
New lightweight
tow bar
is also available for the new nosewheel fork system.
|
 |
Zenith's new factory demo
STOL CH 750 aircraft, replacing the original that was
overturned in the tornado at Sun'n Fun 2011
This is a beautiful new STOL CH
750 built from a kit by Neil Corella. |
 |
At left, ten (10) STOL rudder vertical tail
sections were built at a recent Zenith Aircraft
factory workshop in
Mexico, Missouri.
In addition to gaining hands-on building experience, workshop
participants toured the factory, and went up for a demo flight in a
Zenith STOL plane!
|
 |
KITPLANES magazine, April 2011 issue: "Building on
a Budget" Feature story by Scott Spangler, pages 17 - 23, about
Wayne Clagg's scratch-built STOL CH 701: "Wayne Clagg took on a
VW-powered plansbuilt Zenith with an eye toward getting in the air
quickly while not breaking the bank."
Read
the article on the plane that Wayne built in "23 months for less
than $23,000."
|
 |
1/14/11: EAA e-Hotline
newsletter featured Scott
Ehni's STOL CH 701 project with this video clip.
This plans-built Zenith CH701 is powered by the
lightweight Garrett turboshaft engine, which will produce at least
90 bhp and work on almost any liquid that will burn. The best
off-airport fuel choice is a mix of diesel and mogas as it burns a
bit cleaner, making it a viable alternative engine in areas where
avgas is scarce, like remote parts of Africa.
|
 |
Report
from Brazil (12/10)
|
 |
Flight Review Video Clip:
STOL CH 701 aircraft review
(from France)
|
 |
Marc Cook,
editor of Kitplanes
magazine, built the complete rudder tail section of the Zenith
STOL CH 701/750 at a recent Zenith Aircraft
factory workshop (in November 2010) in
Mexico, Missouri.
|
 |
New HD Video
Clips
HD Video Clip: Very
Short Take-Off and Landing (on a windy day)
HD Video Clip: Slow
Flight in the STOL CH 750 (on a windy day)
HD Video Clip: Another
very Short Take-Off and Landing (on a windy day) |
 |
Starting on November 1, 2010, a STOL CH 701 embarked on an "All
Over Ghana Flight" to demonstrate the effectiveness of
the Zenith light sport utility airplane for Humanitarian Aviation
Logistics (HAL) in Africa. Twenty-one year old Patricia
Nyekodzi Mawuli, Medicine
on the Move (MoM) pilot and aircraft technician, flew
the STOL CH 701 aircraft, followed by a second CH 701 piloted by
Jonathan Porter of WAASPS.
Patricia helped build the CH 701 from a Zenith kit in Ghana, Africa,
while also becoming the first woman to obtain Ghana's National
Pilots License, and also earning Rotax Aircraft Engine
certification. |
 |
From Zenith.Aero:
Photo gallery from the 19th annual Zenith Aircraft Co.
Open Hangar Day and Fly-In Gathering (Sept. 198, 2010 in Mexico,
Missouri) |
 |
Bob McDonald's STOL CH 750 is featured in
the September 2010 issue of Canadian
Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Flight magazine: "Culmination
of an Amazing Journey"
(cover story, section B, pages 1 - 2):
"The folks at Zenith Aircraft
make a CH750 kit that is an absolute joy to build... With the
building part now behind me I have to settle for the thrill of
flying my CH750."
View more Press
Reviews
|
 |
NEW Video Clips:
Flying
the STOL CH 701 in Brazil | More STOL CH 701
flying videos
|
 |
New STOL CH 750 at
Quality
Sport Planes (northern California). |
|
NEW:
Complete custom
instruments and avionics packages are now available directly
from Zenith Aircraft Company, using the Approach Systems Fast Stack
Hub and Harnesses for ease of installation with Dynon and Garmin
avionics. |
 |
Recreational
Flyer magazine, the
official publication of the Recreational Aircraft Association of
Canada (RAAC), January - February 2010 issue: "Elevated"
(cover story, pages 22 - 29): "Chris Heintz saw the need for an
updated version [of the STOL CH 701], something with a larger cabin,
greater payload, and the ability to us an array of four stroke
engines. The CH 750 is the perfect plane for exploring and
camping off the beaten path..."
