Zenith STOL CH 701
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The STOL CH 701 is Chris Heintz's 1986 two-seat all-metal bush kit, the 'Sky Jeep': fixed leading-edge slats, full-span flaperons, an all-flying rudder and tricycle gear on a 27 ft wing, with 1,100 lb gross. Zenith's own figures with a 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS are 85 mph cruise, a 30 mph stall, 90 ft of take-off roll and 1,400 fpm two-up.
Zenith's figures describe the factory prototype with a Rotax 912; a CH 701 on the register might have a 65 hp Continental, a 120 hp Jabiru or a Viking auto conversion, and it will weigh and fly accordingly, so the individual aircraft's weight-and-balance and its builder's logbooks are the record, not this row. The 1,100 lb gross weight is the design's limit and heavier engines eat the useful load. It is slow (figure 75 knots in the real world), loud and draughty, and it will land in less than a football field; that is the whole proposition. Being amateur-built, the owner may maintain it and the annual condition inspection needs an A&P rather than an IA, or the original builder with a repairman certificate. Kits remain in production, so parts and the builder community are strong.
Variants of the Zenith STOL CH 701
- STOL CH 701 · 1986 · 423 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Rotax 912 ULS (reference; 80-120 hp fitted) |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1986 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 74 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 304 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,400 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 26 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 520 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 580 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $69,500 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 633 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 423 |
| Median year built | 2010 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 36 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 85.111 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 66.192 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 75 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.733 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 423 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 423 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 423 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 4.9 of 102 |
| Access | 7.4 of 103 |
| Support | 9.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30