STOL CH 701 Sport Utility Kit Aircraft

 

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STOL CH 701 powerplant

100-hp ROTAX 912 ULS Installation

New Rotax 912S Firewall-Forward Installation

Zenith Aircraft Company offers a Rotax 912S firewall-forward installation for the STOL CH 701.  The 100-hp Rotax 912S is the ideal powerplant for the STOL CH 701, providing spectacular short-field performance.

Rotax 912S - right side Rotax 912S Installation - left side

The installation uses a rear ring engine mount system for smooth engine operation, and uses a new stainless steel exhaust system, new radiator cooling system, and is equipped with a Warp Drive three-blade ground adjustable pitch propeller with fiberglass spinner.

Zenith's new Rotax 912S cowl Zenith's new cowl Zenith's new Rotax 912S Installation

The firewall-forward installation comes with a bold new cowl design.  The two-piece cowl is quick to remove for easy access to the engine.

Zenith's new Rotax 912S installation Bold new cowl for the Rotax 912S

Note: The STOL CH 701 is probably the most copied sport aircraft on the market today, and there are a number of Rotax firewall forward installations being marketed as "improved" or lower cost alternatives, many with undemonstrated performance claims (for example, cruising an aircraft at or near VNE is not recommended).

 

Jabiru 2200 Engine (85-hp) Installation
Lightweight & Affordable

Flying with the Jabiru 2200

US Jabiru offers a full firewall-forward installation package for the lightweight Jabiru 2200 aircraft engine from Australia. 

The Jabiru 2200cc Aircraft Engine is a 4-cylinder 4-stroke horizontally opposed air cooled engine, and is a popular and affordable alternative to the Rotax 912 ULS engine..

At approx. 132 lbs. (60kg) installed weight, it is the lightest 4-cylinder 4-stroke aircraft engine of this output available.  It is a popular replacement for the Rotax 582 2-stroke engine (which powered many STOL CH 701 aircraft in the eighties and nineties). Surprisingly it is the same weight as the Rotax 582. Compared to most other light aircraft engines, it is lighter and is a smaller smaller package, and is an engine designed specifically for aircraft applications.

Engine Features:

4 Stroke One Central Camshaft
4 Cylinder Horizontally Opposed Push Rods
Ram Air Cooled Over Head Valves (OHV)
Direct Propeller Drive Wet Sump Lubrication
Integrated AC Generator 20 amp Dual Transistorized Magneto Ignition
Electric Starter Mechanical Fuel Pump
Naturally Aspirated Carburetor 6 Bearing Crankshaft 

 Engine Specifications:

Displacement:

2200 cc (134cu.in.)

Bore:

97.5 mm (3.84")

Stroke:

74 mm (2.9")

Compression Ratio:

8:1

Prop Shaft Rotation:

Clockwise (Pilot's view)

Ramp Weight:

132 lbs complete including exhaust, carburetor, starter motor, alternator and ignition system

Power Rating:

85 hp @3300 RPM

Fuel Consumption:

4 US gal/hr at 75% power

Fuel:

AVGAS 100LL or Auto Gas 91 Octane Minimum

Oil:

Aeroshell W100 or equivalent

Oil Capacity:

2.3 quarts

Spark Plugs:

NGK D9EA - Automotive

US Jabiru offers a full "plug and play" firewall-forward installation package for the Jabiru 2200 engine specifically for the STOL CH 701 airframe.

Jabiru 2200 installation

 

The high-lift features of the design give the STOL CH 701 its excellent short take-off and landing capability. The light two-seat STOL CH 701 was designed to provide excellent STOL performance without the need for a lot power: Overpowering an existing aircraft is the easiest way to achieve short take-off performance (with enough power anything will take-off in a short distance!), but this requires a lot of fuel for acceptable endurance, and is an expensive, heavy, and inefficient way to obtain STOL performance, and does not provide good slow flight or payload due to the heavier engine weight and fuel load requirement.

While all aircraft are designed within certain power and engine weight guidelines, Chris Heintz does not design his aircraft "around" a particular engine - to maximize the customer's choice of installed powerplant.  Recommended power is 65 to 100 horsepower, up to 185 lbs. installed weight.

That said, designer Heintz highly recommends the Rotax 912 series engines for the STOL CH 701: 
"If you were to design an engine specifically for the 701,  you would probably end up with an engine much like the Rotax 912.  The 912 provides great reliability, and it's very efficient and smooth-running.  The power-to-weight ratio is good, and Rotax engines are supported worldwide, something that's important to customers around the world," Heintz stated. "While the initial purchase price is significant, the price actually compares very favorably with other engines when factoring in the low operating costs and long life of the engine - many owners are easily exceeding the published TBO."

At Zenith Aircraft Company, our specialty is airframes and not powerplants. The standard recommended engine for the STOL CH 701 kit aircraft is the Rotax 912 series - an 80-100 hp aircraft engine manufactured by Bomardier. We can supply our customers with complete firewall-forward kits for this engine, including the propeller, engine mount, and all other firewall-forward accessories. Click here for details.

Typically, customers purchase the kit without the engine, and only purchase the powerplant when needed (once the basic airframe is completed). Unless a builder in mechanically inclined to work on engines, we highly recommend the standard Rotax 912 installation over other custom installations.

For most customers, Zenith Aircraft recommends the standard 80-hp Rotax 912, while the 100-hp Rotax 912S will benefit owners operating at higher altitudes or those that equip their STOL CH 701 with floats.

STOL CH 701 - Rotax 912S Installation DVD STOL CH 701 Rotax 912S Engine Installation DVD from HomeBuiltHELP.com covers the step-by-step engine installation procedures.
The Rotax 912 Competition?.... "The 912 Competition" is a video presentation (on DVD, from HomeBuiltHELP.com) from the vendors of engines for experimental aircraft (80-120 hp).

(Note that some of the engines presented may not be suitable for the STOL CH 701 airframe).


Related Information:


Alternative Engines:

Regarding alternative engines for the STOL CH 701 designer Chris Heintz has stated: "I've designed the STOL CH 701 to be suitable for different engine types - 50 to 100 hp, up to 185 pounds installed.  Literally dozens of different engine types have been custom-installed in the 701."

STOL CH 701 airframe, before engine installationMost custom engine installations require a lot of work and often "troubleshooting" to properly install, and frequently don't provide the expected performance and reliability. Designed as a light sport utility kit aircraft, top speed of the STOL CH 701 is limited by its high-lift design features, and more power will not yield significant top speed gains.

An inexpensive engine may cost you less to purchase initially, but may not provide the proven reliability and performance you expect, and may need to be replaced a lot sooner than expected.

Zenith Aircraft Company stocks engine mounts and accessories for some other engine types (including Continental, Rotax 582) but does not provide support for such installations.

Alternative engines will affect performance, specifications and flight characteristics of the aircraft. Also, the weight and balance of the aircraft may be adversely affected by different engines, and the original fuel system may not be adequate or suitable for some engines and installations. Most alternative engines will require a custom engine mount and cowl. Zenith Aircraft Company does not manufacture or directly support engines nor their installations.

For more powerful and/or heavier engines, we recommend the larger STOL CH 750 or CH 801 models.

Above engine information supplied by the manufacturers or distributors.  Equipment, features and availability subject to change without notice. 


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