STOL CH 801 Updates

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Starting in May 2012, Zenair Ltd. (Canada) is supplying parts, kits and support worldwide for the STOL CH 801. Zenair has been working on a number of exciting updates for the four-seat CH 801 utility aircraft and looks forward to working with both new and existing STOL CH 801 customers. Visit the "new" STOL CH 801 website: http://www.zenair801.info
	YouTube Video Clips Playlist - Flying the awesome STOL CH 801 More video clips
	African STOL CH 801
	Ben Haas' STOL CH 801, powered by a custom Ford V8 auto conversion, on display at EAA AirVenture
	June 2009: Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador, South America, inspects a STOL CH 801 built in Shell Mera, Ecuador, by I-Tec (Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center) headed by Steve Saint. STOL CH 801 aircraft, assembled in Ecuador, are used in South America by missionaries and humanitarian organizations.
	STOL CH 801 Kit Option: Micro Vortex Generators. Install these VGs on the bottom of the elevator for an even slower approach speed! Click here for more info. Click here to order. Super-bright LED wingtip Strobe / Nav Lights: Three-in-one combination navigation / strobe and position lights for your STOL CH 801. Click here for more info. Click here to order.
	Jeff Fortune's STOL CH 801, on amphibious floats, in Abaco in the Bahamas. "The plane is flying great. Quickest liftoff from salt water is about 12 seconds... lands at ~38 knots."

	STOL CH 750: Zenith Aircraft introduces the newest STOL model at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (August 2008). The two-seat STOL CH 750 prototype is a "light sport utility" airplane powered by the 100-hp Continental O-200 engine Flying the STOL CH 701, STOL CH 750 and the STOL CH 801 to Oshkosh. Click here for photos of the Oshkosh trip
	Bundu Aviation's South African STOL CH 801
	Bill Rewey (Verona, Wisconsin) with his STOL CH 801: "Total cost was about $40,000 using a used (but overhauled) Lycoming O-320 engine. N171WR has an IFR panel, wing leveler, elevator and aileron trip, and a 60 gallon fuel capacity . Thanks for a great kit and great design. Factory assistance was outstanding"
	Great photos from Christopher Desmond's STOL CH 801, landing on a remote off-airport bluff in northern California, overlooking the Pacific ocean.
	Bill Wilcox flying his STOL CH 801 in Alaska.
	Bill Wilcox's STOL CH 801 in Valdez, Alaska, on Full-Lotus floats: "I now have 25 hours on my Zenithair CH 801 on 2150 Full Lotus Floats. When I loaded up the plane to 2200 lbs. at sea level I was operating it in and out of less than 1000-feet of water. It was dead calm and the water was glassy... I look at the Full Lotus Floats as a new generation of floats. I remember when all white water kayaks were long and round. They are now short and flat. Full Lotus is just keeping up with the times and changes in materials. I feel like the talk of the town: Every body wants to look and see how short it gets off. It is really different checking the air pressure rather than pumping out the floats."
	November 4, 2008: Bill Wilcox's STOL CH 801 on wheels, on Valdez Glacier Lake in Alaska.
	NEW Video Clip: Pilot demonstrates very short take-off in the four-seat utility STOL CH 801
	View photos from Zenith's 17th annual OPEN HANGAR DAY and Fly-In Gathering (held on Saturday, September 20, 2008)
	STOL CH 750: Zenith Aircraft introduces the newest STOL model at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (August 2008). The two-seat STOL CH 750 prototype is a "light sport utility" airplane powered by the 100-hp Continental O-200 engine Flying the STOL CH 701, STOL CH 750 and the STOL CH 801 to Oshkosh. Click here for photos of the Oshkosh trip
	STOL CH 801 in Brazil, with custom engine cowl for the Lycoming or Superior O-360 powerplant and cargo belly pod.
	STOL CH 801 from Brazil, with custom cargo belly pod.
	Testing new bubble side door windows in the STOL CH 801. The domed bubble windows, as tested, increase the cabin width to 52-inches (130 cm.) at the shoulders! The domed bubble window is easy to fit in existing STOL CH 801 doors, or can be installed in the door instead of the flat Plexiglas material supplied in the standard kit. Cost of the bubble door option: $245.00 each (left or right side). Click here for additional cabin details. Click here for more photos.
	First flight in Bundu Aviation's STOL CH 801 in South Africa.
	Custom panel in Bundu Aviation's STOL CH 801 in South Africa.
	Photos from the Spring into Summer Fly-In Gathering (at the Zenith factory on June 21, 2008).
	Rich Bauer's Coast Guard STOL CH 801 (South Carolina).
	Roberto Brito's bright yellow STOL CH 801 (Brazil), built from a Quick Build Kit.
	Roberto Brito's bright yellow STOL CH 801 (Brazil)
	Roberto Brito's STOL CH 801: Notice the custom cargo (belly) pod and custom fiberglass engine cowl.

