Today is the second anniversary of picking up a drill and making my first hole in the rudder. I now have 167 hours invested into the project which is interesting because I did 80 in the first year too. I am going to need to pick up the pace if this thing is going to be finished while fossil fuels are still available!

I really thought I'd be well into the fuselage by now but the list of completed parts stands…

We're ready for our next big adventure at "AirVenture!  - Here is a summary of some of the planned Zenith activities.  We hope you can join us!

I'll be updating this page as I receive new information.…

The …

I spent the last week in Shelton WA, visiting my brother and his wife and helping with the re-assembly of their Jabiru motor. (Early top-end because of stuck piston rings with only about 300 hours on the Hobbs.  My engine had the same problem but I did not understand what was going on soon enough so the cylinders…

By Larry Zepp, Zodiac 650B builder

When you are building your wing skeleton, you need to plan for a fuel return line to each wing tank if you are planning to use a fuel injected engine. I am planning to use the Viking HF-110 engine. This engine needs a 3/8” ID fuel inlet line from the tank and a ¼” return line back to the top outboard corner of the wing tank. The UL Power engine recommends a ½” ID inlet line and a 3/8” ID return line. For both engines, it is very important to…

I'm not going to make it to Oshkosh this year, but I just finished a phenomenal 6-day trip across the Canyon and Indian country in the Four Corners area (AZ, UT, CO and NM) in my 3.1L Corvair-powered Zodiac 601XLb. 

Departing from Falcon Field (FFZ) in Mesa, AZ, the first leg on Sunday, July 1st, was to Cliff Dwellers Lodge (AZ03), one of the very few places you can land within the Grand Canyon Special Flight Rules Area.  Cliff Dwellers Lodge airstrip is actually owned by…

The following was published by GeneralAviationNews.com on July 9, 2012, by Janice Wood

File photo…

Download the full issue of the Newsletter (12 pages): ZenairNews190.pdf (May - June 2012)

It is Time for a little…

I’m currently building the slats for my CH 750. Does anyone have insight on how these are installed and maybe some photo’s? When running these wires where is the connection made? Will I be able to remove the slats for painting? I’m defiantly open to any guidance or information that I can get!

Spent some time today reassembling the rib cage for the horizontal stabilizer. Previously, I damaged three of rear nose ribs when drilling the skin. I tried to do some repair work by adding a piece of L angle to the damaged areas, but I'm not happy with the results and I don't want to do any more damage. Therefore, I have ordered replacement ribs and now I have a better idea as to how I want to drill the wing ribs when the time comes.

I wanted to do a good job on the seats for my 601, so I built a form to the same size and shape as the seat bucket. I bought several upholstery books and found a big sewing machine at Harbor Freight.

I started with a very thin sheet of plywood, and cut and glued on the foam and shaped it with an electric knife and  used a sanding disc to smooth the foam.

I sewed the fabric, sewing in webs and rod pockets to tie to later.

I mounted the fabric to the foam and laced it…

Having brought my kit from a previous builder on an impulse I haven't been able to start work for numerous reasons. But today was the start of the building of my 601. The first owner built the rudder skeleton but did not skin it. So that is the first job to be done. Now I have the feeling of satisfaction that I can tell people that I am building a plane and not planning to build one. So I would like to say HELLO to my fellow builders.

Please can somebody help me before I have to open an inventory for plane #3. I am struggling to bend the doublers on the horizontal stabilzer.When the doubler comes out the bending break it looks like a dam banana, whats the trick to bending a doubler and getting it to stay straight. I even tried bending it on the edge of a full sheet and cutting it off after bending, this was a disaster, came out like a twisted banana!!. Thankfully I will be needing plenty L's in the build so hoping to…

When I built the center spar I primed it with Zinc Phosphate but I was not real thrilled with the primer AND it was pretty expensive.  I‘m sure that I applied it too heavy but it’s still not cheap.  On this spar I went back to using Cortec thinned with water as I did with the tail sections.  Not wanting to start a high wing vs. low wing type argument but I will stick with the Cortec from now on, I am much happier with it.  I riveted this spar completely with the “C” frame riveter I…