All Blog Posts (2,409)

At planning stage.

The Cruzer really appeals to me with its easy to build and operate design. I fly from a grass 1000ft strip in Cornwall,UK and I'm sure the Cruzer would fit in well there. I watch all the excellent Zenith Utube videos.

I was at first thinking of using the Rotax 100 hp engine,but now I'm coming around to the idea of using the Viking 130 engine. The extra power would help get us off  grass quicker.

Added by James Ernest Holloway. on August 2, 2017 at 3:18am — No Comments

Zenith STOL CH 750 "Super Duty" introduction

Following are a few videos of the Zenith STOL CH 750 "Super Duty" introduced at EAA Oshkosh AirVenture 2017:

First flight video: First flight of the STOL CH 750 Super Duty from Zenith Aircraft Company.  …

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Added by Zenith.Aero on August 1, 2017 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Things to do while waiting for paperwork

OK, getting frustrated waiting for i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed on various official forms so that my perfectly serviceable aircraft and I can go have fun. I know its a process but any suggestions gratefully received (funnier the better please - I need the laugh)

Added by Graham Kingaby on June 27, 2017 at 9:10am — No Comments

Zenith Workshop at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh -- Zenith Aircraft Company will demonstrate kit airplane assembly during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI July 24-30 2017.

Zenith staff and volunteers will assemble the rear fuselage assembly of the new Zenith CH 750 kits daily from 8:45 - 12:45 in the AeroPlane…

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Added by Zenith.Aero on June 26, 2017 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

New Profile Picture

Scene from the film…

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Added by Phil Smith on June 20, 2017 at 6:35pm — No Comments

601xlb canopy latch retrofit

Has anyone out there upgraded their old canopy latch system with the newer 650 type system?  Pictures? Plans?

Added by Robert Carlson on June 16, 2017 at 8:46am — 4 Comments

Quality Sport Planes OPEN HOUSE and West Coast Zenith Fly-In 2017

I'm posting this a little late, but here's a video recap of the May 2017 Quality Sport Planes OPEN HOUSE and West Coast Zenith Fly-In, hosted by Doug Dugger at his facility at the Cloverdale Municipal Airport in Cloverdale, California (about an hour north of San Francisco).

Below, flying in Doug's newly completed Zenith CH 750 Cruzer powered by a…

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Added by Sebastien Heintz on June 13, 2017 at 9:30am — 2 Comments

ADS-B installed

Installed a Skyguard ADS-B in and out system with AHRS
Install took two days, first day brackets and antennas.
Second day power, data, switch, breaker, cables.
Not a hard install, being a Amatuer radio operator probably helped. Don at Skyguard has great customer support.
Got an FAA report, all ok.
There are some great new products coming out there for experimental aircraft. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about doing your own install.

Added by David Krakowsky on June 11, 2017 at 9:32pm — 3 Comments

Watch where you pull!!!

WHOOP WHOOP WARNING.

I installed the strut on the pilots door pictured aboove and soon after tried to pull it down from the front edge about a foot outboard like I always did with the suction cup...crack...split.  The door - original fiberglass and Plexiglas bubble door supplied by Zenith - broke at the fiberglass corner and radiated out down and aft in the Plexiglas.  Quite a bit of bending torque is applied to the corner...my bad. Stop drilled the crack, sealed it with "special…

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Added by Phil Smith on June 8, 2017 at 12:48pm — 1 Comment

Factory Workshop June 15-16 2017

We are scheduled to attend the factory workshop on June 15-16, 2017.  My wife (Sharlene) will be attending. We are excited about the event and are looking forward to the workshop!