	Flying the STOL CH 801 and the STOL CH 701 to the Sun'n Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida (over the Mississippi River with its shores overflowing, April 2008).
	Travis Holland's STOL CH 801 (Roseland, Florida)
	Travis Holland's STOL CH 801 (Roseland, Florida)
	March 2008: Maiden flight of Christopher Desmond's custom STOL CH 801 (California).
	March 1, 2008: Dale Carlson's polished aluminum STOL CH 801 (California, Missouri), powered by a 180-hp Lycoming O-360 engine with Sensenich propeller.
	Custom instrument panel in Dale Carlson's STOL CH 801. Notice the custom dual control sticks.
	STOL-Adventures.com has released its first full-length DVD featuring the two-seat 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 view a short preview of the video on YouTube.
	Ben Haas' V8 powered STOL CH 801 of Jackson Hole, Wyoming: "I LOVE my 801 and Zenith is a great company to do business with. I hope you guys keep right on creating fun toys..."
	New STOL CH 801 Video Clips: "First flights of our just finished Zenith STOL CH 801. Built By Dad, age 35 and four sons 6, 8,11,and 12 for mom and wife who recently got her pilots license. Plane was NOT a quick-build kit but we did finish it quickly, 8 months, including paint and interior."

	December 2007: Zenith's demonstrator STOL CH 801 weighted down under an inch of ice following a day of freezing rain.
	STOL CH 801 powered by a Lycoming, built by Dan Stanton (Jackson, Michigan).
	Mark and Susan Patey flew their newly-completed STOL CH 801 to the EAA Copperstate fly-in in Casa Grande, Arizona (October 25-28, 2007) from Utah. Click here for more photos from Copperstate fly-in.
	Jeff Fortune's STOL CH 801 equipped with 2200 amphibious floats (St. Petersburg, Florida)

	XP 360 engine installation
	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

	STOL CH 801 Paper Airplane: Build your own paper airplane. This paper airplane design by Gary Anderson actually flies (though the short take-off performance may be lacking). Click here to download the STOL paper airplane drawings and manual. Click here for other STOL models.
	On the ramp in Mexico, Missouri.
	VIDEOS: Owner / Builder Videos on YouTube STOL CH 801 Video Clip (2:22 min. / 4.3 MB) Parts Manufacturing with the CNC router (3 min. / 5.75 MB) More video clips \| Demo Video on DVD
	STOL CH 801 on Zenair Floats: Canadian STOL CH 801 on straight floats: The ideal fishing platform!

	The STOL CH 801 design is used by Jordan Aerospace Industries (JAI) as a off-airport light utility aircraft in the Middle East, and is offered as a diesel-powered plane with crop spraying and surveillance capabilities. JAI also offers a modified version of Heintz' CH 2000 / Alarus as a surveillance platform using FLIR imaging technology. Click here for more photos.

