Circuits in the Zenith 701

[@truckpilotnate2972]

I really like the camera angles. I especially like seeing the panel from behind your head. I like seeing the panel and the control movements.

[@quieteagle1656]

Really like the new plane. Saw Chris Heinz demo the 701 back in I think the mid to late 1970’s at Muskoka Airport and I have liked the plane ever since. Practising various takeoffs and landings brings back memories of my instructor days. Looking forward to seeing more 701 videos.👍

[@patrickbernard84]

Thanks for the video! The wing camera seems to be at a good spot!

[@norcalengineer]

Honestly, just watching pattern work is great. Good reminders on the basics for all of us pilot. Sorta like riding along. Thanks!

[@patrickcharlebois7097]

Really liked the circuits in the Zenith. It's a good learning tool especially for beginners like myself. Nice to see how it's done instead of reading about it. Keep it up! Patrick from near London Ontario

[@rangefreewords]

Hey Matt! This is Mike (in Hawaii) we met earlier on FLT SIM in "Hawaii" Great soft landing @ 14:14 in on the video! The nose wheel on a shopping cart in Walmart couldn't have done it better! 😉😁Awesome setup!

[@mmatt]

Hahaha! Ya, I'm not sure why it did that, probably because I didn't have it straight when it touched down. I've gotten a bit better and can sometimes hold the nose up for much longer now but I still need more practice.

[@clintgosch2306]

Great video! Nice little plane you got there!

[@danlibby8366]

As a student, Im enjoying the video and learning as I go. keep them coming!

[@robmet68]

Another enjoyable video. Your videos are part of what I look forward to every weekend.

[@mmatt]

I'm glad you like them! 🙂

[@davestelling]

Same here...

[@countryboy1936]

Hi Matt, sure do enjoy the 701, wish I had one, next best thing is to fly with you, thanks a lot, love all your video's...

[@swimdawg1763]

Great CH 701 videos! I am currently building my own CH-701 still a ways to go...

[@cameronlapworth2284]

Another great video. While I'm no fan of the cold I'd love to go flying somewhere where it snows looks beautiful.

[@lawrencedevine2767]

Hi From Ireland. Its a good job your a better pilot than a singer, just kidding. Love the 701 I am building one, hope to have the wings done this summer, will look in on you soon keep it coming Thanks.

[@terrynewby912]

Where’s your other half

[@YanouPilote]

great video !! However, it seems to me that you are wearing your A20 backwards!! 🤣🤣

[@mmatt]

I do that on purpose. Lol I find the mic arm too long so wearing them backwards makes it a better length for me. :)

[@YanouPilote]

@@mmatt great !! I'll try it and let you know what it's like!!😂😂

[@vagabondroller]

Congrats on the new plane!

[@roseanncloskey]

WoW what a pilot and CFI .

[@mmatt]

Can't tell if serious or sarcastic... either way, thanks! lol!

[@FLYNRYAN1978]

Thanks for sharing !

[@TheMainePilot]

Friggan sweet dude! Love that thing! Great Job!

[@cameronlapworth2284]

Another great flight

[@davidrobins4025]

Thanks for sharing the video.

[@jrbailey3208]

Your 'right turn' , the first Check turn, you actualyy turned LEFT!

[@mmatt]

I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that... lol!

[@jrbailey3208]

@@mmatt Hey, I've been meaning to ask how the Starlink system is operating at your home? Are you still happy with it? Have the prices went up, and have you had any hardware issues? I got a kick out of that episode when you set it up; your Munchkin daughter looked so involved with her 'tasks' that it was hilarious: she was VERY focused!

[@mmatt]

@@jrbailey3208 LOL, she still gets super focused on what she's doing. Such a little cutie. 🙂 Starlink has given me no trouble whatsoever. The only time it goes down is if there's a big thunderstorm to the North but it's never lasted more than 5 minutes or so and I think it's only happened twice. The price went up a little but nothing serious and it's still worth every penny in my opinion; especially since I have no other options. lol

[@notpoliticallycorrect]

Outstanding videos!

[@josephgiroux4067]

Got one of them myself on floats great plane

[@michelledauvergne6830]

Circuits are really a good training. I also make that.

