www.ZenVair.com


William Wynne
5000-18 HWY 17 #247
Orange Park, FL 32003


Welcome to ZenVair.com: Home of Corvair Powered Zenith Aircraft


Both the Zenith 601 and 701 models have both flown with Corvair engines. Our own 601XL N1777W was the first Corvair powered Zenith and took flight in May 2004. It rapidly earned the nickname "The ZenVair." Our test pilot drew up a logo that was a combination of the Chevrolet bowtie and the Korean yin-yang, symbol of a perfectly balanced complementary concept.

Our continuous support of Corvairs and the popularity of Zenith Aircraft has led to explosive progress amongst builders. Today, the term ZenVair covers all Corvair powered Zenith aircraft. There are three popular models of 601s: the straight wing HD, the taper wing HDS, and the advanced XL model. All three have flown on Corvair power.

Flying ZenVair 601s


  • ZenVair #16: 601 XL N601KS, Ken Smith, California, lrepilot@yahoo.com, first flight November 29, 2007. Ken attended both our Corvair events at the Cloverdale, Calif., Zenith facility. One of the remarkable aspects to me is that Ken's only been working on his airplane for 18 months. He bought the wing kit from Zenith but chose to scratch build the fuselage. Ken purchased every Corvair installation component in our inventory (Catalog is below), with the exception of the sheet metal cowl, only recently available. His ZenVair is equipped with a 66" Warp Drive prop and an MA3 carburetor. "Thanks to you all for all your help to get to this point," Ken said. We say you're welcome and congratulations.






  • ZenVair #15: 601 XL N47186, Murray Rouse, Iowa, murrayr@sirisonline.com, took to the sky October 2007. Murray's 701 (which is Rotax powered) was recently featured in a series of full page Zenith Aircraft Company magazine advertisements. ZenVair fans should feel free to e-mail Sebastien at seb.heintz@zenithair.com and campaign for the same exposure for Murray's Corvair powered 601.






  • ZenVair #14: 601 N920EL, Charles Leonard, Florida, CLEONARD52@comcast.net, took to the sky June 2007. Charles attended two of our free Corvair Colleges. His aircraft is an outstanding example of personal craftsmanship. First flight on the aircraft was done by Bill Clapp.





  • ZenVair #12: 601 XL tri-gear N618PZ, David Harms, Iowa






  • ZenVair #11: 601 HD tri-gear N998ZZ, Cleone Markwell, Illinois. This aircraft flew 280 hours on a Rotax 912 before undergoing an extensive rework and re-engine with one of our production Corvair engines. Cleone, at right above, and his lovely wife Eleanor are very nice people and hosted a Night School at their hangar in 2005. We stopped in for two house calls during the rebuild, and dispatched Bill Clapp to assist in the return to flight status.






  • ZenVair #10: 601 XL tri-gear N524B, Ben Bradner, Florida. Ben attended one of our free Corvair Colleges. The aircraft had 70+ hours on it by July 2007.





  • ZenVair #8: 601 XL tri-gear N42KP, Rick Lindstrom, California, tigerrick@mindspring.com. N42KP won The Best Custom Built Alternative Power Award at Copperstate 2007. During 2006, Rick built his quick build airframe kit in our hangar. His engine is one of our Dual Fuel 2006 Production Models. The aircraft is based in Northern California. Rick's 6-part series on building it is in the Spring and Summer 2007 editions of Kit Planes magazine. We displayed this aircraft in the Zenith Aircraft Company booth at Sun 'N Fun 2007. First flight on the aircraft was done by Gus Warren. Paint and polish work done by Bill Clapp.






  • ZenVair #7: 601 HDS N601XT, Brandon Tucker, California, btucke73@yahoo.com. Sharp eyes will notice that his plane sports a unique taildragger gear and an XL style canopy. Nice flame paint job on one of our original Nosebowls. Hats off to Brandon.






