Several of the members of EAA chapter 1230 (based @ Nut Tree - KVCB) planned a trip to the tourist town of Solvang in southern California.  I was invited to join in.

The town of Solvang does not have an airport, however the town of Santa Ynez near by does have a nice one (KIZA).  You can rent a car at the airport by prior arrangement.

We flew in to Santa Ynez on Friday. On Saturday we went wine tasting at a few of the many nearby wineries. Saturday evening we…

The following was sent to us by STOL CH 701 builder Bob Barte of Gustavus, Alaska:

After realizing I have rivetted the wrong side of the stabilizer first, I drilled out the rivets and removed the skin. At first, I thought I was going to be able to salvage everything, but upon closer examination, it is obvious to me that I have to replace the skin as there is too much hole damage in some areas from removing the rivets. It looks as though the spar and ribs are ok. Putting the stabilizer aside for now and starting on the elevator. May try to pick up a new skin at Open Hangar…

February 14, 2013 Update:

We've posted updated X-Plane flight simulator files for both the STOL CH 750 and now for the Zenith CH 650-B!  The new files take advantage of great new flight simulator technology and are optimized for X-Plane X (version 10.20) which now support 64-bit computing power!

Let us know what you…

Les Goldner (701 builder/pilot) and his wife planned a two week flying trip into the Idaho back country.  Les and I belong to both the Petaluma EAA chapter and the Santa Rosa, CA EAA chapter.  We fly together from time to time.

Even though it was "his trip", Les let me plan the route from Santa Rosa, CA to Boise, ID.  I chose a little low-level desert flying in Nevada from Carson City (CXP)…

I do not want to cast aspersions on anyone, but Steven might have been lucky during his mountain flying.  I have flown over the Cascade mountains, the Rocky Mountains, and such many times.  The fellow in the Cub was also lucky.  Here are some tips offered "free of charge".

Before flying in the mountains, get some introduction from an expert.  Mine was my dad, who among other things, flew the Hump in WW II, accumulated…

Hi All,

When my wife and I first visited ZAC years back, Shirley suggested me to buy the pneumatic riveter. I did not need one, I believed. Simple hand riveter should be OK with me. I would not do too much building/re-building anyway, since I'd…

Began the final assembly of the horizontal stabilizer this weekend. Finished riveting the rib assembly and started to lay the skin on for the final time to begin riveting. But in an act that I can only attribute to carelessness or stupidity, or both, I layer downed and riveted the top side first. When I tried to pull the skin over the gussets, I realized I was in trouble. There is no way I can do it. I will try drilling out the rivets and salvage what I can, but my first attempts resulted in…

Hi folks,

I´m about to bend the H-tail feather spars to my plans built 750. The manual gives me a dl for the stabilzer front spar blank of 141mm while the flanges are 20mm and web 107mm. As I suspected the dimmentions didn´t add up when I ran a test piece. I ended up 3 mm short on the web after compensating 1mm for each of the flanges. The next time I tried, I had the web + flanges -2mm compensation for the bend radii (107+(2x20)-2=145 dl) now I am 1mm on the plus side on the web. All…

Here's the follow up report on a successful 2012 EAA AirVenture "Oshkosh" Fly-In Convention.  Attendance appeared to be good, with strong interest in our aircraft.  We enjoyed meeting with both new and old Zenith builders!

Zeniths at AirVenture 2012 - Summary Video Clip:

Flight to Oshkosh: Roger flies the Zenith CH 650:…

Hi everyone been a member for a while first post so here we go I have 601xlb built in AMD Eastman Ga almost 100 hrs nose wheel and rudder is still hard any ideas are redesign thanks DVB

Got the wings/struts fitted and drilled up to final size.Probably remeasured everything 100+ times while stepping up…

I am putting together a 601 XL-B and I am just about ready for test flight. I want an amphib. Does anyone on this site have a 601 on amphibs?( I would prefer a 750 but this should be unique). Dennis

I clicked on the EAA link to the Cubs 75th Anniversary and what do I see in the banner, but a Zenith 601XL.  Way to go Zenith for making the front page headlines!!!!

I think I have a real fix that you might want to incorporate into your 701.

 With the battery behind the seat, and the cowl closed, it is a little hard to get a high amperage connection to the battery for a jump start or for charging.  This plug is the perfect solution.

The 75 amp plug is bolted between two aluminum angles, riveted to the side of the fuselage, and covered with tape. To make a high amperage…

The following was first published on General Aviation News on July 18, 2012

Zenith Aircraft Co. will host its first-ever “Engine Day” next Thursday, July 26, at the company’s exhibit at AirVenture in Oshkosh. The company will have a number of Zenith aircraft with different powerplants on display, as well as representatives from a…

The short video demostrates the problem I am having.  All suggestions are welcome.

http://youtu.be/w-WXlYteE7Q