	Flying to Sun'n Fun 2007: The annual 1,000 mile (1,600 km.) trip to the week-long Sun'n Fun fly-in convention (to Lakeland, Florida from Mexico, Missouri) with the factory demonstrator two-seat STOL CH 701 and STOL CH 801 aircraft is always a fun adventure. Click here for photos
	Kitplanes magazine, April 2006 issue: "You Want Utility? Zenith's 801 Packs 4 Seats to Short Strips: Plus Easy to Build - Only 500 Hours!", by Dave Higdon, cover story, pages 20 - 25. "The kit components come well finished and ready to assemble; an inexperienced builder should be able to go from opening the first crate to flying the first time in 300 to 500 hours" [with the Quick Build Kit] "The STOL CH 801 offers a comfortable cabin with payload enough for four plus luggage and short-field performance that can take the little bush plane into almost any strip."
	Carlos Rangel's handmade 28% all-metal scratch-built scale RC model STOL CH 801, with amazing attention to detail. Click here for additional photos and details
	STOL CH 801 powered by a custom Walter-LOM engine.
	A couple of STOL CH 801 aircraft at Zenith's annual Open Hangar Day.
	STOL CH 801 with a custom crop spraying boom for agricultural crop dusting applications.
	Missionary pilot Mike Dawson and his STOL CH 801 in the Amazon jungle
	Rick Campbell's STOL CH 801 in Virginia, powered by a Franklin 6A-350, 220 hp engine. More photos
	Dave Zilz with his STOL CH 801: Today was the day we've been dreaming of for over five years! N143ZT took to the air for the first time on January 14, 2006. It was an awesome experience!
	Two STOL CH 801s at Zenith's 14th annual Open Hangar Day (August 20, 2005)
	Quick Build Kit for the STOL CH 801.
	Larry Landucci's Lycoming-powered STOL CH 801 at the Middleton (Morey), Wisconsin airport (C29). "Thanks for all the help you have given me during the building process -- it has been the most satisfying thing I have ever done and I am looking forward to many enjoyable hours flying in my 801."

STOL CH 801 with a custom SMA diesel engine installation, with an agricultural spray system. Other custom diesel engine projects include the Delta Hawk diesel.

"I LOVE my 801 and Zenith is a great company to do business with. I hope you guys keep right on creating fun toys..."

"After attending Oshkosh in 2001, I started the project by ordering the tail kit in August of 2001, since this was my first time ever to build an airplane.
"As almost everyone else, I was not sure if I could tackle this job. After getting the tail kit I started drilling and riveting and to my surprise I finished the rudder well within the average builder's time. Now I was hooked!!
"The airplane is pretty much stock, as delivered by Zenith. However I decided to use an automotive engine because of the FADEC advantage of a modern auto engine. I decided on the Subaru SVX 6 cylinder EG33 engine with 230 HP and the 4 blade 74" Warpdrive prop. This combination delivers an unbelievable 610 lbs of thrust - that is about 30% more than my Cessna 182 with a new Cont. O-470.
"Total building time was 545 hours, well below the average factory estimated time and I attribute the rapid building progress to the use of the Avex blind rivets.
"With the Subaru engine I have a truly single lever power management system (just like a jet) and I can concentrate on flying the airplane instead of watching all the gauges with a conventional aircraft engine.
"The aircraft is a STOL design and will take off at my elevation of 5000 feet here in Colorado in less than 500 feet without the use of the flaps."

September 2001: Builder Adrian Noble sent these pics of the first Australian STOL CH 801: "A couple of photos, sorry they're not as clear as I would have liked... Cheers from the happy parents."

September 2001: New STOL CH 801 flight simulator files: Sample screen shots:

Click here to download these new STOL CH 801 flight sim files courtesy of Brian Gladden. (We haven't had a chance to "fly" this aircraft for performance or flight characteristics...)

Aero-News Network names the STOL CH 801 first "Ten Best SportPlanes for 2001"

"...a HUGE 4-place cabin, an excellent stability and control profile, good visibility and the ability to land in areas that other aircraft can barely park in. No kidding, folks, I know it isn't the prettiest belle at the ball, but this little lady can do stuff that will blow you away.
"...an outstanding airplane by every definition."

October 1999: The November'99 issue of Kitplanes magazine features a cover story on the STOL CH 801: "Budget Bushplane - Chris Heintz designs a four-place STOL for the masses," by Howard Levy and editor Dave Martin.
Click here for a full list of press reviews.