The STOL CH 801-HD is a robust, utility kit aircraft with a useful load of 1000 pounds! It is not just another pretty plane, yet like the earlier (and much lighter) STOL CH 701, it was developed to provide maximum short-field performance while remaining easy to assemble and maintain; designed for much more than occasional leisure flights and weekend outings, the CH 801-HD is optimized for intense and repetitive use - at full loads.

In addition to recreational pilots, the utility potential and versatility of the STOL CH 801 design has attracted an entirely different group of users: foreign operators more interested in specialized missions and/or "commercial" applications such as crop spraying. Following extensive field testing and based on the feedback received from these harsh users (who habitually push their aircraft to the limits), Zenair introduced the “Heavy Duty” package for new CH 801 destined to such use. The “HD” version was introduced a decade after the standard STOL CH 801 was first offered; it is becoming the new standard in 2012.

Differences in the new CH 801-HD model include more ribs in the wings, thicker fuselage skins, heavier streamlined struts, beefier landing gear fittings, beefier cabin frame, more gussets and larger rivets in key areas. The HD modifications do not enhance the performance or specification of the aircraft, rather, they make it tougher, more resistant to abuse and rough handling. The rational for these changes is to give the aircraft a heavier, more utilitarian look and feel. Now more than ever, the CH 801-HD lives up to its reputation as the “Sky Jeep”...

THE CH 801-HD:  So much more of a workhorse!

Built of durable all-metal construction, the STOL CH 801-HD is designed to provide the durability and ruggedness required of an "off-airport" bushplane, while still being quick and easy to build and maintain. Developed as a true utility kit aircraft, the STOL CH 801-HD offers many modern features for a truly versatile and utilitarian aircraft.

The STOL CH 801-HD aircraft is at home on off-airport fields as well as on city airports, providing both the versatility of a four-seat aircraft and the capability of a cargo-hauling bush plane. Developed as a sport utility aircraft, high speed performance has been traded for outstanding high lift features to offer true short take-off and landing performance and spectacular slow flight characteristics, with a huge cabin and payload. While many other aircraft designs may be faster than the STOL CH 801-HD, none offer more payload and short-field capability in an aircraft that is both affordable and simple to own.

Simple systems maximize the reliability of the STOL CH 801-HD. Its slow stall speed makes the aircraft easy to fly and give it spectacular short-field performance as well as overall versatility. Contact Zenair Ltd. for more details.