  • ZenVair #6: 601 HD N518G, Dick Schmidt, Wisconsin, 70+ hours. Dick's airplane is an HD model. Dick built his own engine utilizing almost all of our installation components. We displayed this aircraft in the Zenith Aircraft Company booth at Oshkosh 2007.






  • ZenVair #5: 601 XL tri-gear N42845, Dr. Gary Ray, Michigan, davgray@sbcglobal.net. Dr. Ray's airplane is a kit built XL equipped with one of our shop production engines. The highly polished aircraft also features a full interior and glass cockpit. We displayed this aircraft in the Zenith Aircraft Company booth at Oshkosh 2007.






  • ZenVair #4: 601 XL N601MX, Phil Maxson, New Jersey, pmaxpmax@hotmail.com, 160+ hours. Phil Maxson's plane was displayed in the Zenith Booth at Sun 'N Fun 2006 to great acclaim. He flew the airplane 950 miles back to Florida to attend Corvair College #10. Click on the photo above for highlights from our Corvair Flyer DVD featuring ZenVairs in flight. Final assembly and engine installation done at our shop by the Hangar Gang. First flight on the aircraft was done by Gus Warren. Paint and polish work by Bill Clapp.






  • ZenVair #2: 601 HDS N4399, Greg Jannakos, Georgia, 75 hours. Greg was the first person to fly the HDS model with Corvair power. He built this sharp looking plane from plans. Greg is a graduate of Corvair College # 9.






  • ZenVair #1: 601 XL taildragger N1777W, Florida, 420+ hours. Grace and I with the airplane at Sun 'N Fun 2006. This aircraft flew to Oshkosh to be displayed in the Zenith Aircraft Company booth in 2004, 2005 and 2006. More than 120 people have flown in this aircraft.





    • ZenVair Products

    We put years of research, development and testing, including many hours aloft, into the ZenVair products and accessories we offer. They're designed to make building your project both easier and cost effective, an accomplishment of which we're proud. Here's what we've learned, built and flown:

    New! Corvair/601 Installation Manual - 126 pages$39Picture, description
    Corvair Conversion Manual - 137 pages$59Picture, description
    New! Corvair Flyers DVD I: 45 minutes of Flying planes, tech notes and a brief Corvair overview $25 Photo, video clip
    Disassembly DVD: Identification, Selection and Disassembly of Corvair Engine$25 Description
    Corvair Engine Assembly Part I Now On DVD: Crank Prep, Cam Timing, Case Assembly, Thrust Testing and Recurving Dual Ignition Distributors$29Description
    Corvair Engine Assembly Part 2 Now On DVD: Everything You Need to Know About Pistons, Rods, Cylinders and Their Installation on the Corvair Motor$25Description
    Corvair Engine Assembly Part 3 Now On DVD: Cylinder Heads and Valve Train + Flying Corvairs $25Description
    Manual and/or DVD International S&H (Including Canada)$15 Click for U.S. Manual and DVD rush orders
    CNC-Bent Stainless Intake$269Description
    CNC-Bent Stainless Exhaust$499Description
    Corvair Baffle Kit$299Description, Photos
    Niagara Cooler for Use With Corvair Baffle Kit$239Description, Photos
    New - Oil Top Cover $69Description
    CNC-Cut Alternator Brackets$99Description
    Machined Pulley for Front Alternator Setup$59Picture, Description, Instructions
    Standard Low Profile Front Starter Kit: Brackets, Ring Gear, Fine Tooth Gear and Top Cover.$247Picture, Description, Instructions
    Premium Low Profile Front Starter Kit: Starter complete with Fine Tooth Gear Installed, Brackets, Ring Gear and Top Cover.$456Picture, Description, Instructions
    Machined Ring Gear for use with Low Profile Front Starter System.$99 Picture, Description, Instructions
    Starter Brackets for use with Low Profile Front Starter System.$99Picture, Description, Instructions
    New - not remanufactured - Light Weight Starter Complete with Fine Tooth Gear installed for use with Low Profile Front Starter System.$209Picture, Description
    Fine Tooth Starter Nose Gear for use with Front Starter.$20Picture, Description
    Aluminum, CNC, Light Weight Top Cover. Specially machined to follow exact contours of the case. Will work with front or rear starters.$49Picture, Description, Instructions
    Safety Shaft$76Picture, Description, Instructions
    Hybrid Studs$76Picture, Description, Instructions
    Light Weight, CNC Hydrocut, Deep Sump, Aluminum Oil Pan$269Picture, Description, Instructions
    Oil Pan Installation Kit: Drain Plug, Hardware, Rebent Stock Pickup Tube - Core Required$49 Plus Your Old Pickup CoreDescription, Instructions
    Motor Mount Tray and Spools$149Picture, Description
    Motor Mount For Zenair 601$639Picture, Description
    Fiberglas Nosebowl For Corvair Engine$439Picture, Description
    S&H for Select International Parts Orders (See Descriptions)$25Click also for U.S. Parts Rush Orders
    Warp Drive Ground Adjustable Carbon Fiber Propellers$625 and upPicture, Description
    Sensenich Wood Propellers$725 and upCall Sensenich directly at (813) 752-3711 and talk to Charlie Denny to order. These props are not cheap, but they are very good performers.
    Amsoil ProductsAmsoil Online StoreSynthetic Oil and MoreClick your browser's Back Button to return to this page

