Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-02T00:25:38Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

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{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Zenith STOL CH 701
| image = ZenairCH701C-GBRT01.jpg
| caption = Zenith STOL CH 701. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via [[commons:File:ZenairCH701C-GBRT01.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Zenith
| type = Kit aircraft
| first_flight = 1986
| produced = 1986–present
| status = In production
| number_built = 870 (CH 701, December 2011), 45 (CH 750, December 2011)
| faa_registered = 334 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = two
| engine = Rotax 912, 80 hp
| cruise = 80 mph (CH 701)
| range = 372 mi (CH 701)
| ceiling = 12,000 ft (CH 701)
| gross_weight = 1,100 lb (CH 701)
| category = Light-sport and kit aircraft
}}

The '''Zenith STOL CH 701''' is a light, two-seat kit airplane built for short takeoffs and landings (STOL), designed by Canadian engineer Chris Heintz through his company Zenair of Midland, Ontario. It first flew in 1986 and is still in production; the related CH 750 arrived in 2008, and the CH 701 grew into the four-seat CH 801.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 334 with a valid registration, counted by model name because homebuilts are registered under their builders' names.<ref name="faa"/>

The kit is made and sold in the U.S. by the Zenith Aircraft Company of Mexico, Missouri, and full drawings and manuals are also available for builders who start from scratch. In Europe, Czech Aircraft Works built it under license from 1992 to 2006.<ref name="wp"/>

== Design ==
Built for off-runway flying, the all-metal CH 701 has a high-lift wing with full-length fixed slots on the leading edge, an all-flying rudder, big tires, flaperons and an inverted elevator, and Heintz also designed an amphibious float system for it. Common engines include the 80 hp Rotax 912UL and 100 hp Rotax 912ULS.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''334''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| STOL CH 701 || 53
|-
| ZENITH CH 701 || 37
|-
| CH701 || 34
|-
| CH 701 || 28
|-
| ZENITH CH701 || 26
|-
| ZENITH STOL CH 701 || 24
|-
| STOL CH701 || 22
|-
| ZENITH CH-701 || 14
|-
| CH-701 || 12
|-
| ZENAIR CH 701 SP || 11
|-
| ZENITH STOL CH701 || 9
|-
| STOL CH-701 || 8
|-
| ZENAIR CH 701 || 7
|-
| ZENAIR CH701 || 6
|-
| ZENAIR CH701SP || 5
|-
| CH 701 STOL || 4
|-
| ZENAIR CH-701 || 3
|-
| ZENAIR CH 701 STOL || 3
|-
| ZENAIR CH701 SP || 3
|-
| CH701SP || 3
|-
| ''18 other model names'' || 22
|}
</div>

== Specifications (CH 701) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! CH 701
|-
| Crew || two
|-
| Length || 20 ft 11 in
|-
| Wingspan || 27 ft
|-
| Height || 8 ft 7 in
|-
| Wing area || 122.0 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 580 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 1,100 lb
|-
| Fuel || 20 US Gal (76 L)
|-
| Engine || Rotax 912, 80 hp (four-cylinder liquid-cooled piston engine)
|-
| Maximum speed || 85 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 80 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 30 mph
|-
| Never-exceed speed || 110 mph
|-
| Range || 372 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 12,000 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,000 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:ZenairCH701photo01.JPG|Zenair CH701. Photo: Ahunt (talk), Public domain
File:CH-750.JPG|Zenith STOL CH 701. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro ZENAIR CH 701 STOL.jpg|Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro ZENAIR CH 701 STOL. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Zenair STOL CH750 C-IKIM 1716.JPG|Zenair STOL CH750 at the Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada Fly-in. Photo: Ahunt, CC0
File:Zenair STOL CH750 C-IKIM 1718.JPG|Zenair STOL CH 750 at the Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada Fly-in, showing instrument panel. Photo: Ahunt, CC0
File:CH701Turboprop.jpg|CH701 Turboprop. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:CH701TurbopropFlight.jpg|CH701 Turboprop. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:CH750cruzer.jpg|Zenith CH750 cruzer. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Zenith STOL CH 701 ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_STOL_CH_701 Zenith STOL CH 701]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download 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.</ref>
</references>

Zenith STOL CH 701 - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources