Zenith CH 601 HD

The Zenith CH 601 HD, the heavy duty version of the Zodiac, was the follow-on to the original CH 600 that Chris Heintz designed and first flew in 1984 as a primary trainer. It is an all-metal two-seat kit aircraft that incorporated many improvements over the CH 600, with a gross weight of 1,200 pounds and a standard empty weight of 530 pounds. Aircraft kits were marketed by Zenair of Midland, Ontario in Canada and by Zenith Aircraft of Mexico, Missouri. A speedwing variant, the CH 601 HDS, cut the wingspan to 23 feet with a tapered wing, and a UL version was built for the Canadian Advanced Ultralight category. Zenith Aircraft Company still produces kits and quick-build kits for the Zodiac for the homebuilt market, and the type is part of a family of more than 1,000 aircraft flying worldwide.