Added by Kenneth Stapleton on June 5, 2017 at 10:39am — No Comments

Progress report

   So here we are, a journey that began in 2004 with a quest to become a private pilot and in 2005 begin building an airplane. While becoming a pilot I decided on the Zenith CH601XL as the airframe because it flew nice and could be made from plans. Deciding on the Corvair as the engine was also decided around this time. Here I am 1000 pilot hours and 700…

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Added by Ron Lendon on June 4, 2017 at 7:38am — No Comments

"Final" Stats

Updating all my documents for the inspection, it looks like I have

~ 6 years 10 months elapsed time (thanks to location and climate I can only work weekends, and not at all between August and October)

~650 hours of build time (60 of which was the vinyl wrapping)

~$63,000 of spend on parts (small to big)

~10 occasions where I gave up

~2 occurrences where I had to be restrained from torching the whole damn thing  (well, I was close to…

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Added by Paul Sanders on June 2, 2017 at 11:30am — 6 Comments

Roger from Zenith and the Sam

Roger from Zenith and the Sam 

Well, great.  

All about Roger.  Roger, Roger, Roger.  Flying all these fun airplanes, all over the place.....   

NOT IN THIS NEWSLETTER

This is about Roger and Sam, but not "Sam the airplane"

This is Sam with Roger.…
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Added by Jan Eggenfellner on May 30, 2017 at 7:13pm — No Comments

First start - Viking 130

Our first start - Viking 130 - Zenith CH 750 STOL

We started our Viking 130 for the first time yesterday, Saturday, 28 May 2017.  It started and idled a little over 1200 rpm (1240-1258)…

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Added by Jan Eggenfellner on May 28, 2017 at 9:27pm — No Comments

Seeking Demo Flight

Hello Cruzer owners:

I am a 701 pilot and owner who would like to get a demo flight in a Cruzer, and I am willing to pay.  I live in Tucson AZ, and will travel, since I can't find a flying Cruzer here.  Somewhere in the southwest US would be preferable.  Please contact me through this site if you can help me out on this, or give me a call at 520 907 6500.

Thanks,

Phil

Added by Philip Thomas on May 26, 2017 at 2:58pm — 4 Comments

Zenith Rudder Workshop gets you pointed in the right direction

[The following is a reprint of an article by John Winter published in the EAA Chapter 17 newsletter following participation at the April workshop at the Zenith Aircraft kit factory.]

Zenith Rudder Workshop keeps you pointed in the right direction, by John Winter

On April 20th I took a small step towards building my own airplane. After several years of trying to figure out what I would like to build, I…

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Added by Zenith.Aero on May 25, 2017 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Boatyard Move

I got the beast out of my garage into a 30x20x12 area at a local boatyard. Hangar space in N. TX is virtually non existent ... 2-3 year waiting lists. This is one of the reasons I chose the 701 with the folding wing option.

I've just completed installing the wings, struts, and jury struts and am able to roll the beast in and out of the storage area. I constructed 3 adjustable wing-tip stands for the fold/un-fold operations. However is is still a trying exercise for one person…

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Added by Kurt Satter on May 25, 2017 at 12:45pm — No Comments

4 Generations first 4 rivets

I've seen others post pictures of their first rivet but I had to show the first 4 rivets:

Starting with my Dad, Desmon Fisk, 90 yrs. old, then me, John, my son Brian, and my 1 1/2 yr old grandson, Henry.

May the adventure begin!

Added by John Fisk on May 23, 2017 at 10:00pm — 3 Comments

Picked up Cruzer Tail Kit Today

I picked up the Cruzer tail kit today at the factory! The staff there are all great! Joyce was a pleasure to meet, Steve gave a great tour of the factory and answered all questions, Roger gave me and my son a great Demo ride! I didn't catch the gentleman's name that helped load my truck but he was great also. i was very pleased how the parts were either boxed or wrapped in paper. Inventory was complete! Now just need to star building.

Added by John Fisk on May 12, 2017 at 10:27pm — No Comments

Volcano Run!

I finally got the opportunity to do an adventure I had often thought of; a flight past the many volcanic mountain peaks on the west coast.

I had flown to Washington to visit my brother, who also owns a 601XLB. After a week in the rainy northwest it was time to return home to Santa Rosa, CA. When planning the flight home, I noticed the weather would be…

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Added by Stephen R. Smith on May 10, 2017 at 11:30pm — 11 Comments

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