I also looked very closely at the RV-6, the Pulsar XP, KIS's 2 seat design, the KR-2 and the Europa. I ended up with the Zodiac because:
SPEED OF
CONSTRUCTION - Advertised at 400 hours. Even if I double this to 800, I'm still way below
the 3000 or so for an RV-6, 2000 or so for the Europa. True the Zodiac doesn't offer the
performance of the RV-6, and I think the price/performance ratio of the RV-6 is much
better, but this is my first project and I would like a plane that I will finish. I read
the other day where the completion rate of custom built planes was 8%. Yes, 8%.
The 'quickbuild' option for the RV-6 was not available when I made my decision on what plane to buy. The QB option is advertised as saving about 1000 hours of work. Which leaves about 2000 left. So I think I would still choose the Zodiac today.
PRICE - This one's a
little odd. The RV kit actually costs LESS than the Zodiac. However, by the time you
factor in a Lycoming engine vs. a Rotax (or hopefully Subaru) engine, the Zodiac is
cheaper. The kit price of a Europa is about $20,000 vice $12,600 for the Zodiac, and
getting higher every day. The KR-2 would be cheaper, but the performance just wasn't there
for me (look closely at empty weight - advertised vs. actual for a customer built plane -
didn't seem to leave much room for fuel and a passenger). The Pulsar and the KIS were also
more expensive.
PERFORMANCE - I
decided that I trusted the stated g limitations and capabilities of the Zodiac, which has
been around for over 10 years, more than the KIS or the Pulsar. Mostly because of their
advertising I'm afraid - for instance, the Europa is newer than any of the others, but due
to the extensive testing (spins, loops, rolls) detailed in their advertising I believe the
specs Europa Aviation claims. I've seen no such claims of testing for the Pulsar or KIS. I
haven't actually seen any for the Zodiac either, for that matter, but by virtue of their
longevity I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The RV-6 is faster, stronger, has been
tested, has been around a long time - but takes too long to build.
So yes, I have traded some performance for speed of construction and price. Maybe when I'm retired after winning the lottery I'll build an RV as my 2nd plane. Then again, if I win the lottery I think that Lancair has the best looking planes...
NOTE: As I have progressed some of my opinions have changed; rather than replacing the initial impressions with them I just added them to the end, so you can see how things have changed for me.
EASE OF ACTUAL
CONSTRUCTION - The actual building of the plane so far has been pretty straight forward.
Like they say in the advertising, only simple tools and construction techniques.
SPEED OF
CONSTRUCTION - This is the main reason I choose a Zodiac over an RV-6 or an Europa.
Obviously its pretty early to tell, but I'm happy with the progress I've made
considering the somewhat limited time I've had to invest in it so far.
FACTORY SUPPORT -
Only tested this once to date. I faxed a technical question to the factory in
Missouri around 6:00pm their time (they close at 4:30 I believe), and got a fax back
around 9:00am the next morning.
I still agree with the first two items. As far as factory support goes, I have contacted them probably eight times or so, either by fax or email. They have responded back quickly all but once. The one time they didn't respond immediately was because they didn't know the answer to my question and had forwarded it to Chris Heintz (the designer).
THE BUILDING
INSTRUCTIONS - Zenith has generated a step-by-step booklet, including pictures, for
building the rudder that is great. This was developed for their 'build a rudder'
introductory package ($300, so you can see if you think you can build the complete plane).
Unfortunately, the other booklet on how to build the entire rest of the plane, including
fabricating all the parts if you didn't buy the kit, is actually smaller than this rudder
book. By about a factor of two. Don't get me wrong, the plans (blue prints) that come with
the kit are complete, but as a first time builder I could use better instructions. Zenair
obviously realized this when it came to the intro rudder kit, but hasn't gone on to
develop this kind of instructions for the rest of the plane. Talking to other builders of
different airplanes (RV's, Europas, etc) this seems to be very common in the kitplane
industry. Zenair is also making some improvements - there is now available a (text only)
document on the internet with some more building details.
THE BUILDING
INSTRUCTIONS - Again. Zenith has only 1 manual for the CH601. It doesn't matter if you
bought the Heavy Duty (HD) option, the Taildragger option, the Tapered wing option, the
Kit or just the plans for scratch building. They give you the 'master' instructions
(described above), and then another book for each option describing (kind of) what is
different in the instructions for that option (plus replacement plans pages). As a result
only about 30% of the instructions still apply to my plane, and those instructions are
often disjointed and confusing. Or at least that's how it seems to me!
The more I work with the blue prints the more respect I have for them. 99.5% of the information needed to build the airframe is in the plans. Of course, it may be spread out over 10 different pages for the wing you're building, but if you look long and close enough you will eventually find it. I now use the (still rather inadequate) construction manual only as a guide, having learned enough from building the tail surfaces to feel I understand what's going on in the plans.
As I reread the first comments above I am struck by how insignificant they seem now. I almost feel that the sometimes lacking parts of the instructions have forced me to really learn how to build a metal plane. The idea of adding an access panel or some sort of bracket to hold some new gadget I've bought no longer scares me. I think if the instructions had been really step-by-step then I would never have learned how to work with the metal, and would still be lost if I needed to do any of these things. Of course, there is still no shortage of things I haven't a clue how to do!
Zenith now has available detailed instructions (like the rudder packet) for the rest of the tail surfaces and the wing, available on the builder's section of their web pages. Obviously I haven't used used them so I can't comment on their usefullness, but this definately seems to be a step in the right direction!
Opinions on the
firewall forward kit for the Stratus engine
(sold by Zenith Aircraft Company)
I have pretty much decided that I wouldn't buy the complete firewall forward kit from Zenith again. Certainly the cowling and engine mount, but I think I could get the rest of the stuff locally. I purchased the kit hoping to avoid having to figure out all the little details myself, but I find I'm still having to do that anyway. For instance, while the kit came with an oil pressure gage and a water temp gage (both necessary in my opinion), it didn't come with senders for either. I asked Zenith what I was supposed to connect them to and they basically said that the gages weren't necessary!?! So I purchased a pressure sender and made a water temp sensor myself.
Another example is the coolant recovery bottle. This (I assume, no directions here) is to be made from the squeeze bottle included in the kit. I didn't like this very small bottle (Stratus and Zenith both call for at least a 2 qt container!) and so bought a recovery bottle kit from a local auto parts store ($6). I also had to buy more radiator hose and fabricate a coupler myself - there is no way the stuff included in the kit is sufficient. None of this cost me much money, but I wonder why I purchased the kit if I am just going to have to go out and figure out/purchase the stuff anyway.
Opinions on the Stratus EA-81 engine/reduction package
As of 11/8/97 I haven't even started the engine yet, so this is pretty much only based on initial impressions from looking at the engine. And it looks nice. All the steel parts are either LPS coated or professionally painted. The reduction unit is made from a very substantial block of aluminum. The bearings for the reduction look very massive. All of the connections, electrical, fuel, water, throttle, choke, primer fittings, etc. were clearly marked. The engine came with several special tools for adjusting the tracking and tension of the dual HTD belts, as well as two warning lights (for low oil pressure and alternator failure), an engine block temp sensor and gage, the 4" prop extension and mounting hardware, and a (short but precise) maintenance manual. I wanted the oil temp sensor and so Stratus sent one to me (no charge).
The engine was ready in Seattle on the date originally promised. I have done all of my communicating with Stratus via email, and they have always responded promptly to my questions.