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Zenith 801 for African high altitude flying

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Africanlion

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Messages
8
Location
Johannesburg
High ladies and gents, newbie here
I have been studying the various kits and planes out there and i think the Zenith 801 is the one for me. First off i have done just 1 flying lesson which i thoroughly enjoyed. However should i do my training with a flying school or build my plane first and then have someone (an instructor friend) teach me using the 801 (massive savings compared to flying school)

I have chosen the 801 because of its STOL capabilties and also 4 passenger capability (me wife and our 2 kids). However i would like to know the following from those with experience

1.) I will be operationg from a farm thats at altitude of 4000 mtrs. Are there any peformance issues to take into account at this altitude for this plane or any plane in general

2.) I want the shortest take offs and landings possible, what do you advise i do to get maximum performance regarding these parameters ( I am not too fussed about speed, if it can be improved too great but i wanna be able to land in very tight spots and take off from them) Hey its africa i will be in

3.) Assuming the engine dies in flight, how safe or maneuverable are these planes, can i at least manage to land somewhere without falling out of the sky. Not ready to die just yet:depressed Also are those parachutes any good especially for a 4 seater

4) Last but by no means least, building time. I will have the help of serving technicians helping to build the plane when they are not working. One works for national airline and another for airforce as airframe technician. If we really crack on and work fast, can the plane be built in like a month or so considering these guys do this for a living


Also would welcome recommendations and suggestions on best tires, best engine and whatever else considering the plane will do 80- 90% of its flying on grass/rough fields so its gotta be rugged and stuff. :beer:

Thanks for your responses in advance
 
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