Zenith Aircraft Co. builds some of the toughest kit aircraft in the world, they’re relied on by pilots from Alaska to Africa to Australia and have become known as the “Jeep of the Skies” by the pilots who fly them.
The planes are sold in kit form and can be ordered in sections, many people like to start with the wings, then move onto the fuselage, tail kit and landing gear.
Each section can be bought separately from Zenith and new builders can order the “Starter Kit” for $375, this beginners package includes the materials needed to build a fully functional and airworthy STOL CH 701 rudder and can be assembled with basic hand tools in a garage.
The full CH701 kit can be bought for just under $13,000 with the addition of an engine and instruments bringing the cost up to just under $20,000 in most cases. This is far, far less than a comparable production plane from Cessna and by all accounts, the Zenith is a much tougher bird.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Bruce F. Meyers, the inventor of the Meyers Manx, grew up in California deeply involved in the surfing scene, and driving a 1930’s vintage Ford to the beach. His interest in surfing and the ocean naturally led into sail boats and thus to a journey into the South Seas on a schooner shared with a few friends where he learned about sailing outrigger canoes, and learned a great deal about the sea and boats.
The Speakeasy is the latest offering from Fitzke Wood Boards, a small Minnesota based company run by Kevin Fitzke. Kevin was born and raised in Minnesota, known as the land of 10,000 lakes (which he spent countless days exploring), and he spent much of his life admiring the sleek mahogany speedboats of the 1930s. In…
This is likely the last original unrestored P-51D Mustang in original military configuration left anywhere in the world, and fortunately for someone, it’s currently for sale for the not inconsiderable sum of $4,500,000 USD. Exactly how this warbird ended up being dry stored for over 30 years isn’t publicly known, but we do know that…
This Ford Model T Track-Nose is one of the most well-known hot rods of its era, it was built by Jack Thompson with help from Claude Hampson, and it appeared in the August 1958 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. Track-Nose hot rods have a distinctive look that sets them apart from their more traditional counterparts,…
The first generation of the Ford Bronco has become a much sought after vehicle by people looking for a simple and easy to maintain classic 4×4 that delivers a good (for the period) on-road and off-road driving experience. The fact that the Bronco is a design icon from the early days of civilian 4x4s does absolutely nothing to hurt its global desirability.
The Craft & Lore Port Wallet was developed to be a minimalist wallet you can carry everyday for the rest of your life. Each wallet is made from world-famous Horween Chromexcel leather using hand tools by the committed team behind Craft & Lore in their workshop in Coeur d’Alene, North Idaho. The triple-fold design of…
