2015 Update: 

Congratulations to Chris Anderson, Jock Struthers, and to Deane Philip for taking first, second and third place in the third annual "Healthy Bastards STOL competition" in New Zealand on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

2014 Event:

Congratulations to Deane Philip and to Jock Struthers for taking first and second place in the annual "Healthy Bastards STOL competition" in New Zealand on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Here is a photo of Deane in his Zenith STOL CH 701 "Sky Jeep" light sport utility kit plane, powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912ULS engine, demonstrating a STOL take-off:

• View video clips of the winning flight: Wing strut mounted camera | Ground based camera

Here is Jock landing the STOL CH 701 in the precision landing competition:

From the organizers of the grass-roots annual event:

"Yesterday was another hugely successful day, and by all accounts a great day was had by all - pilots and spectators alike.

"Fantastic airmanship, fantastic camaraderie, and lots of new friends made.

"Thanks all for being a part of it, and hopefully we can match it again next year!

"Here are the official results for you to either celebrate or commiserate over as the case may be :)"

Below are the Top 5 finishes in the Microlight (LSA) Category (<1325 lbs), with distances in meters:

Congratulations again to Deane and Jock for their wonderful representation of Zeniths in New Zealand!  It's great to see ongoing validation of the excellent short take-off and landing capabilities of this fun airplane (in standard tricycle gear configuration with side-by-side seating) even when compared to special-purpose tube'n fabric tail-draggers.

Here's a great video clip of Jock's winning performance at the 2013 event:

Why "Healthy Bastards"? It's the name of a video produced by a flying doctor service in New Zealand. The video captures what "people on the street" think about health and what actually makes a "Healthy Bastard" and also gives viewers an insight into the magnificence of New Zealand and some of the unusual but wonderful people that live in it with his mission of trying to find "the healthiest bastard in the bush". The video was developed from Dr Dave Baldwin's book "Healthy Bastards" which, like the video, combines non-PC humour with serious health messages. But beware as this movie "ain't for the faint hearted".

Photos (and videos) from New Zealand never cease to amaze me: What a beautiful country with such a great mix of terrain to fly over: beaches, mountains, prairies... check out some of these great photos from our fellow builders and pilots in New Zealand.  What better way to explore such as a beautiful country than with a Zenith?