Zenith/Zenair STOL CH 701 (c/n -, SP-SZDZ), landing at Witków airfield during the International Vintage Glider and Classic Hang Glider Rally, Witków, May 2026.
The CH 701 sport utility aircraft belongs to a family of light aeroplanes designed and developed by Chris Heintz.
Heintz was born in France in 1938. After graduating as an aeronautical engineer from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, he served in the French Air Force, and then worked for the aviation companies Aérospatiale and Avions Pierre Robin.
At the end of the 1960s, Heintz developed his first aeroplane, named Zenith – an anagram of his surname. In 1969, the prototype successfully completed its maiden flight.
Four years later, Heintz and his family moved to Canada, where the talented engineer began working for de Havilland Canada. He also took the aforementioned prototype with him and presented the aeroplane at the 1974 EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In (now known as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh). Heintz’s design aroused great interest there and inspired him to continue developing aircraft.
In 1975, Heintz founded Zenair, the company which introduced into the market several aeroplanes based on the CH 200 (as his first design was now officially branded) and subsequently the CH 601 Zodiac light aircraft.
Heintz’s next desvelopment, the CH 701 Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aeroplane, made its first flight in 1986. It was a high-wing, two-seat, all-metal aircraft powered by a single Rotax engine. Designed for off-airport operations, the CH 701 featured a high-lift wing with fixed leading-edge slots. In a short time, the aeroplane became known as the “Sky Jeep”.
Initially, the CH 701 was powered by a 64 hp Rotax 582 two-stroke engine. Later, the engine range was extended to include the 80 hp and 100 hp Rotax 912 four-stroke powerplants, as well as the 85 hp Jabiru 2200.
Like all of Heintz’s designs, the CH 701 was offered as a kit aircraft for self-assembly. Initially, the aeroplane was distributed by Zenair but, since 1992, the kits have also been offered by Zenith Aircraft Company, founded by one of Heintz’s sons. In addition, between 1992 and 2006, the CH 701 was also manufactured under licence in Europe by the Czech Aircraft Works aviation company. However, this refers only to the officially branded aircraft, as several unauthorised, unlicensed copies of the aeroplane were also manufactured around the world.
In 2008, Zenair introduced a modernised and enlarged variant of the CH 701. It was later followed by a four-seat version, designated the Zenith STOL CH 801.
Chris Heintz died on 30 April 2021, aged 82.
Both Zenair and Zenith remain active in the market, manufacturing aircraft designed by Heintz. The CH 701 is still available for purchase, currently as the sixth edition of the self-assembly kit. The aircraft is designed as standard to accommodate a 100 hp Rotax 912 engine, but can be modified to run on other similar engines.
