Zenith Zodiac CH 601
_(cropped).jpg) Zenith Zodiac CH 601. Photo: David Álvarez López from Gijón, España, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| |
| Make | Zenith |
|---|---|
| Model | Zenith Zodiac CH 601 |
| Type | Kit aircraft |
| Country |  United States
|
| First flight | 1984 |
| Built | Eastman, Georgia |
| Status | In production |
| Number built | More than 1,000 |
| Registered in the US | 439 (FAA register, October 30, 2026) |
| Seats | 1 pilot, 1 passenger and 550 lb (250 kg) useful load |
| Engine | Continental O-200, 100 hp |
| Cruise speed | 111 kn (AMD Zodiac XL) |
| Range | 608 nmi (AMD Zodiac XL) |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft (AMD Zodiac XL) |
| Max weight | 1,320 lb (AMD Zodiac XL)
|
| More aircraft · For sale | |
The Zenith Zodiac CH 601 is a family of all-metal, two-seat, low-wing light airplanes with fixed landing gear and a one-piece bubble canopy, first flown in 1984. They have been sold as kits and finished airplanes by Zenair in Canada and the Zenith Aircraft Company in the U.S.[1] In the U.S. there are 439 with a valid registration under Zodiac and CH 601 names.[2]
History
The Zodiac was designed by Chris Heintz, a former Avions Pierre Robin engineer, who also helped write the light-sport aircraft rules in Canada and the United States.[1] The original CH 600 first flew in 1984 as a trainer with a converted 65 hp Volkswagen engine; the CH 601 HD (heavy duty) followed, and the CH 601 XL became the best-known model.[1] Ready-to-fly versions, the AMD Zodiac LS and LSi, are built by Aircraft Manufacturing and Design.[1]
Wing safety changes
After several in-flight wing failures on CH 601 XLs, the Netherlands grounded its Dutch-registered XLs in October 2008, and in April 2009 the U.S. NTSB urged the FAA to act. In November 2009 a safety bulletin strongly recommended not flying the airplane until the modifications in an AMD Safety Alert were made, and AMD and Zenith issued their upgrade documents the same day.[1]
Registered in the United States
The FAA register lists 439 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.[2]
| FAA model name | Registered |
|---|---|
| ZODIAC 601XL | 77 |
| ZODIAC 601 XL | 33 |
| CH601XL SLSA | 30 |
| ZODIAC CH601XL | 13 |
| ZODIAC 601XLB | 12 |
| ZODIAC CH 601 HDS | 12 |
| ZODIAC CH650 | 10 |
| ZODIAC 601 HDS | 9 |
| ZENITH ZODIAC 601XL | 9 |
| ZODIAC CH 650 | 9 |
| CH 601XL SLSA | 8 |
| ZODIAC XL | 8 |
| ZODIAC CH 601 HD | 7 |
| ZODIAC 601 HD | 7 |
| CH601XLI SLSA | 7 |
| ZODIAC CH 601 XL | 6 |
| ZODIAC CH601HD | 6 |
| ZODIAC 650 | 6 |
| ZODIAC 601HD | 5 |
| ZODIAC CH650B | 5 |
| 110 other model names | 160 |
Specifications (AMD Zodiac XL)
| Item | AMD Zodiac XL |
|---|---|
| Crew | 1 pilot |
| Passengers / capacity | 1 passenger and 550 lb (250 kg) useful load |
| Length | 20 ft |
| Wingspan | 27 ft |
| Height | 1.98 m |
| Wing area | 132 sq ft |
| Empty weight | 770 lb |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Engine | Continental O-200, 100 hp |
| Maximum speed | 140 kn |
| Cruise speed | 111 kn |
| Stall speed | 37 kn |
| Never-exceed speed | 140 kn |
| Range | 608 nmi |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Rate of climb | 1,000 ft/min |
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]
Photos
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Zenith Zodiac CH 601. Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone), Public domain -
Zenith CH.601XL at Coal Aston Airfield. Photo: TSRL, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Zenair CH601XL Taildragger. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Zenith CH650. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Zenith Zodiac CH 601. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 4.0 -
G-CEAT - Zenair CH601 cockpit. Photo: Georgiearl47, CC BY-SA 4.0
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All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Buying a Zenith Zodiac CH 601
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Wikipedia, "AMD Zodiac", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.