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| Zodiac
Home Design Kit Construction |
The affordable recreational kit plane for the sport pilot: Enjoy leisure flights, with exceptional unrestricted visibility... operate from grass strips... make round trips of several hundred miles in a single day... Take your partner for a local pleasure flight, or to a far-off
destination...
The Definitive Sport Pilot Ready Kit Plane from Zenith Aircraft Company! |
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The ZODIAC XL is the newest model in the popular all-metal ZODIAC kit aircraft series from aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz, offering more performance and many new standard features.
The ZODIAC XL has been developed with the FAA's Sport Pilot / Light-Sport Aircraft category in mind, and offers maximum performance and capability possible under the new FAA category.
Simple and quick to build — easy and fun to fly!
The new ZODIAC XL design offers superior performance and capabilities, comfortable side-by-side seating, affordable costs, and best of all, the ZODIAC is available as a durable all-metal kit that you can quickly build yourself - with just basic skills and tools.
Build your own Zodiac XL from:
- Complete Kit: Everything you need to build your own Zodiac...
- Quick-Build Kit for maximum pre-assembly of the airframe
- Component (Section) Kits allow you to "buy-as-you-build"...
- Plans-Only: New CAD Drawings and Photo Assembly Manuals permit you to "scratch-build" the entire aircraft (parts and components can be purchased individually).
- Starter Kit: The rudder starter kit allows you to gain hands-on experience while actually starting to build your own aircraft... for just $300.
- Fly Away: Buy the American-made factory-assembled certified ZODIAC XL S-LSA Light Sport Aircraft from AMD. IFR certified model available.
New Kit Features...
Same Low Price!The standard kit now includes many precision CNC pre-cut and pre-drilled skins and components, and also includes new updated CAD Drawings and Photo Assembly Manuals.
Click here to view a video clip of parts manufacturing with the CNC router (5.75 mb).
A feature story in the annual 2007 FlightTest magazine (Loop.aero in the UK) concludes that with the Zodiac, "...a relatively low tech aircraft, built traditionally, can still deliver hugely enjoyable flying and take you places for very little money."
The ZODIAC is easy and affordable to build and fly, yet it's an airplane you won't easily outgrow: The ZODIAC XL is the perfect project for the first-time builder and the demanding sport pilot, bridging the gap between performance flying and affordable costs.
Kitplanes magazine writer Rick Lindstrom took tool in hand to create a dream machine, as he reports in the June, July, August, September and October 2007 issues of Kitplanes magazine: "A Sign of the Zodiac" (Parts 1 to 5) "Zenith's fast-build kit greatly exceeded our expectations for completeness and component quality."
Zodiac XL Cover Story: The Zodiac XL was recently featured on the cover of EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine (December 2006 issue).
The Zodiac CH 601XL... Have It Your Way. Ready-to-fly, ready-to-build, or IFR capable
by Dan Johnson (pages 24 - 31).
Zodiac XL Video Clips: Cool video clips: The next best thing to actually flying in the Zodiac!
- More video clips from builders and pilots
Zodiac Photo Galleries: Hundreds of photos of completed and flying Zodiac aircraft from around the world.
Factory-Assembled ZODIAC XL S-LSA: AMD Zodiac XL S-LSA production aircraft with a Continental O-200 powerplant and Dynon glass panel.
The all-metal, two-seat design features a new wing and canopy design, as well as many additional new features. Zenith's ZODIAC XL factory demonstrator is powered by the six cylinder Jabiru 3300, a 110-hp aircraft engine from Australia. Lycoming O-235 (116-hp), Continental O-200 (100-hp), and Rotax 912S (100-hp) and Corvair (100-hp) engines have also been installed and and successfully flown.
"Since its introduction in 1984, the Zodiac CH601 series has become very popular with first-time builders and low-time pilots" says Heintz. "The new model is designed to achieve maximum performance and efficiency with the new generation engines: the six-cylinder Jabiru, the new 100-hp Rotax 912S, and Subaru automotive conversions, as well as popular conventional aircraft engines, such as the Lycoming O-235 and O-200."
The ZODIAC CH 601 XL has a new airfoil and larger wing area than its predecessor, which allows the new aircraft to achieve higher speeds with a higher payload. With new wing flaps, stall speed has been kept low for recreational pilots.
The XL has been configured to take full advantage of its increased useful load: New and larger wing tanks offer a larger fuel capacity (24 US Gal.) resulting in superior range and endurance, and the baggage area behind the seat has also been increased.
New Features... New Values:
- New wing design for increased efficiency while also lowering stall speed.
- Dual wing tanks: capacity: 24 US Gallons (2 x 12 Gal.)
- New spring main landing gear
- Increased rear baggage area.
- Increased useful load.
- Wing flaps (electric)
- New canopy design
- New Quick Build Kit
- and many more new features...
- Click here for an illustrated summary of new features
Click here for the latest ZODIAC updates
| Popular Mechanics magazine builds and flies a ZODIAC Read the Cover Story |
A clean and simple, yet very
complete, custom Zodiac glass panel.
Zenith Aircraft at Work and Play around the World... Click here for photos and stories
Zenith Aircraft
Company |
© Zenith Aircraft Company: 2008-02-13