So one day I decided to build an airplane. Most people think I'm nuts when I tell them my idea. However,
if you look at it, its not much more nuts than restoring a house or a car and often times it can be done quicker. So
the only thing left was to decide on which airplane to build.
After quite a bit of contemplation I decided on the Zenith Zodiac 601 XL. There are several reasons for this decision
but this is a list of the highlights
- Construction Type / Time - this airplane is an all aluminum design that uses special blind rivets that are similar
to Pop Rivets; this greatly increases the simplicity and reduces the build time (advertised at 400 hours).
- Engine Choices - this design will handle many engine configurations including the Corvair conversion. This was important
to me, because of the affordibility of this option (a complete 100 HP conversion for under 6k).
- Performance - This airplane will comfortably carry 2 people at around 130 MPH
- Price - The kit itself goes for around 16K, but I am planning on purchasing the kit in components, and with shipping
it should be closer to 18k, but because the design works well with the Corvair, that will save several thousand.
There are a lot of options available, but for my needs I decided that this was the best fit.
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