Comment

Comment by Chumphol Sirinavin on June 13, 2009 at 7:22pm

I wish I had money to buy all scared saled CH601's, starting a small business in used homebuilt.

Champ

Comment by Mark Ertz on May 9, 2009 at 9:35pm

THE REAL DEAL.......
The FAA is already looking into concerns about all versions of the Zodiac CH-601XL aircraft, which were raised at an industry meeting back in February, FAA spokeswoman Laura J. Brown told AVweb on Tuesday, but she added that the agency has no immediate plans to call for the airplanes to be grounded. "The manufacturer already has told owners to check the aileron control cable tensions," she said. The FAA has formed a special review team with members from the FAA and the industry to investigate the problem. Brown added that the FAA has told the ASTM that it should conduct a review of its LSA standards regarding aerodynamic flutter. The CH-601XL airplane is sold in a kit version by Zenith Aircraft, which is run by Sebastian Heintz, and is also sold as an S-LSA by AMD (Aircraft Manufacturing & Design), which is run by Matthew Heintz. The CH-601XL was certified as an S-LSA in 2005. In the six accidents cited by the NTSB, two of the aircraft were experimental amateur-built (one in California and one in Utah), one in California was an S-LSA manufactured by AMD, and one in Florida was an S-LSA built by the Czech Aircraft Works. The other two crashes were in the Netherlands and in Spain, and it is not clear what version of the aircraft was involved.

Comment by Frank Derfler on April 25, 2009 at 7:55am

"There are rational fears that lead us to self preservation and irrational fears that cause us to limit ourselves in usually foolish ways."

The classified ad aside, that observation is at the heart of your note and it's a valuable point to ponder for 601 / 650 owners, builders, and buyers right now. It's as good as anything that ever came from George Patton. (And a lot of good stuff came from Geo. S. Patton. ) There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to go fly the airplane! (apologies to GSP).

Comment by JG Ginther on April 22, 2009 at 6:46pm

It is a great deal for someone who doesn't mind the uncertainty. I will be curious to see if it sells at that price.

Comment by Donnie Moore on April 22, 2009 at 4:10pm

The "was $89,000 now $69,000" suggests that the plane was already up for sale. Who knows why. Finances? Spouses cold feet? Could be anything. If it is for financial reasons and he needs the money sooner rather than later, I'm afraid the drop in price would probably be necessary right now. Despite the fact that the NTSB is usually a little overzealous in their pursuit of safety, their opinion can't be good for the market value of the 601 right now.

Comment by John Cange on April 22, 2009 at 3:45pm

JG.. somebody is going to get a great deal. He had to pay over $100,000 for it. But then again.. fear can be overwhelming sometimes, and take control of people's lives. I hope it works out for him and whoever buys it. If you had a partner you'd have a very inexpensive toy. I got to fly on Saturday. Been waiting for nice weather. The only thing I'll do differently is I won't take up any passengers until this is resolved. I'm still curious to see if the flutter has been found on both aileron designs.
John

Comment by Dr. Edward M. Moody II on April 22, 2009 at 1:09pm

My friend, let me point out that you are making an unsubstantiated assumption that the seller is capable of learning that the sale was irrational.

Tommy Walker got a great deal on an engine and I got a good deal on a Bruce's Custom Canopy Cover as the result of an irrational decision to part out a 601XL project. He may have been right and then again he may have been wrong. The point is that we all have to make decisions with the ability we have and the info that is available. We all make mistakes. Even a guy who doesn't do anything makes the mistake of wasting the opportunity to act.

Ed