Zenith CH-701 thread

[eightyknots]

Hi, there does not seem to be a thread directly related to Zenith CH-701 aircraft under the Zenith Users' Group part of the forum.

Therefore, I decided to get the ball rolling...

[eightyknots]

I have only ever seen information in magazine articles and on the internet about the Zenith CH-701. Because I live in an area of New Zealand where there appears to be no Zenith owners and/or builders in the vicinity I have not yet ever seen one "in the flesh" ...let alone flown in one!

I am interested in either building or -if the price is right- buying a STOL aircraft either the Zenith CH-701 or a similar aircraft. I am looking at different options but, because of hangar costs I am now considering the folding wing options on this plane (or similar).

I have read quite a bit about this plane and the things I like about it are:

There are more than 1,000 CH-701s flying in different parts of the world
It is a high wing plane;
It has tricycle undercarriage
Its good STOL capabilities
Appears to be a robust design
Short landing roll
Short take off roll
All aluminium construction
It has a 20+ year history with a number of improvements carried out during this time
It has a steep climb angle
Seems to be pretty good for cross wind landings
There seems to be a folding wing option to help avoid hangarage costs
Low stall speed
Reasonable VNE
Has good landing gear
Is able to land on unprepared strips

Does anyone have good experience with one? I would be very interested to know.

[eightyknots]

I am going to be doing a bit of traveling in Australia over the next 30 days from mid-December to mid-January. I will be in Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney. Are there any CH-701 owners who could show me their pride and joy in those locations?

[roxy]

If it's not to late I have one in the Ballina Byron Bay area

[aviatorpl]

Hello all,

I am a going to be in the Perth/ Henderson area of WA for a month from mid June and would be interested to meet with any CH701 owners in this area.
I have one that I fly in Poland and would like to maintain my hours.
It is also possible that I will be there for a year from August so I will definitely be looking for some means of flying then.

Michael