Zenith 701

[Ted]

After Greg was kind enough to give Laurie and me rides in his 170 last weekend, Laurie and I got the bug to get a taildragger. I've wanted to build a plane for years (and have also wanted a go-count-cows taildragger), so this seems like a good combination. She's on board.

I've started Googling around, and one plane that seems to hit the marks is the Zenith 701. Most are tricycle gear, but they do have a taildragger option. All-metal, side-by-side, can take off in a really short distance, foldy wings so we can keep it at the house, been around a long time, etc.

Anyone have any PIREPs on the 701, good, bad, or indifferent?

 

[Jim Logajan]

If you don't want to use the Rotax, but still want a 701, Jabiru has a firewall forward kit for their four cylinder engine for that plane. Problem is that the kit, engine instruments, and engine will cost you $20,000, and that would put your final cost north of $40,000, I would think.

Just for curiosity's sake what would a realistic budget for a 750 be? If you're getting all new pieces, I'd have to think it would be between $50,000 and $60,000.

For about $45,000 the other option is a Savannah T kit that is a metal tailwheel with a Rotax 912 UL engine. Build time is claimed to be about 350 hours, though if you add another $10,000 the build time is allegedly reduced to about 110 hours. (Actually the numbers I used are for the Savannah S, which is the trike version but I assume the T version would be comparable cost.) http://fly-buylsa.com/Savannah.html

 

[Jim Logajan]

75 Grand for a 701 knock off...:yikes:.........

The Savannah S is not a 701 knockoff. The specs aren't remotely alike. The Savannah S (and presumably T) is more comparable in specs to a CH-750. And a RTF Savannah at $75K is quite the bargain when compared to a RTF CH-750 that costs $140k (http://newplane.com/750/price.html) - though you can't even buy the latter in the US.

Besides, since 2010 ICP and Zenair have been collaborating in other matters, so any animosity over the "knock off" issue seems quite dated.

"Zenair Europe is very pleased to announce that the latest version of the Zodiac CH 650E will be unveiled at Aero-Friedrichshafen this April. The Italian-built aircraft will be manufactured as the CH 650Ei by ICP and sold by regional Zenair distributors throughout Europe as a ready-to-fly ULM (MTOM 450 kg + 5%) .

ICP was a Zenair dealer in Italy in the early 1990s before it began manufacturing its own high-wing aircraft; the two companies are now collaborating again to bring a top-quality, high-performance all-metal low-wing design to market." http://www.zenairulm.com/news-recent.html

More details here: http://www.zenairulm.com/rtf---ch-650ei.html