Nope I think it’s neat as hell

Nope I think it’s neat as hell

That is what I was hoping for...really short field takeoff/landing...and something a first time builder cannot screw up.

KJ

Charles:

I was looking at the 750 super duty, it has a empty weight of 1,100 lb and gross of 1,900 lb. So 800lb useful with stock tires...probably 700lb by the time the bushwheels, etc are installed.

It is just me (190 lb), 100 lb girlfriend and 2 dogs for this trip so any useful load above 500 lb is fine...as long as I keep dating skinny girls with small dogs.

KJ

Norman:

Fascinating story, I am encouraged that the airframe took the drop so well and that you still liked the plane.

I am definitely going to visit the factory and fly one.

KJ

Charles:

I was looking at the 750 super duty, it has a empty weight of 1,100 lb and gross of 1,900 lb. So 800lb useful with stock tires...probably 700lb by the time the bushwheels, etc are installed.

It is just me (190 lb), 100 lb girlfriend and 2 dogs for this trip so any useful load above 500 lb is fine...as long as I keep dating skinny girls with small dogs.

KJ

Charles:

I actually was looking for a 750 when I saw the super duty. I do think the 750 would do the job.

KJ

I’ve also been wanting a 750 with the Viking engine for several years. I wouldn’t build my own, but there are usually a couple on barnstormers and occasionally the zenith website forum. They have a fly-in in Mexico, MO I think in the spring. I attended a couple of years ago. Good time.

I really like that you can fly them with the doors off.

I did the rudder workshop a couple years back and built a 750 Cruzer rudder. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone considering a kit. Having never worked with aluminum I learned a lot.

I have been hoping they would announce an upgrade to the original 801 so you could get 4 seats with all the benefits of a refreshed kit (match drilled holes, easier assembly, etc). Even better if they offered a Cruzer version of that model for those of us who want a bit more speed and don’t need the extreme STOL performance. Maybe someday....

There should be a couple of Zeniths at our STOL event in December at Sun n Fun.

My buddy is building a super duty and it has been pretty trying. They weren’t ready for the super duty to go prime time in my opinion. His is one of the first kits so I’m sure it’s going to be better. There are enough differences in between that and the 750 that the instructions, hardware and pieces don’t line up. He had to threaten them to take the kit back 2 times before they started realizing it was really their fault. Since they have been incredibly responsive and helpful. Often times calling to check in. They are rewriting the assembly manual and building another in the shop, so he has been delayed waiting for the new instructions a few times. The wings, and tail is all complete and finishing the fuselage is next. With the proper instructions and parts list it has gone smooth.

I’m sure he would be willing to talk to anyone that has any questions. Let me know if you would like to speak with him.
Craig Woodberry

One of the things Zenith does that’s especially helpful to non-engineers is they include a read-only copy of SolidWorks with the kit. That allows the builder to look at an assembly from every angle before doing anything permanent. That has to speed things up, as it reduces the number of things that get done twice.

I’ve met Chris and Sebastien Heintz, both impressive guys. Chris used to talk at Oshkosh about practical design for light planes and I thought his decisions, such as Avex rivets closely spaced, made sense.

The planes are simple to build. They are a little crude in the looks department. It’s not about smooth curves and hidden hinges/fasteners.... it’s about being simple and robust.

I have about 25 hours in a CH601. Fun to fly, good controllability. The one I flew had the 2 sticks and what happened was the elevator was light and long throw... ailerons were short throw and took more force. So the control harmony wasn’t there. The center Y stick may be better.

The 601 is loud and slow and drafty compared to, what you’d expect from a factory plane. All those rivets and bolts and corners in the slipstream mean drag, it is simple to build instead of quiet and airtight. Well, those are the design tradeoffs.

That was my experience in my one flight in a 701: roll force was much more than pitch force. This was with the center Y stick.

Definitely not the balanced forces I see in my Bonanza.

I know an owner who was subject to the CH601 "AD" on the factory S-LSA. Much ink has been spilled on the subject, but the 701/750 series is not affected by that. You can skip the rest if you're only interested in the 700 series.

If you look at the aileron bellcrank on my Beech or the Piper I used to have, you will see a half-rib that exists to stabilize the bellcrank. The CH601's did not have this, post-AD they do. I believe that was the effective change needed to eliminate the possibility of flutter.

My personal hunch is that the original kit 601 ailerons were flutter-free because they did not have a piano hinge... the literally used the top wing skin as the hinge. They proved it would flex thousands of times and not break. Pretty hard to make that flutter, so the bellcrank did not have to be stabilized. Then the factory 601's had piano hinges (like other airplanes) and needed the half-rib at the bellcrank (like other planes).

The other AD-mandated changes seemed like a lot of pain for little benefit. The FAA didn't like the spar strength testing Zenith had done and calculated the wing needed a few percent more strength demonstrated as a margin above the certification limits. These are not G-loadings any normal owner will ever see, even if they take the plane to the certified G limits at gross weight... just added margin of strength.

Well, you can put 10% more metal in the spar but it's a lot of work to de-skin the wing and put in the retrofit kit. My friend did all the work, but will probably not see any real-world benefit there.

I do think Sebastien and Chris worked diligently in good faith with the FAA on this issue and did a good job for the owner community by producing a kit for the owners to install.