Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro ZENAIR CH 701 STOL

The Zenith STOL CH 701 and CH 750 are a family of light, two-place kit-built

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

aircraft designed by Canadian aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz through his

Midland, Ontario Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Located at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region ...

, based company, Zenair. The CH 701 first flew in 1986 and the design is still in production.Vandermeullen 2011, p. 77.Kitplanes Staff 2007, p. 80. The CH 750 was first introduced in 2008."STOL CH 750 Light sport Utility."
''Zenith Aircraft Company'', July 2008. Retrieved: September 4, 2017 The CH 701 was later developed into the four-place Zenith STOL CH 801.Bayerl et al. 2011, p. 128. The kit is produced and distributed in the US by the Zenith Aircraft Company of

Mexico, Missouri Mexico, formerly known as New Mexico, is a city in and the county seat of Audrain County, Missouri, United States. It is home to the Missouri Military Academy and annually hosts the Miss Missouri Pageant. The city's population was 11,469 at the ...

, and complete drawings, including blueprints and manuals, are also available for the design. In Europe, the CH 701 was manufactured under license by Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) from 1992 until 2006, when the license agreement was ended.

Design and development

Designed for off-runway operations, the all-metal CH 701 has many features that contribute to the aircraft's capabilities, such as a high-lift wing with full-span, non-movable

leading edge slot A leading-edge slot is a fixed aerodynamics, aerodynamic feature of the wing of some aircraft to reduce the Stall (flight), stall speed and promote good low-speed handling qualities. A leading-edge slot is a spanwise gap in each wing, allowing ai ...

s, an all-flying

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

, large tires, flaperons and an inverted

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

. Heintz also designed a unique tricycle gear amphibious float system for the CH 701. Standard engines used are the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke cycle, two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by Rotax, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-ce ...

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

, the

Rotax 912UL The Rotax 912 is a flat-four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke engine, four-stroke aircraft engine with a Propeller speed reduction unit, reduction gearbox. It features Radiator (engine cooling), l ...

, the

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, ...

and the

Jabiru 2200 The Jabiru 2200 is a lightweight naturally aspirated, pushrod four-stroke, flat four, air-cooled aircraft engine produced by Jabiru Aircraft. Design and development The conventional direct-drive engine is fitted with an alternator, silencers, ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

powerplants."STOL CH 701 Engine."
'' Zenith Aircraft'', January 12, 2009. Retrieved: September 5, 2017. The aircraft has also been equipped with the JLT Motors Ecoyota engine,Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 256-257. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. as well as popular 4 cylinder Continental engines (A-65/C-85) which Zenith still offers an engine mount for. The STOL CH 701 has the unique distinction of being what is probably the most copied light aircraft in production today. Several dozen unauthorized versions have been produced around the world. Designed to the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association of Canada (LAMAC) design standard DS 10141, in its native country of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

the CH 701 can be built and flown as a basic ultralight,

advanced ultralight The Canadian Aviation Regulations define two types of ultralight aircraft: basic ultra-light aeroplane (BULA), and advanced ultra-light aeroplane (AULA). Definition Regulation of ultra-light aircraft in Canada is covered by the Canadian A ...

or amateur-built. The CH 701 can be flown under microlight or ultralight rules in several other countries also. American pilots may fly the CH 701 under

Light-sport Aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

rules or as an experimental amateur-built. The CH 750 is designed to comply with the US

Light sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

rules.

Operational history

By the fall of 2007, 750 CH 701s had been completed and were flying. In July 2014, representatives of the company gathered volunteers of the EAA Airventure airshow to build a CH-750 kit in a one-week timeframe.

Variants

;STOL CH 701 :Original version. 960lbs gross and 10 gal header tank. steel spring gear and Rotax 503. ;STOL CH 701SP :Comes with two standard wing tanks, solid aluminum spring gear. Smaller refinements to achieve a gross weight of 1100 lbs (500 kg). ;STOL CH 750 :Introduced at

AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at the Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wiscon ...

2008, the STOL CH 750 has an enlarged cabin with wider doors and is optimized for US

Light Sport Aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

rules with a maximum takeoff weight of 1320 lbs (600 kg). Builders may also opt to register it for operation on water at 1430 lbs (650 kg) while remaining within the LSA limits, or as an experimental amateur-built aircraft up to 1440 lbs (655 kg.) The STOL CH 750 was also to be factory-built by

AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California and maintains significant operations in Austin, Texas. AMD is a hardware and fabless company that de ...

as a Special Light Sport Aircraft but as of 2014 is listed by the FAA as no longer produced as an SLSA. CH750cruzer

;CH 750 Cruzer :Introduced at

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Intern ...

2013, the CH-750 Cruzer uses a new wing without the leading-edge slats of the STOL CH 750, and a newly designed tail with a separate vertical fin and rudder, rather than the all-flying rudder of the STOL version. The model is optimized for cross-country speed rather than STOL capabilities, although the specified 350 ft (107 m) ground roll of the Cruzer qualifies as

by most definitions. It mounts

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

as standard (although these may be removed and larger wheels installed) and the prototype is powered by a ULPower UL350is fuel injected engine, although other engines in the range can be used.Niles, Russ
"Zenair Introduces CH-750 Cruzer."
''AVweb'', April 12, 2013. Retrieved: September 4, 2017.
''Zenith Aircraft''. Retrieved: September 4, 2017.Tacke et al. 2015, p. 135. ;STOL CH750 Super Duty :This model introduced greater carrying capacity and climb capabilities. It can be powered by engines with a range of , with the prototype powered by a Aero Sport Power IO-375 powerplant, which gave a cruise speed of and a rate of climb of 1350 fpm (6.9 m/s). Gross weight is , with a typical empty weight of . ;Nuncats Sky jeep : Electric-powered derivative of CH 750, that was first flown in January 2023.

Operators

: *

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

- ordered 85 aircraft, with options for a further 48 for use by the National Cadet Corps with 25 in service by February 2001."Airscene: Aero India" 2001, pp. 254–255.

Specifications (CH 701)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* "Airscene: Aero India." ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...

'', Volume 60, Issue 4, April 2001. . * Batchelor, Tom. "The electric sky jeep". ''

'', Vol. 101, No. 1, July 2021. pp. 62–66. . * Bayerl, Robby, Martin Berkemeier, et al. ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12''. Lancaster UK: WDLA UK, 2011. . * Kitplanes Staff. "2008 Kit Aircraft Directory." ''Kitplanes'', Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007. . * Lambert, Mark, ed. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division, 1993. . * Tacke, Willi, Marino Boric, et al. "World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16." ''Flying Pages Europe SARL'', 2015. . * Vandermeullen, Richard: "2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide." ''Kitplanes'', Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011.

External links

* {{Uncertified aircraft developed in Canada 1980s Canadian ultralight aircraft Light-sport aircraft CH 701 CH 701 Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft STOL aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1986 High-wing aircraft Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear