The new ZODIAC XL offers comfortable and
spacious two-place side-by-side seating in an ergonomically designed 44-inch wide cabin.
The cabin has been engineered to fit both large and tall pilots. The huge tinted bubble canopy (plexiglass), which provides outstanding
360 degree visibility, is now hinged in the front and allows easy access from either side of the
aircraft. Access to the cabin is easy over the 20-inch wide wing walkway on both sides of
the cockpit, and is facilitated by a step located below the trailing edge of
the wing.
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Custom
instrument panel / interior:
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"...you
might think you're looking at the interior of a racy sports
car, but it's actually the interior of the sport ZODIAC XL...
nice appeal to folks who want an airplane that looks and feels
a bit more modern." |
—
EAA
Experimenter magazine |
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The
ZODIAC XL is a kit aircraft you won't easily outgrow
...in more ways than one.
"The
semi-bubble canopy hinges at the front and opens to reveal a
wide comfortable office. Elbow-to-elbow, the 601 XL
measures 44-inches, so it's plenty big for two folks, actually
as broad as a Cessna 206." |
Plane
& Pilot magazine Pilot Report, March 2008
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The ZODIAC's cabin is ergonomically designed for
comfortable side-by-side seating... even for larger pilots. The ZODIAC's seating
arrangement provides "Lazy-Boy" comfort, even on long cross-country flights.
The cabin has been designed to fit both large and tall pilots (up to
6'6" in some cases).
The above drawing is not to exact scale.
Dimensions are approximate.
The large main baggage area is located directly
behind the seats for easy access. Optional
wing baggage lockers provide additional storage space inside the
wing.
The ZODIAC wings can be easily removed for easy trailering or storage.
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Located inside the wing (behind the
spar), the optional Wing Baggage Locker increases baggage space with dual wing baggage
lockers. Each locker measures approx. 19" (48 cm.) x 16"
(40.5 cm.) x 9" (23 cm.) tall. |
The rudder pedal position and canopy height are adjustable
during construction. Seat upholstery will vary the seating dimensions.
A custom upholstery kit is
now available.
"The
numbers don't relate perfectly to the sensation of speed. It might
have been the open bubble canopy, which insures massive
visibility, but also imparts a sense of motion. The canopy had
good optical qualities, seeming distortion free to my eyes.
"During
steep turns it was simple to visually keep the maneuvering area
free of other traffic. In straight and level flight, my view of
the world was enormous in every direction..." |
General Aviation
News
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Email Message to Zenith Aircraft: |
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"Just a quick note to let
u know that I am 6'4" and weigh over 250 and I fit into the Super ZODIAC nicely. I
encountered lots of headroom with the bubble canopy and was very surprised with the
room." - TW |
The roomy ZODIAC cabin is equipped with a large
instrument
panel and dual controls accessible from both the left and right seats. The center-mounted
control column (stick) can easily be used from either side, and does not limit visibility
of the instrument panel. Dual throttle controls are mounted on both sides of the panel for
easy access. A Dual Control Sticks Option
is also available. The dual rudder pedals also steer the nose-wheel (tricycle gear
configuration), and are equipped with standard hydraulic toe-brakes on the pilots
side. There is plenty of room behind the instrument panel (20") to
accommodate full custom instruments and avionics.
Following is a sample panel with gyro instruments and a GPS/Comm and
transponder installed.
A clean and simple, yet very
complete, custom glass panel.
Panel
Details | Sample Panel Photos |
Sample Instrument Panel
Layouts
Schematic
of the fuselage / cabin / baggage area construction:
[Click image for full-size view]
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