Zenair Ltd is a Canadian kit aircraft producer founded by aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz (from Avions Pierre Robin) and based in Midland, Ontario.
The company was founded in 1974 when Heintz started to manufacture Zenith kits from his two-car garage. Heintz has introduced more than twelve kit aircraft designs. In 1992, Heintz licensed the kit manufacturing and marketing rights to Zenith Aircraft Company for the STOL CH 701 and the ZODIAC CH 601 designs, and has developed the new STOL CH 801 and the new ZODIAC XL for Zenith Aircraft Company.
Zenair CH 601 Zodiac
The original version of the Zodiac, the CH 600, was designed by Chris Heintz and first flown in 1984. The aircraft was intended as a primary trainer.
The CH 601 XL was first flown in 1991 as an improved version of the 601 HD developed for the amateur-built market and also for the American Light Sport Aircraft category. The XL features many incremental improvements over the HD, including a new wing design, wing fuel tanks to replace the fuselage tanks of the HD, new landing gear design and a new canopy.
Zenair CH 601 XL Zodiac, registration PH-4J8, built 2011, serial number 6-9895 Nijmegen, Netherlands, 21 May 2020
