Hi guys,
I'm a newby & in the market for a b ush plane STOL, the Zenith 701 &
the new 750 STOL are at the top of my list for fixed wing A/C, the Xenon
gyroplane is my choice for rotary wing, can you eperienced back country
guys give me your opinion on my choices of these aircraft
After taking flight instruction from a CFI who is certified for both fixed wing& rotary wing in Columbus Ohio, I would like to travel out to your neck of the woods for back woods & mountain flying training.
With my 76 B/Day coming up in May I'm on a short tether [not much time
left ] being a cancer survivor & other serious ailments I'm determined to
fulfill my lifes dream.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated
Don MacKinnon [email protected]
1394 Plantation Rd.
Minden Ontario K0M 2K0
cANADA

Ph 705 286 3622

donnie

Myself I would go with the new 750. They designed that airplane specifically for the light sport category of aircraft and by your description of yourself that would be best suited for you.

Brian.

Don,

You made me look. I don't know these aircraft, but after looking at the specs, I wonder why you would want a gyro that uses about twice the take off roll than either of the Zenith.

I'd just get one of the fixed wing and start having fun. The 750 looks like the best resale appeal.

GR

The 701 can be built in 400 hours and there's a kit out there that increases the gross weight to 1200lbs. It's a heck of a performer with the 912. The 750 is a bit overkill if all your looking to do is play. I'd steer clear of Gyros. Those things scare the crap out of me. Lots of people have perished flying gyros for doing nothing wrong. They fall into that "They don't really fly they are just so ugly the earth repels them" category

Hi guys,
Thanks for the quick response, the 701 with the 120hp Rotax is my first choice, lots of power to get out of tight spots& not taking leaves, needles &
twigs with me
Would I be out of line to ask for a member to ride along with me to point the way around mountains & high jumping sheep or goats,what other
critters that maybe in the fight path

Donnie, I have seen your handle on the chat when no one was in.

Try in the evening about 9:00 EST

GR

Donnie, I've always said, "life is short eat desert first". Go for it.

Hi Donnie,

We are building a 701 with a Jabiru 3300. Should be done this summer. We just put it on its wheels this week. Here is a link to our project site:

http://www.eaa839.com/chapter_project/chapter_project_album.htm

I would highly recommend the Jabiru. This engine is 120 hp and extremely well built. When I bought it last year at Sun N Fun it was $10,000 less than the Rotax. That included the complete firewall forward kit with everything (including prop) but the battery and fluids.

The 400 hours appears to be a good number. It is a lot of fun! Good luck!

I built and fly the 701's bigger brother, the 801. It is a very well designed plane, the kit was as complete as they can provide and still fall within the 51% rule. Zenith aircraft is a great company to do business with too... Go for it. !!!

Ben

AvidFlyer wrote: I'd steer clear of Gyros. Those things scare the crap out of me. Lots of people have perished flying gyros for doing nothing wrong.

+1 on staying away from autogyros. There's this little issue called "bunting" or bunting over. It's when the auto's rotor disk goes to a negative angle of attack and the ship tumbles forward - - no recovery is possible. Remember that the autogyro's rotor is powered by the relative wind going *up* through the rotordisk. Strong turbulence or ? and if the angle of attach shifts enough for the flow to go *down* through the rotor disk it's pretty much all over.

Nope, I want to fly a plane where I can look out there and actually see my wings - - thank you!

bumper

I don't know alot about autogyros, but check out the Littlewing http://www.littlewingautogyro.com/ They explain the tendency to nose over and claim the tractor engine on the Littlewing eliminates the problem. Kind of a cool little ship, and one I just might want to own.

I have to put in a plug for the Just Aircraft Highlander - great LSA and experimental-AB. I am just starting to get used to mine and the performance is great. Lots of room in the cabin for tall folks and a good baggage area for camping stuff. Mine cruises in the mid 90 mph @5k on the Rotax - reasonble cruise for a medium cross country.

M2C

Kevin

Kitfox Super Sport. I have the Model IV Speedster with an 80hp rotax. It is a great off-runway STOL performer. The new SuperSport is supposed to be a great improvement over an already outstanding series. I like tube and fabric for off-field work. I think they are more survivable in a mishap and a tear in fabric is easily fixed in the field (duct tape).

AvidFlyer wrote:The 701 can be built in 400 hours and there's a kit out there that increases the gross weight to 1200lbs. It's a heck of a performer with the 912. The 750 is a bit overkill if all your looking to do is play. I'd steer clear of Gyros. Those things scare the crap out of me. Lots of people have perished flying gyros for doing nothing wrong. They fall into that "They don't really fly they are just so ugly the earth repels them" category

a gyro is like anything else you strap yourself into, you got to know your machine,know your limitations,get proper instruction from qualified people. i had gyro instruction in Georgia, had a great time, very maneuverable and safe. it is not for everybody,if we all liked the same things, we wouldn't have anything to talk about!

panzl7 wrote:
i had gyro instruction in Georgia, had a great time, very maneuverable and safe. it is not for everybody,if we all liked the same things, we wouldn't have anything to talk about!

Sure we could, we could all still talk about Gumps ex-wife.......

Which one?

I have one ride in a 701 with the 912 engine. There are some design issues IMHO, such as you need power almost all the time otherwise it buffets a lot. We have an EAA chapter member building a Highlander with the Jabiru 3300... it looks like a well designed airplane, the structure looks safe, and it is more roomy than the Kitfox. The 750 with the Jabiru 3300 would be a good choice too, as long as the 750 does not buffet power off like the 701 I have flown.

Make an honest assessment based on whatever your situation is... I hate to be blunt and cast any negative light... estimate how much time you have (due to age, Cancer, whatever)... and then decide how much of that time you want to build and how much you want to fly. I'm 48 and in fairly good health, and looking back at the last 20 years I am APPALLED at how much flying time I've lost when I could have been flying. So if you unfortunately have any sort of time constraints, that has to be part of your decision whether to build or buy.