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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on May 22, 2011 at 9:31pm

The CH701 is destined to be a classic STOL aircraft and a founding corner stone of the Zenith / Zenair company history. I have flown both the CH701 & CH750. The CH701 will "out STOL" its heavier cousin the CH750. But the CH750 incorporates many improvements that CH701 builders were already doing to the CH701. Things like thicker .020 skins, "L" bracing to reduce oil canning, longer wings, larger cockpit, increased gross weight for larger "heavier" engines, larger fuel tanks...etc. The CH750 improves on what customers (read - LSA) wanted in a recreational aircraft, the CNC fabrication of the kits reduced manufacturing cost of Zenith and build times of CH750 kit "assemblers". The easier & faster build the kit ...the more popular the kit is with customers. Zenith Aircraft supply all breeds of builders...plans only / kit supplied materials & plans / CNC quick build kit material & plans. Not many companies try to meet the needs (styles) of all builders... but Zenith still does. Zenith also makes the popular CH601 series...HD, HDS, UL, XLB / 650 because as they say "different strokes for different folks". Fly safe.

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Permalink Reply by Sebastien Heintz on May 23, 2011 at 2:39pm

Good comments, Bob.

We plan to supply and support the original CH 701 as long as there is a market and need for it (and I'm guessing that this will be for many more years to come).  As Bob correctly states, the 701 will "out STOL" the heavier 750 in most configurations, and it also meets "ultralight" rules in certain countries where the 750 does not.

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