Well Monday night chats have thus far been a bust.  Let's try Tuesday night and see if we get more takers.  Come tell us about your project.  Ask questions.  Look for some encouragement, or just shoot the breeze.   We'll start at 8 PM Eastern.

We often see "off-road" (or "off-airport") photos of the STOL CH 701, so here we share a few "on-road" photos:

Here on short final:

Now, on the road:

...with quite…

I'm back in the US. I'm moving in a few weeks, so won't get much done before the Christmas break. My form and cutting blocks shipped home ok- I was worried about getting them through customs. I made a trip to Harbor Freight and got some tools yesterday. 

The Aviators TV show features the Zenith STOL CH 801 in the current season (Season 4), episode 2. Following are some screen shots and caption, on location in rural Quebec, Canada, earlier this year:

 

No runway? No problem! We challenge the limits faced in the world of bush flying in this amazing…

After spending most of the summer on other projects and airplane work relegated to making form molds, I resumed work with a vengeance this weekend! Having received the first delivery of sheet aluminum, I cut out one of the wing spars along with root ribs, rear ribs and nose ribs. My forearms are as big as Popeye's! Wasn't able to finish trimming the rear rib forms as I wore out my router bit. Will be spending a lunch break at Lowes one day this week! 

Tomorrow night. 8PM Eastern, join us for Zenith builders and fliers chat.

I am looking for either the drawings or complete engine mount (proven) for BMW 1200 GS installation into CH701. I have Engine complete with reduction drive and Kiev prop (very nice combination) which I am thinking of fitting to my 701. Can anyone help?

I've spent a considerable amount of time researching streamlined strut covers to reduce drag, better performance.  I've found that uflyit.com sells two sizes.  The smaller size fits our (701) struts, but are very difficult to slide on unless you use some form of lube.  I used silicone, and they went on very nicely as opposed to doing one with no lube (very hard), and baby powder on one (no difference).  They look good and are secure.  you can change the angle of attack fairly easily.  The…

After watching and admiring Chris Heintz and his practical designs for many years, I finally decided I could either keep waiting for the rest of my life or actually get off my fanny and make a decision.  After a few sleepless nights, I finally ordered my CH 750 quick-build kit on September 30, 2013.  Needless to say, my nights have been filled with flying dreams ever since.  As they say, "The adventure begins".

A few years ago we had an active weekly chat that at somepoint went silent.  I'd like to see it revived, this time using this sites built in chat room.  We use to do it on Monday evenings.  I'd love to see this get going again. Any opinions?

We were discussing the pros and cons of using a FSDO inspector vs a DAR. This reminded me of when I got my Repairman's Certificate. Every word is absolutely true!

At the conclusion of my successful AW inspection, the DAR said "Unfortunately, I can't issue the Repairman's Certificate. You'll have to go to the Nashville FSDO (90 miles away) for that. Be sure and call them and make an appointment - they have a lot of security now and won't accept a drop-in visit!"  Sooo, I dutifully…

Update October 20, 2013. We've seen temps into the high 20's. The thermal blanket is working well. A 60 watt light bulb works well, along with the 25 watt heat pad in the oil cooler plenum. At 25F OAT temps are, oil 59F, engine EGT/CHT 45F, airbox/cowl temp is 51F. My experience has been that engine/oil temps over 45F, the engine will start quickly.

I'm going to order a 50 watt heat pad, that is a better size for this climate. More data later.

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Another flying season…

I was ashamed to see I hadn't done a build update since February 2012 - 18 months!!

Had actually done some building work in that time (not much, admittedly) - but have done the rear spars, clecoed the top skin on the right wing and flipped the wing over.

Today I got back into it after a few months of no activity, drilled the bottom skin and positioned it, and got a few clecoes in.  Glad to break the seal again and hopefully will be doing more building in the…

Test/Proving flights going well. Done just over 9 hours, flying beautifully!!! Just what I expected.

With the 95hp Xtra conversion, she cruise with the other 912S 701's.

Friday, September 27th,

Hi again,

After a 2 hour test flight checking the performance of the 701 wing with VGs/without Slats, I got some interesting data.

First thing I checked was the takeoff run... After a few runs, I can say that the nosewheel comes off/on at 38 mph indicated. I can pull the nosewheel off as soon as the speedo gets to 38mph which is almost the same as before with the Slats. The takeoff run seems to run the same lenght but the speed…

AILERON%20STOP.pdf

The aileron stops for the piano hinge aileron option need to be longer than the standard stop shown in the plans. The stops that I received with my piano hinge aileron option were labeled for the PH stop, but they were the standard size and matched the dimensions in the plans for standard stops.

A drawing for the longer piano hinge…