Zenith CH-701 and 801

Zenith aircraft offers two, fairly unorthodox kit-planes that feature excellent STOL capabilities. Both are offered in kit form and are relatively easy to construct. Both aircraft are metal construction and utilize pulled rivets (pop rivets) as fasteners making construction less time consuming and aggravating that conventional riveted designs. Both aircraft feature tricycle landing gear, thus breaking tradition with conventional bush plane design philosophy, but the STOL capabilities of the aircraft leave no doubt that these planes can be as home in the bush as a Super Cub or Husky. The 701 seats two and the 801 seats four. Both feature fixed, leading edge slots on the main wing.

The Ch-701 features a Rotax engine of 80-90 hp and flown under the FAA's new light sport aircraft rules. The CH-801 can accept engines of 150 to 220 hp. The CH-701 has an advertised take-off roll of as little as 50 feet when flown solo, the CH-801 is claimed to have a take-off roll of only 290 feet with a 500 pound payload. Not bad at all in any STOL clique.

The CH-701 and 801 are easy to construct and do appear to be homebuilts that really can be constructed by people with no previous building experience (though practically every kit makers claims this of their own respective designs).

These next two short videos below feature impressive Zenith CH-701 STOL flying demonstrations.