Zenith Aircraft CH 650 & 701

[Jwh]

Hi

 

After researching quite a few kits, I have allot of interest in the Zenith ZODIAC CH 650 or Zenith STOL CH 701.

 

Does anyone here have either of these? built one? flown one or in one? how many are flying in AUS?

 

Please share your experiences with all aspects of either aircraft.

 

First build, so I'm thinking of starting with a small component and working my way through the others over time.

 

thanks.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Hi Jwh,

 

I'm plans building a 701, only done the tailfeathers and half of one wing so far. Excellent design and easy to build.

 

However there's also the 750 and Cruzer now, don't know much about the Cruzer but the 750 has several design changes that are superior to the 701 - things like 0.020" skin instead of 0.016", folded trailing edges on wing & elevators instead of riveted etc (I used the 750 method on my elevators with inset trim tab).

 

Having said that, if I could do things differently I'd buy a kit instead of scratch building. Yes it's exciting and you get a sense of accomplishment from making your own parts, but everything takes so long and making multiples of the same item gets a bit boring after a while. At the time I started, the aluminium & steel cost around $5,500. At the moment according to the Zenair website, the complete kit + finishing kit for the 750 is around $20,000 plus however much it costs to get it over here - Allan from Zenair Australia would be able to give you a better idea.

 

You might also want to consider the ICP Savannah, they seem to be more popular in Aus than the 701.

 

Whatever you decide on, good luck!

 

 

[eightyknots]

HiAfter researching quite a few kits, I have allot of interest in the Zenith ZODIAC CH 650 or Zenith STOL CH 701.

Does anyone here have either of these? built one? flown one or in one? how many are flying in AUS?

 

Please share your experiences with all aspects of either aircraft.

 

First build, so I'm thinking of starting with a small component and working my way through the others over time.

 

thanks.

There is quite a bit of information on this thread: http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/zenith-ch-701-thread.5964/page-14#post-292332 and there are some active builders who I am sure would be happy to share their experiences.

 

 

[rankamateur]

There are a number of different designs that all seem to have spawned from Max Tadesco's design, The MT-701 as it should be known is just one, this is the latest http://www.worldaircraftco.com/spirit/ but others include the http://www.landafrica.com/ which is a clone of a very old ICP Savannah, take on a CD directly from the factory by an employee and produced in Portugal, the only one in Australia sold recently for about $55,000 new. They also make a model named Citius which looks a fair bit like the "Spirit" with a less chunky wing ptofile. Others include Yuma which like the CH-701 had a depressed cabin roof above the pilot, no good to me at 6'3". that is the one place a bit more room is always helpful above your headset.

 

There must be a lot of 701's around because their owners keenly seek Savannah stabilizers and elevators to upgrade their tailfeathers when ever parts become available.

 

Go to any week-end fly in though and you will see that the Savannah's are out flying enmasse and the 701 is outnumbered 3 or 6 to one.

 

I have nothing but admiration for blokes like Marty, true "aircraft builders", but a lot of built aircraft take 6 to 12 years to bulid, if completion is ever achieved, the new computer cut kits are quite achievable for an "aircraft assembler" in 6-12 weeks, leaving the five or ten years free for flying the thing.

 

Small component kits are the dearest way to buy your kit, even an ICP kit no.1 which contains all the metalwork for the whole plane is uneconomical compared to the kit no. 2 with everything but the prop and engine. The only advantage of the CH-701 rudder kit (used to be quoted at about $300) is that if you turned out to be completly inept with a riveter, you only have $300 out.

 

 

[eightyknots]

There are a number of different designs that all seem to have spawned from Max Tadesco's design, The MT-701 as it should be known is just one...

The CH-701 was a joint effort between Max Tedesco and Chris Heintz. Max, however, wanted to bring improvements to the intial design but Chris Heintz wanted to 'freeze' the design. This is a pity because it locked out some much needed improvements. The original plane should be called the CHMT-701.

 

Max continued to develop the design and ultimately transformed it into the MX-740 but ICP (who assembled about 120 of them in Europe on behalf of Max) ripped off the design, made them themselves and then sold many of these MXP-740s as Savannahs around the world. The first batch of these Savannahs even continued to use the Max Tedesco designated model number MX-740! Perhaps the earlier Savannahs should really be called the MT-701? Even the more up-to-date XL and S models are still largely based on Max Tedesco's work. (should they be called Savannah MTXL or MTS?)

 

Go to any week-end fly in though and you will see that the Savannah's are out flying enmasse and the 701 is outnumbered 3 or 6 to one.

This is a feature in Australia. In other countries (such as Canada, the United States and New Zealand) the numbers are the other way around. (Were the Savannah dealers better marketers in Australia?). For instance, in New Zealand there are only eight Savannahs (7 VGs and 1 XL) (no S) and twenty Zenith CH-701s. I have noticed, however, that the number of Savannahs is growing fairly quickly but the CH-701 numbers do not seem to have much growth over the last few years.

 

 

[ianrat]

We have a flying CH 701 here in Brisbane. We have also a CH 601 (wih 650 canopy) and a CH 750 well under construction.

 

There is also another completed and flying CH 601 (with 650 canopy) up in the Brisbane valley.

 

You are welcome to come and have a look. Just let us know when.

 

Ianrat

 

CH601 XL-B.

 

Brisbane

 

Australia.