Read
the article
|
|
May 2010:
FAA's National Kit Evaluation Team (NKET) visits Zenith Aircraft
Company to complete an on-site
kit evaluation of the STOL CH 750 kit.
|
 |
From Zenith.Aero:
EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh) follow-up report |
 |
NEW
LED
Landing Light for the STOL Series:
This compact super-bright landing light mounts inside the wing
leading edge slat for a clean installation. The light can be
mounted on just one side (one wing) of the aircraft, or a landing
light kit can be installed into each wing (and synchronized for high
visibility wig-wag). The kit includes the pre-formed plexiglass
cover & mounting brackets. The light direction is
adjustable.
AeroLED MicroSun: 1,800 lumens, 20 watts
|
|
|
Mike Schlichtman's
STOL CH 750
(left) with the Zenith factory demo plane.
|
|
June 2010:
From Zenith.Aero: Heintz
brothers visit two Caribbean flight schools
that use Zenith for flight instruction: STOL CH 701 on Zenair amphib
floats, and Zodiac low-wing tricycle gear.
- Click
here to read the report with photos and video clips
|
|
Video Clip:
Aero-TV: The STOL CH 750
Aero-TV reports on the STOL CH 750 from the Sebring LSA Show in
Florida |
|
|
From the
zenith.aero online
community for builders and flyers:
Video Clip:
Detailed demonstration (with narration) of the STOL CH 701 short
take-off and steep approach (short landing).
|
 |
Al Stuber with his STOL CH 750 after the
first flight (3/5/10):
"I have logged 3 hrs. now and she is AWESOME and beautiful and weighs a lean 735 lbs. empty."
- Click
here to view a video clip of the first flight
|
 |
From the
zenith.aero online
community for builders and flyers:
Wayne Clagg demonstrates a takeoff from his grass strip in the West
Virginia hills. His plans-built STOL CH 701 is powered by a custom
geared VW engine:
"23 months and 23 thousand dollars from start to first flight."
|
 |
PilotMag,
the magazine and online guide for adventure flying, chooses Zenith
Aircraft Company as the "Best Overall Kit Aircraft
Manufacturer Pick for 2010" (PilotMag's Best Picks for 2010,
Page 37, November / December 2009 issue) |
 |
Video
Clip: Demonstration of the folding wing option on the STOL CH
750 prototype airframe |
|
|
Great new photos (and videos) of builder completions!
|
 |
Video Clip from Zenith.Aero:
Flying
the STOL CH 701 on Zenair Amphibious Floats
|
|
From Zenith.Aero: Cross-Country Flying in the
STOL CH 750 (April 2010):
Flying 1,000 miles to Sun'n Fun (Lakeland, Florida) in the STOL CH
750
Click
here for the photos from Zenith.Aero | New video clips
|
|
|
Two STOL CH 750 aircraft
completed at the Can-Zac Aviation facilities.
|
 |
Photos from Zenith Aircraft
Company's 18th annual OPEN HANGAR DAY and
Fly-In Gathering held on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at
the factory.
View
a video clip | View photos
|
 |
September 3, 2009:
Tom Poberezny, EAA's president and chairman, visits the Zenith
Aircraft factory in Mexico, Missouri.
|
|
 |
From the
zenith.aero online
community for builders and flyers:
NEW Video Clip: Missionary
pilot Stephan Saint demonstrates the STOL CH 701 (this video clip
was part of a presentation on S.T.O.L. flying at Oshkosh AirVenture
2009).
|
|
Summer 2009:
New
DEMO VIDEO DVD
now features the STOL CH 750 (as well as the other Zenith kit
aircraft).
