2015 Update

Congratulations to Chris AndersonJock Struthers, and to Deane Philip for taking first, second and third place in the third annual "Healthy Bastards STOL competition" in New Zealand on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Name Aircraft Engine HP Take-Off Landing
1 Chris Anderson Zenith CH 701 100+ 22.8 49.2
2 Jock Struthers Zenith CH 701 80 33.8 48.1
3 Deane Philip Zenith CH 701 100 36.0 50.5
4 Robert Gray Carbon Cub 180 33.0 66.0

2014 Event:

Congratulations to Deane Philip and to Jock Struthers for taking first and second place in the annual "Healthy Bastards STOL competition" in New Zealand on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Here is a photo of Deane in his Zenith STOL CH 701 "Sky Jeep" light sport utility kit plane, powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912ULS engine, demonstrating a STOL take-off:

 

Here is Jock landing the STOL CH 701 in the precision landing competition:

From the organizers of the grass-roots annual event:

"Yesterday was another hugely successful day, and by all accounts a great day was had by all - pilots and spectators alike.

"Fantastic airmanship, fantastic camaraderie, and lots of new friends made.

"Thanks all for being a part of it, and hopefully we can match it again next year!

"Here are the official results for you to either celebrate or commiserate over as the case may be :)"

Below are the Top 5 finishes in the Microlight (LSA) Category (<1325 lbs), with distances in meters:

 

Name Aircraft Engine HP Take-Off Landing
Winner Deane Philip Zenith CH 701 100 16.3 27.1
2 Jock Struthers Zenith CH 701 80 20.8 32.1
3 Robert Gray Carbon Cub 180 28.5 49.2
4 Bo Nilsson Rans S7S 100 59 60
5 Chris Reid Rans S6S 80 56.6 90

 

Congratulations again to Deane and Jock for their wonderful representation of Zeniths in New Zealand!  It's great to see ongoing validation of the excellent short take-off and landing capabilities of this fun airplane (in standard tricycle gear configuration with side-by-side seating) even when compared to special-purpose tube'n fabric tail-draggers.

 

Here's a great video clip of Jock's winning performance at the 2013 event:

 

Why "Healthy Bastards"? It's the name of a video produced by a flying doctor service in New Zealand. The video captures what "people on the street" think about health and what actually makes a "Healthy Bastard" and also gives viewers an insight into the magnificence of New Zealand and some of the unusual but wonderful people that live in it with his mission of trying to find "the healthiest bastard in the bush". The video was developed from Dr Dave Baldwin's book "Healthy Bastards" which, like the video, combines non-PC humour with serious health messages. But beware as this movie "ain't for the faint hearted".

Photos (and videos) from New Zealand never cease to amaze me: What a beautiful country with such a great mix of terrain to fly over: beaches, mountains, prairies... check out some of these great photos from our fellow builders and pilots in New Zealand.  What better way to explore such as a beautiful country than with a Zenith?

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Comment by Zenith.Aero on February 5, 2015 at 1:37pm
Zenith STOL Champions - New Zealand 2015:

Comment by Zenith.Aero on January 26, 2015 at 2:50pm

Chris Anderson practices to compete in the 2015 Bush Pilot Championships with his Zenith STOL "Sky Jeep" powered by a Rotax 912ULS with Edge Performance big bore/ efi kit.

Comment by Zenith.Aero on January 23, 2015 at 2:16pm

The poster boy for the 2015 event:

Comment by Isaac Wee and Nita Maharani on February 6, 2014 at 11:07pm

Well done Jock. Wish we could have been there. And good to see 701s beating the carbon cub!

Comment by Alan Cameron on February 6, 2014 at 3:05am

Fantastic!!!

Comment by Zenith.Aero on February 4, 2014 at 9:12am

Video clip of Deane's winning performance:

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