Zenith STOL CH 801
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 Zenith STOL CH 801 is the four-seat enlargement of Chris Heintz's STOL CH 701, an all-metal slatted-wing bush kit with a 27 ft wing, 1,150 lb empty and 2,200 lb gross on a 180 hp Lycoming O-360, with Kitplanes figures of 105 mph cruise, a 39 mph stall, 1,200 fpm and 370 miles; 160 had been built by 2011 and Zenith has since dropped it from its catalogue.
The 801 is a 1,050 lb useful-load STOL aeroplane for the price of a used Cessna 172, and its compromises are the same as the 701's scaled up: a 90-knot cruise, a lot of drag, a loud cabin and short-field performance that depends on the pilot using the slats and flaperons as designed. It is out of Zenith's current line-up, so parts come from the factory's remaining stock and the owner community rather than a live kit programme; check what the builder documented. Pulled-rivet aluminium is easy to inspect and the O-360 is universal, but empty weights vary with the engine and panel and the weight-and-balance governs what four seats actually means. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate.
Variants of the Zenith STOL CH 801
- STOL CH 801 · 54 active · this page
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TAILFAX SCORE
Among 3–4 seat pistons (223 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360 (180 hp) |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 91 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 322 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 1,200 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 34 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,050 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,150 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $81,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $149,900 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 88 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 54 |
| Median year built | 2008 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 129.63 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 111.11 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 7 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 12.96 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 54 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 54 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 54 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.1 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 6.3 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 6.6 of 103 |
| Support | 2.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 16.4 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 33.21 · 223 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 796.
- Support: class median 131.
- Liquidity: class median 19.89.
- 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