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The Zenith Of LSAs

Zenith Aircraft of Mexico, Mo., builds durable, all-metal, light-sport aircraft with an emphasis on fun

A plethora of engines are available for the Zodiac, so you can pretty much have it as you like it, depending upon your budget and inclination. The 601 can be adapted to Subaru and Corvair automotive engines, along with the Continental O-200, Lycoming O-235, Austrian Rotax 912S and the Australian Jabiru 3300.

Smith chose the latter engine, which is perhaps the most popular of the bunch. This powerplant is a fairly simple 3,300 cc mill rated for 120 hp at a coincidental 3,300 rpm. The engine is a lightweight (178 pounds), air-cooled, six-cylinder design that Smith calls “smooth as butter.” It’s roughly a Down Under answer to the popular Rotax used on dozens of homebuilts all over the world. The engine uses a Bing altitude-compensating carburetor that Smith claims is the next best thing to a single power control. TBO is a generous 2,000 hours, and the Jabiru has built a reputation for reliability in Australia.

Smith has flown the Lycoming-powered Zodiac and says he prefers the Jabiru version, primarily because it’s inherently smoother with six cylinders out front rather than four, and it’s nearly 100 pounds lighter than the Lycoming. That’s an especially important consideration when you’re limited by regulation to 1,320 pounds gross, and every pound reduced from empty weight translates directly to payload.

Smith admits he went a little over the top on his airplane, spending about $75,000 for the finished product, but that’s partially because of his penchant for avionics, a Dynon FlightDEK-D180 flight-instrument system, a Garmin 60 GPS, a Zaon traffic warning device and other goodies. He suggests you could easily get by for half of what he invested. “If you’re willing to do all the work yourself with a minimum of prefabrication, you could build the airplane very cheaply,” he says. “The kit is only $16,000 and there are a number of options to configure the airplane the way you wish. At the bottom end, you could use a Corvair engine for another $4,000. Tack on all the other expenses you’ll incur in the buildup, and you’ll probably wind up with a finished airplane for little more than the price of an Infiniti G35 Sedan. I know of one builder who went that route and produced a basic airplane for a total investment of only $35,000.”

Fitted with long-range, 30-gallon tanks and a Jabiru engine, Steve Smith’s Zodiac offers excellent endurance (five hours plus reserve).

Flying the Zodiac 601 XL is more reminiscent of a normal-category machine than an LSA. The semi-bubble canopy hinges at the front and opens to reveal a wide, comfortable office. Elbow-to-elbow, the 601 XL measures 44 inches, so it’s plenty big for two folks, actually as broad as a Cessna 206. Smith has fitted his airplane with dual sticks, but you could economize if necessary and mount only a single-stick control à la the early Bonanza.

Like any lightweight aircraft, payload makes a big difference in climb performance. Flying light, with half fuel and only himself aboard, Smith says he can easily see 1,200 fpm. With full fuel and two up, the number is closer to 1,000 fpm.

Smith’s airplane is fitted with the long-range, 30-gallon tanks, and in combination with the efficiency of the Jabiru, that allows excellent endurance—an easy five hours plus reserve. With power at the forward stop, that means a cross-country range in excess of 500 nm. Pulled back to more like 55% to 60%, the airplane can easily traverse 550 nm between pit stops. “I see about 5 gph if I’m cruising hard,” asserts Smith, “but I can get it all the way back to 3 gph if I need to, and the math suggests I can make more than 25 mpg at that setting.”

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