First introduced in 1986, the STOL CH 701 aircraft was developed as an "off-airport" short take-off and landing kit aircraft to fulfill the demanding requirements of both sport pilots and first-time builders.
With the STOL CH 701, designer Chris Heintz combined the features and advantages of a "real" airplane with the short-field capabilities of an "ultralight" aircraft. The aircraft features fixed leading-edge slats for high lift, full-span flaperons (both ailerons and flaps), an all-flying rudder, and durable all-metal construction.
Sport Pilot Category: The STOL CH701 design meets the definition of a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) for operation under the FAA's Sport Pilot / Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category.
Click here for more information about the Sport Pilot license.
While the basic design has remained the same, many significant improvements have been introduced over the years, including a higher useful load, easier and quicker build kits, and more detailed drawings and step-by-step assembly instructions.
Build your own STOL CH 701 kit aircraft from:
Complete Kit: Everything you need to build your own STOL CH 701...
Click here
to view a video clip of parts
manufacturing with the CNC router (3 min. / 5.75 mb).
Short-field performance is where the STOL CH
701 aircraft truly excels: It is airborne in less than 120 feet of
unprepared grass, or 90 feet of hard surface, at gross weight.
Rotation is possible by the time full throttle setting is applied,
and lift-off can begin at 25 mph (in ground effect, with no wind) -
all within less than four seconds from stand still. Of course, any
headwind shortens the time and distance required for take
off.
"I've seen airplanes that could be flown through a hangar, but
I think a really good pilot could fly a STOL CH 701 into a hangar,
do a 180, and fly back out. The performance is truly that
spectacular."
- Sport Pilot
magazine
The STOL CH 701 was
not designed to be just another ‘pretty’ light aircraft, but was
engineered to offer outstanding short take-off and landing
performance, all-metal durability, and unparalleled ease of
construction. With form following function, the STOL CH701 looks
like a 'Sky Jeep', as it is often called by its owners.
Not many of the more than 500 STOL CH 701’s flying today can be found at
airports - most are operated from short off-airport grass fields.
The aircraft’s all-metal construction makes it suitable for
continuous outdoor storage - providing their owners with continuous
cost savings (no hanger or tie-down fees).
Popular since 1986, there are hundreds of
STOL CH 701 aircraft flying around the world!
Our Photo Galleries show some of the STOL CH
701 aircraft being flown and operated around the world, many in
backyard fields and in remote rural area...
Recreational Flyer's June 2005 cover
story: "STOL for the people: Zenith's amazing CH 701"
"Chris Heintz designed the CH701 some twenty years ago and
it has proven itself all around the world. When the only runway is
a cleared patch in the jungle, and the alternative is a week of
hiking through snake-infected swamps, the 701 starts to look pretty
good. This is a plane that can use almost any clearing as a runway,
and its high angle of climb means that you won’t hit the trees at
the end of the strip. A football field is plenty enough airstrip
for a 701."
"Thanks to its thick, high-lift
wing, full-span flaperons and fixed, full-span leading-edge slats,
the 701 needs little more runway space than the typical backyard
with clear access at the ends," wrote Kitplanes magazine in its January 2004 cover
story. "Because of its stellar short-field capabilities, the STOL
701 stands out as one of the few kitplanes to serve in the sort of
serious utility roles usually reserved for larger airplanes such as
the Helio Courier, Piper Super Cub, Maule or Aviat Husky. That
includes missionary and utility work in third world countries as
well as cattle herding, fence patrol and crop
dusting."
Zenith Aircraft Company also manufactures
the kit for the STOL CH 801, a much larger
4-seat utility version of the STOL CH 701, designed for 150 - 200
hp engines.
First introduced in 1986, the STOL CH 701 aircraft was developed as an "off-airport" short take-off and landing kit aircraft to fulfill the demanding requirements of both sport pilots and first-time builders.
