CH701's are rare where I live, so before I go see and maybe try one, I'd like to know if it's worth it at all...

How small is the cabin really? I've seen pictures of people inside it, and sometimes it almost looks as if they are squatting! Their knees are high up over the panel, and it doesn't always look as if the stick can move freely around? And as far as I can tell, there's no adjusting the position, except for maybe adding padding to the seat.

I'm 6' on the dot, and 185lbs and thankfully there's more shoulders than ass, but I'm not a very big guy. Is there any CH701 drivers out there who can say if I'd feel like a canned herring or not? The option is the Savannah S, wich I have tried and like very much, but are a little bit pricier. I have no serious mission other than fart around in the afternoons and camp at some nearby fields and strips, and I don't need to get anywhere in a hurry.

I've only sat in this one briefly. I'm 6'2" and heavier than you.

I wouldn't find it cramped but I'm a kayaker, think a C152 is plenty big and I'm building a Kitfox. I originally didn't like the center Y stick, but getting in and out sure is easier than the dual sticks in my Kitfox.

If you're worried it is too small then consider the CH750.

If you're considering knock offs like the Savannah then you might also look at the Spectr-Aero SP-30 (no affiliation, I just see them on Barnstormer's)

That's encouraging to hear. I'm not quite used to the Y-stick either, but it makes getting in and out a lot easier yes. My knee was busted up for a long time, and manhandling my leg to get it around the stick in the S-6 I flew then hurts like hell.

That's also one of the freshest CH701's I've seen!

I've sat in one but not flown one. I'm 6'4" and 200. The cabin width interior feels like a 152, but the bubble doors add width outside the fuselage width and make it feel much wider. The seats are close together (shoulders touching for two adult males). I had to bend my knees and splay out my legs to the work the pedals, which interfered with the center stick. Not ideal for me.

I really like the Y stick. I found it very natural-feeling, and allows you to fly with your right hand from the left seat and have nothing between your legs or obstructing the panel.

My cousin built a 601, the low wing. We had a lot of trouble with the subaru engine, prop, and reduction. I flew it up to Mexico to talk to those guys. Sebastian let me fly all the various models and different engines. Funny thing, he wouldn't go with me so I was solo and light. The main thing I dislike about the really light airplanes is the seats lean back like a glider. Kitfox is like that as well. I use cushions and am short so I can take some of that out, but it is not comfortable (feel right). The 701 is a good short field airplane. Side stick is easier to get used to than throttle in wrong hand, as with Luscombe. Front seat in Cobra is side stick.

This is a relative question. YMMV.

I am privileged to get lots of air time in a 701 with a friend and neighbour. He's an instructor and I have also done a fair bit of PIC stick time.

I am 6'2" and lean, with broad shoulders. He is a touch shorter with similar build.

They are TINY and very uncomfortable for me, coming from 172 / 140 / Bearhawk flying for the last 17 years. My headset is constantly touching the skylight or structural tubing. We are constantly rubbing shoulders and elbows. The seats do not adjust, and my feet are constantly amongst the rudder pedals. If I need to stretch - which I regularly wish I could, I cannot in the 701. But I can easily get my feet flat on the firewall, between the pedals just from trying to stretch. I get a sore backside after 40 minutes guaranteed, sometimes less. We do some long flights and the ride home can be excruciating by the end. That said, he will sometimes happily do 9 hour flights (with fuel / rest breaks), on his own, and he does not seem to mind.

I much prefer the stick between my legs - I like to rest my arm on my leg so it's steady, especially with light controls in the Bearhawk. I find the Y control very heavy and it floats in thin air, with no fixed arm rest to brace off.


I recently saw an 801 and that is a much better proposition - I want to say it's a "real aeroplane" but that seems unkind to the 701... But there, I've said it.

If you are honestly 6' or less, I think you will love the 701.

Sounds like it's worth going to have a look at a CH701. Some of the interiors of it looks kinda like someone glued a sleeping mat to a park bench, but there are solutions that doesn't look half bad either.

It might make it a little bit less manouvreable on the ground, but I thought that maybe a solution for a little more comfort would be to put the brakes on the the stick, and skip the toe brakes. It'd allow you to move your feet around just a little bit more.