Order
your copy now
|
 |
NEW STOL CH 701 Kit
Option: Micro Vortex Generators. Install these VGs on
the bottom of the elevator for
an even slower approach speed!
|
 |
NEW
Super-bright LED wingtip Strobe / Nav Lights:
Three-in-one combination navigation / strobe and position lights for
your STOL aircraft.
|
|
|
STOL CH 750 LS (Light Sport
Aircraft) built by AMD in
Georgia The factory-built Light Sport Aircraft is equipped with a
new lightweight Continental O-200-D model, and nicely equipped with
a Dyon / Garmin glass panel. |
|
|
Elmer Webster's STOL CH 701, as featured in the July 2009 issue of
Kitplanes
magazine (Completions, page 70): "Take two winters of evenings and
weekends, add the engineering genius of Chris Heintz, and stir in a
few dollars. The result is N701ET, a really tough little sport
flier! The Zenith CH 701 kit was a snap to build and the easiest
plane to fly I've ever seen. An ideal fishing machine, it can be
seen here, resting in its natural habitat on a riverbank in south
central Alaska." |
|
|
May 18, 2009: Congratulations to
STOL CH 750 builder Jim Smith of Claremore, Oklahoma, upon his
successful maiden flight!
He reported: "Took it on it's first flight at 6:45 a.m. this
morning. Wow! One of life's great thrills. It just flew beautifully.
I started my takeoff roll and gently pulled the stick back to get
the nose in the air. I had planned to note when the wheels left the
ground so I would know rotate speed but it lifted off immediately.
Climb out was great. This aircraft is very easy to fly. At 4,000
feet I let go of the stick and it flew wing level... "I couldn't be
more pleased with the performance or handling... You guys who are
building a 750 are going to be thrilled with your airplanes!!!!!!" |
|
|
Zenair Europe's
STOL CH 701 at AERO Friedrichshafen on April 4, 2009. AERO
Friedrichshafen (in Germany) is the showcase for new products for
the European sport aviation scene.
|
|
Designer Chris Heintz (retired)
visits with EAA President Tom Poberezny and Gary Worden (EAA
publications) at AERO Friedrichshafen (Germany, April 4, 2009). |
|
|
April 2009,
EAA Sport Aviation magazine:
"Sized between the original CH 701 and the four-place CH 801, the
CH
750 offers a wider cockpit, larger payload, more robust landing
gear, and greater visibility. Unusual in the industry, the CH
750 is offered in four different forms:
factory-built S-LSA, or as a
quick-build kit, standard kit, or scratch-built from plans by Zenith
Aircraft."
|
 |
|
 |
Video clip: Excellent demonstration of the
STOL CH 701 short field capability: Short take-offs and steep
approaches...
|
 |
Video Clip:
Extreme STOL
Flying Demo (testing VGs) on skis.
Bob Jones of Alaska installed and tested
Zenith micro
Vortex Generators (VGs) to the underside of his elevator, and
produced this video to demonstrate their effectiveness. |
 |
From the
zenith.aero
online community for builders and flyers:
Photo depicting an extreme short take-off in the STOL CH 701, submitted
by Johann Johannsson of Iceland:
"Our club held a short field take off competition and I won. 29 meters
from stop over the string at 1 meter height."
|
|
 |
Summer 2008:
Zenith introduces the STOL CH 750 light sport
utility aircraft:
"The
Chris Heintz-designed STOL CH 701 is
a workhorse. It has been performing short takeoff and landing (STOL)
duty for 20 years and has developed a cult following. Its big
brother, the STOL CH 801, is
a lot bigger, with twice as many seats and room inside," reported
EAA Sport Pilot magazine (October 2008).
"So, with small and large STOL machines, what else would
Chris
Heintz fans want? How about a mid-sized
S-LSA STOL machine? They have
one: the new STOL CH 750." |
 |
The STOL CH 750 featured on the cover of the February 2009 issue of
Kitplanes magazine
Read the Article
KITPLANES magazine,
February 2009 issue,
cover: "Zenith's
Zinger! The new STOL CH 750 Light Sport: Continental O-200 - Modern,
Roomy, Robust - Around $40K!" Cover story and flight
review by LeRoy Cook, pages 8 - 14.
