Zenith Zodiac CH 601 XL
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 Zodiac CH 601 XL is the 2001 light-sport version of Chris Heintz's low-wing all-metal two-seater, with a 27 ft wing, bubble canopy and 1,320 lb gross; it was sold as a kit and, by AMD, as a factory-built S-LSA. With a 100 hp Continental O-200 it cruises at about 111 knots, stalls at 37 and climbs at 1,000 fpm.
The buying question is the wing. After several in-flight break-ups the FAA's 2010 review found flutter and structural deficiencies in all variants, and the 2009 upgrade kit - spar reinforcement and balanced ailerons, the 'XL-B' standard - is the dividing line between an aeroplane you can insure and one you cannot; every listing read advertised the upgrade, and a buyer should see the paperwork. Beyond that it is a straightforward kit cruiser with engines from an O-200 to a Jabiru 3300, so empty weights and performance vary and the individual aircraft's documents govern. Factory-built S-LSA examples are maintained under LSA rules; amateur-built ones can be owner-maintained with an A&P condition inspection. Zenith's current equivalent is the CH 650 B.
Variants of the Zenith Zodiac CH 601
- Zodiac CH 601 XL · 2001 · 327 active · this page
- Zodiac CH 601 HD · 118 active
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 | Continental O-200 (reference; Jabiru 3300 and others fitted) |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 2001 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 111 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 608 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 37 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Empty weight | 770 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $40,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 444 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 327 |
| Median year built | 2009 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 27 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 82.571 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 70.342 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 88 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 26.913 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 327 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 327 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 327 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 3.8 of 102 |
| Access | 8.6 of 103 |
| Support | 8.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.4 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