I had a private ticket but was not current. I have
recently received my bi-annual endorsement and have been flying this
past summer under Sport Pilot regs. Before that, I had not flown left
seat for over twenty five years. I had previously accumulated nearly
a hundred hours in Cessna 150's and 152's. Considering the performance
of the latter, I didn't want to build a plane with performance specs,
i.e., faster, more horsepower, etc., that were not within my flying
ability even when I get current again. Since I don't have a taildragger
endorsement or hours I had been looking for a tricycle gear configuration.
Prior to settling on the Zodiac, kits that were attractive to me as
a potential match were the Kitfox, KR2, and Dragonfly. The former is
fabric over tube construction, in which I have no build experience,
and the latter two are wood or fiberglass/epoxy construction. I have
experience building in wood and some glass work. I once helped a neighbor
lay up some components of his Dragonfly. This is a very nice plane but
less popular lately and I was a little concerned about builder support
and allergic reactions to the epoxies. I have always seen the KR2's
at shows but the relatively narrow cockpit concerned me regarding comfort
on cross-country trips.
So I thought, why not learn how to construct
an aircraft out of sheet aluminum .. all that riveting can't be that
difficult with the right tools. What sold me on the Zodiac was the
rudder class I attended last June (2005) at the Zenith Aircraft Company
factory in Mexico, MO. There I learned the basics of sheet metal
construction while completing a part of the aircraft .. the rudder.
Sheet metal construction is straightforward and can be learned easily by
most folks. It helped to have some coaches at this workshop to assure
you that you were using correct technique. Also, setting rivets in the
Zodiac is easy since this design uses (Avex) pop rivets. I also got to
take a demo ride in the ZAC Zodiac demo plane. This aircraft handles and
performs like the Cessnas in which I had learned to fly. Cruise and
stall speeds are similar as well. The visibility is unlike any plane I
have flown in because of the bubble canopy. I'm confident I have chosen
the right aircraft for my first (maybe not my last) homebuilt aircraft
project!
Most importantly is that my experimental amateur built (EAB) Zodiac
is eligible to be flown as a Light Sport Aircraft; meaning I can fly this
aircraft with my private ticket and my Indiana drivers license. It
will not be a requirement that I get a FAA medical certificate. The
only restriction is that I will not be able to fly at night under
Sport Pilot rules.
Here are some links to the specifications and performance tables provided by ZAC.
Me standing in front of the
Zenith Zodiac 601XL demo
aircraft while at the Zenith factory workshop. Nick Heintz took me
for a ride this day. This plane handles like a dream!
I started taking flying lessons again this
past summer in the LSA pictured above, an Evektor SportStar. This aircraft
and my flight instructor are based at Greenwood Municipal Airport (HFY)
just south of Indianapolis. The Evektor SportStar has flight performance
that very closely matches the Zodiac. In fact, two of the instructor's
prior students are Zodiac builders.