"The Zenith STOL CH 750 is a logically designed
evolution of a well-proven design. Given the
improved kit production techniques, it should go together in a
predictable fashion, even more quickly than the CH
701." |
|
|
Video Clip: Flying the STOL CH 701 powered by a 85-hp Jabiru 2200
engine
|
|
 |
Saturday, September 20, 2008: Zenith Aircraft's 17th annual
OPEN HANGAR DAY and Fly-In Gathering was a great success, with a lot of
sun, planes, food, and great company. Thanks to all who
participated and made this event a fun event!
At right, builders and their planes pose in front of the Zenith
factory for the traditional group photo.
|
 |
An outdoor dinner buffet was enjoyed by more than 120 builders and Zenith employees on
Friday evening prior to the Open Hangar Day.
|
|
 |
Zenith introduces the
STOL CH 750 light sport
utility aircraft at Oshkosh AirVenture (August 2008).
-
Flying the STOL CH 701, STOL CH 750 and the
STOL CH 801 to Oshkosh.
Click here for photos of the Oshkosh trip
|
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. |
|
 |
Building your STOL CH 701
DVD Series - Complete DVD Set 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.
|
 |
NEW Custom
windshield and cabin cover
from
Bruce's Custom Covers
to protect the STOL CH 701 cabin and interior when storing the aircraft
outdoors |
 |
Photos from the Spring 2008 Western regional Zenith fly-in, hosted by Quality
Sport Planes LLC at Cloverdale Municipal Airport in northern California |
 |
Trip photos:
Flying the STOL CH 701 and STOL
CH 801 x-country to Sun'n Fun |
 |
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.
|
|
 |
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 |
 |
 |
Great new
video clips demonstrate the STOL CH 701's outstanding handing
characteristics and slow flight capability.
|
 |
|
|
|
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.
Building your STOL CH 701
DVD Series - Complete DVD Set |
|
|
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
|
 |
Zenith Aircraft
Company's 16th annual OPEN
HANGAR DAY and Fly-In Gathering held on Saturday, September 29, 2007, was a b>
great success with dozens of aircraft flown in and hundreds of active
participants!
- Click
here for a photo recap from the day's activities
|
|
Awesome STOL flying and
slow-flight demonstrations at the Open Hangar Day.
|
|
 |
Short
take off and landing (S.T.O.L.) demonstrations from
around the world on building and flying the STOL CH 701:
|
|
 |
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.
|
 |
Delivering two STOL CH 701
"Fast Build" kits by trailer (see photo below) from
FlightCrafters in Florida.
|
 |
|
|
| From
Quality Sport Planes' Open House & Regional Fly-In (held on
Saturday, May 5,
Cloverdale, Calif.): |
 |
West coast representative Quality
Sport Planes' Open House and Regional Fly-In
was a great success.
|
|
Builders
and enthusiasts exchanged building and flying ideas and stories.
Click
here
for more photos
|
|
| From the
Sun'n Fun fly-in (April 17-23, Lakeland, Florida): |
 |
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
April 2007: JabiruUSA
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.
|
|
 |
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."
|
|
 |
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).
|
 |
The FlightCrafters
/ Zenith Distributing crew at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo with a
STOL CH 701 Quick-Build Kit (Sebring, Florida).
|
|
|
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).
|
|
|
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).
|
 |
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.
|
 |
Read
Christopher Desmond's adventure as he flies his CH-701 from Northern
California to the Copperstate fly-in in Arizona.
|
|
|
NEW
STOL CH 701 video clips:
|
|
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.
|
 |
From the archives:
Designer Chris Heintz flying the
prototype STOL CH 701 (powered by a 52-hp Rotax 503) in 1986.
|
|
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)
|