[@philryder966]

Nice camera angles! Tech question: does ground effect affect your different planes at different heights above the runway? Guess you can tell I'm not a pilot!!😂 Ps. I'll send some South Carolina heat up there to take care of that snow!😎👍

[@mmatt]

That's a great question for someone who's not a pilot! Yes. Ground effect comes into play at an altitude equal to one wingspan of the airplane... but I don't really feel its effect until about half that. So the longer winged airplanes start to "float" at a higher altitude than the shorter winged ones. Please send as much heat as you can spare! It's 2 degrees below freezing today and the windsock is straight out and flapping!

[@WX4CB]

nice.. like the new one... just did my solo XC today ... that was a blast even though it was really hazy. a friend lent me his insta360 so i need to see how that turned out. but no worries about the soggy soft sod here... i been 80 odd plus all day :D

[@mmatt]

Congrats! :-)

[@MegaRickw]

WHERE IS VICKIE?

[@MegaRickw]

@@victoriacollier744 you sure are 😘

[@MegaRickw]

tried to send you a message but no way to do it

[@mustardseedsociety]

I'm really glad you brought up the subject of "flipping over". Personally I think it's something to consider. I do know this, if I was to get a Zenith model, I would most definitely favor the high winger like you're flying over the CH601 low winger. And it's not because of wing strength, although the early days of the 601 saw some wing failures and now the 601 has very strong wings with a +6/-4 load factor and the 701 comes in at +6/-3 according to the Zenith site. {for comparison, the Super Decathlon has aerobatic limits of +6/-5} So with the 601, I think I'd be confident with the wing strength. My concern would be the egress factor in a flip over. I have looked at photos of the 601 and drew imaginary lines from the top of the vertical to the top of the engine cowl most forward end and drew an imaginary pilot head and I don't like what I see - I see images of one my favorite airshow pilots of all time - Charlie Hillard who lost his life when his Sea Fury flipped over and he was trapped inside the bubble canopy and could not escape. Now has the 601 been tested in a flip over to actually see if a pilot could get out ?? That I don't know, because as I'm sure you're well familiar, aircraft manufacture sites NEVER give you all the information. That being said, it appears that in the 701, you will be able to egress in a flip over because the wing will serve as a "barrier" - but you'll have to undo the belt and "fall" onto the "ceiling" which is now the "floor", then crawl out. What do you think ?? Have you thought of what to do in a flip over ?? What do you think of my bubble canopy concerns ?? {also} do you have data on any spin testing that was done on the 701 by {"Rodger" ?? the Zenith demo guy}

[@rangefreewords]

I would buy a mini oxy-acetylene torch and keep it in the back for $200 ~300 filled and use it to start campfires or cut through the windows and a Razor blade from Lowes. Maybe it's standby use with the oxyen and a simple mask could be for when I suffer from altitude sickness at 15k for 15 minutes.

[@tonyharnett3169]

Intentional spins prohibited in the 701 so weather or not Roger has done them is a great question but unlikely

[@mmatt]

I prefer high-wing over low-wing for several reasons, but this is one of the biggest ones; survivability in a flip-over situation. Egressing the 701 shouldn't be any trouble at all aside from the bruise on the top of my head once I undo my seatbelt... lol The doors are hinged a the top which will become the bottom and so the door should just flop open once I release the latch. That is if I have any doors left by then... I'm kinda hard on them... LOL!

[@mustardseedsociety]

@@tonyharnett3169 But like for example, the Bush Cat has been spin tested and it's in the same basic category as the 701. The Bush Cat has a rated load factor of +6/-4. Factory aircraft, many of which have less design load factor limits are spin tested - at least that's what I've read. One thing I find frustrating is to get the nitty gritty information, you have to dig and dig and dig. I had to do HOURS of reading to find out if the Bush Cat had been spin tested. I know the Panthera has - because they made a video about it. On the Panthera they had like 3/4 fuel, 4 adults and went 10 full rotations and still recovered. The BRS was available if they needed it.

[@mustardseedsociety]

@@braininavatnow9197 In a design phase of any aircraft, it is of my understanding that a prototype basically becomes the "sacrificial lamb" and is supposed to be put through the ringer - but in the actual subsequent aircraft that the public receives {or builds} it is perfectly fine to placard the aircraft and say "no aerobatics". It's just nice to know you have strong wings - which another point I'll bring up, and that is in the early days of the 601 when a few wings broke, I find that absolutely inexcusable and border line criminal. Wings should NEVER break - if operated below Vne and are at max gross or lower.

