From Point A to Zenith: EAA Employee STOL CH 750 project takes off

The following was published on the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) website. Photos are courtesy of EAA:

October 4, 2012 - They say that every journey begins with a single…

Here's an update on our original STOL CH 750 Factory Demonstrator airplane, N750ZZ.  This is the airplane that was flipped over in the Sun'n Fun "tornado" last year.

First, let's review briefly:  This was the Zenith booth right after the tornado passed through at Sun'n Fun 2011 on March 31.  Even though this looks like a war zone, we thank God that no one was physically injured:…

Here's a preview of our planned activities for the upcoming Open Hangar Day and Builder Fly-In Gathering.  

• View the Event Page for "official" details and to RSVP
  
   

This year we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of Zenith Aircraft Company, and this will be our 21st annual event!  Plan to join us on …

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…

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:…

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 …

The following is excerpted from Innovate Online, the online publication of the College of Engineering at Iowa State University (Ames,…

Roger and I were in Tulsa earlier this week to show our planes at EAA Chapter 10's monthly meeting.  We flew both the Zenith CH 650 and the STOL…

Getting ready for summer (and the hot muggy weather that we've come to expect in central Missouri), we decided to remove the doors of our STOL CH 750 once again.

We decided to add air deflectors along the front of the cabin / door frame to maximize comfort with the doors off.  Air (or wind) deflectors are common on European cars - where many folks drive around with their windows open (many cars there are not equipped…

The May 2012 issue of Pilot magazine features the sleek Zenith CH…

Following is an update article on the work of Medicine on the Move with the Zenith STOL in western Africa.  We've been proud to support Jonathan Porter and his amazing team in Africa, and I hope some of you take an interest in this innovative organization that's "changing lives one flight at the time."

Their educational "…

Bigger and Better Zenith STOL:

We've made the popular Zenith STOL CH 750 light sport utility kit aircraft even bigger and better!

The STOL CH 750 cabin, which by all measures is already very roomy for a light aircraft, has been increased in size by raising the cabin height…

Even though the 2012 Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo (January 19 -22, 2012) event ended over a week ago, I only just made it back home from the trip this past Friday (and I didn't spend the week on the beach).  Following is a brief summary of the trip as well as some commentary on the planes and cross-country flying:…

The following is an unusual post because I don't normally comment negatively about competitors.  Competition is good for any industry, forcing us to be innovative and efficient, and there is a place and market for many different airplane designs (and the companies that manufacture them): The current issue of Kitplanes magazine (December 2011) contains the annual Buyer's Guide with 316 different kit aircraft listed (from nearly as many manufacturers)!

The letter that…

We finally had the chance to document some basic performance numbers of our new CH 650 with the UL Power UL350iS engine.  Yesterday was a beautiful autumn day so Zenith demo pilot Roger and I took the CH 650 up for a…

This VW ad from 1966 has become a classic and can still be seen in VW dealerships across the country.  The above is prominently on display as a large framed poster in a shiny new VW dealer in St. Louis. While  the cars have changed since 1966, the basic message remains the same.

Like the VW Beetle, the ad copy has become a classic too.  It caught my attention…

Here's a nice series of photos showing a unique banner towing arrangement from this STOL CH 701 light sport utility plane in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean:

#1:  Take-off from water:

#2: The folded banner is on the floating platform, with the towline hanging between the pick up gates on the platform, and a grapple hook trailing behind the airplane:…

Here's my follow-up report from our 20th annual Open Hangar Day and Builder Fly-In Gathering from this past weekend.  Despite some rain and cool weather that kept some visitors away we had a fantastic time and a great turnout, proving once again that it's about the people and the planes, and not the weather!…

The following is reprinted from General Aviation News (8/31/2011):

Job creation is closely tied to export growth,…