Zenith STOL CH 701

CH 701 & CH 750
Zenair CH 701 on amphibious floats
Role	Sport, personal and trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Zenith Aircraft Company
Designer	Chris Heintz
First flight	1986
Introduction	1986
Status	In production
Produced	1986–present
Number built	870 (CH 701, December 2011) 45 (CH 750, December 2011)
Unit cost	USD$13,990(CH 701kit, April 2017)
Variants	Zenith STOL CH 801

The Zenith STOL CH 701 and CH 750 are a family of light, two-place kit-built STOL aircraft designed by Canadian aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz through his Midland, Ontario based company, Zenair. The CH 701 first flew in 1986 and the design was still in production in 2011. The CH 750 was first introduced in 2008. The CH 701 was later developed into the four-place Zenith STOL CH 801.

The kit is produced and distributed in the USA by the Zenith Aircraft Company, and complete drawings, including blueprints and manuals, are also available for the design. In Europe, the CH 701 was manufactured under license by Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) from 1992 until 2006, when the license agreement was ended.

Designed for off-runway operations, the all-metal CH 701 has many features that contribute to the aircraft's capabilities, such as a high-lift wing with full-span, non-movable leading edge slots, an all-flying rudder, large tires, flaperons and an inverted elevator. Heintz also designed a unique tricycle gear amphibious float system for the CH 701.

Standard engines used are the 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 two-stroke, the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL, the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS and the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 four-stroke powerplants.

The STOL CH 701 has the unique distinction of being what is probably the most copied light aircraft in production today. Several dozen unauthorized versions have been produced around the world.

Designed to the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association of Canada (LAMAC) design standard DS 10141, in its native country of Canada the CH 701 can be built and flown as a basic ultralight, advanced ultralight or amateur-built. The CH 701 can be flown under microlight or ultralight rules in several other countries also. American pilots may fly the CH 701 under Light-sport Aircraft rules or as an experimental amateur-built. The CH 750 is designed to comply with the US Light sport aircraft rules.