[@DIYPackraft]

Fun times!

[@class2instructor32]

You gotta yell "CONTACT!" sometimes its almost as good as the unnecessary "Roger...willco" than a full readback

[@capt_nopants9625]

What do you think it would be like if you kept the VG's and also installed the leading edge slats?

[@mmatt]

From what I understand, there'd be virtually no difference at all since the slats and VGs perform the same role, just in different ways.

[@dugpuck]

Liked it!

[@edwinkania5286]

Visit the island....

[@jameschristian643]

These real life Videos are much better than Fake Video Games . Your friends MARY AND JAMES . U.S. OF A. ❤

[@davestelling]

Will you be doing any cross-country flights in your new airplane? Maybe a trip to PEI this summer?

[@mmatt]

I definitely hope to get some longer distance flights in. PEI would be a cool trip with it.

[@ManNomad]

Put VG's on the bottom of the Horizontal stabilizer for more authority. Cheap upgrade.

[@mmatt]

Already has them.

[@ManNomad]

@@mmatt So is the application of power the only way to increase elevator authority during flair? Maybe fences or trim covers over the gaps on the empennage?

[@mmatt]

@@ManNomad I think I just need to set the flare up earlier and get behind the power curve a bit so I can use the propwash to keep the tail down while not accelerating. It'll just take some practice I think as I see plenty of other guys who are able to do it.

[@ManNomad]

@@mmatt Your landings were really good and think you'll have them all wired in no time. Not too many people shoot power off no flap landing in 701s, on youtube. You aced it. Looking forward to future videos with it. Stay safe and enjoy.

[@jorgmichalowski7954]

If I remember correctly, your 701 has the attachment points for the slats. Are you planning to fly your 701 with slats in addition to the VGs?

[@jwald6795]

Nice video. What is the thing on your passenger door. It looks like the door is partly open.

[@mmatt]

The spring up in the corner? It's to hold the door up when you fully open the door. And yes, the doors are partly open in flight. I have new doors that just need to be fitted that will hopefully fix that issue.

[@jwald6795]

@@mmatt Oh I see its a spring now. I have an 801. Mine has gas shocks.

[@rccanuck4473]

No barrel rolls What’s up with that ?

[@mmatt]

Hahaha!

[@cameronlapworth2284]

Congrats did you get the rate of climb off you fancy instruments? How much shorter does it get off?

[@mmatt]

This was just some initial testing. I'm certain the plane will perform even better once I do a bit of experimenting with it. I did get the rate of climb off the new instrument but was too busy to notice if it crosschecked with the analog one. Lol Take-off runs with the old engine in similar conditions would have easily been twice as long, probably longer.

[@cameronlapworth2284]

@@mmatt fantastic. Should be great for some fly and camp.

[@bonza007]

What are your cylinder head temps like in the cool Canadian air? I usually have about 325 in Australian summers when I do circuits.

[@mmatt]

I haven't seen them above 275 yet. I'm sure they'll be higher in the summer.

[@oliviergiocondese]

Which plane do you like better? The Zenith or the XAir? What are the major differences? What would you recommend as 1st plane Ultralight purchase?

[@mmatt]

Depends on the mission. The X-Air is faster and has a bigger and more comfortable cockpit. It's what I'd prefer for a longer cross-country flight. The Zenith's controls are much more sensitive though especially at lower speeds which makes it ideal for the off-field ops. It's not as easy to fly as the X-Air though due to it being very easy to over-control. Of the two, I'd recommend the X-Air as a first plane and then sell it and and move on to a Zenith if you crave the off-field capabilities that it has.

[@dowkipling4859]

How do you find the room in the Zenith? Im 6'2 and 190lbs. Have been told that i would find it cramped? Is the X Air larger?

[@mmatt]

You'd fit in the Zenith but the X-Air is roomier for sure.

[@ManNomad]

What weight passenger would you feel safe carrying within MGW?

[@mmatt]

I can take an additional 300 pounds with half tanks or 240 pounds with full tanks.

[@dem0npain]

Try MSFS Zenith addon same plane

[@mmatt]

Check the video description, not only do I have it already, but you can download the paintjob of my real plane for it in MSFS! :-)

[@GeorgeStar]

I hope during your test phase you'll accumulate some real world numbers on fuel consumption, cruise speed @75% climb out speed, shortest & average take off distance, etc. that you can share with your adoring public.