    Please Note: The above parts are designed to work and have been flight tested as a system. Occassionally, builders are interested in modifications or other parts that simply will not work with our installation. Some of these parts will not fit, others will not run with our system, some would be dangerous to fly. Many modifications and suggestions are offered by people with zero flight experience in this combination. Play it safe and make your life easier and longer - stick with our flight proven approach.


    Zenith Events


    Many alternative engine companies unfortunately have an antagonistic relationship with airframe manufacturers. Fortunately, the exact reverse is true with us. Although we're entirely separate companies, we enjoy a very close working relationship with the Heintz family. Besides appearing in their booth at Oshkosh and Sun 'N Fun, we have held free Open Houses and technical seminars at each of their major facilities: the factory in Mexico, the Canadian distributorship Can-Zac, and Quality Sportplanes on the West Coast. Both Zenith Test Pilot Roger Davenport and Nick Heintz have flown our ZenVair, Michael Heintz has 18 hours in Rick Lindstrom's ZenVair 601 N42KP, and we enjoy a good relationship with Zenith's Quick Build distributor, Flight Crafters. This close, cooperative work is unprecedented with a major airframe manufacturer, and is one of the main reasons for our success with the combination. Check our www.FlyCorvair.com Web site for upcoming events with Zenith and their related facilities.

    ZenVair 601s On Deck

    The ZenVair 601s On Deck are essentially done, with complete airframes and running engines. They await only minor details or inspection before taking their first flights.

  • CH 601 XL tri-gear, Scott Laughlin, Nebraska

  • 601 XL, Lincoln Probst, Canada

    • ZenVair 601s Getting Close

    The ZenVair 601s Getting Close are largely complete airframes and done engines. Many of these aircraft have had their engine test run or built at Our Hangar. Look to see these planes On Deck shortly.

  • 601 XL tri-gear N714BH, Bill Howerton, Colorado, http://bill.howerton.com/zodiac/zodiac_main.htm

  • 601 XL tri-gear N164SM, Dr. Steve Mineart, Iowa

  • 601 XL, Roger Pritchard, New Hampshire

  • 601 XL, Tom Porter, Illinois

  • 601 N601EL, Scott Thatcher, Florida

  • 601, Fred Roser, Florida

  • 601 XL, Woody Harris, California

  • 601 HDSTD, Gary Boothe, California

  • 601 XL, Rich Vetterli, California, www.geocities.com/stixx5a

    • ZenVair 601s Under Construction

    These ZenVair 601 projects have airframes that run from just delivered Quick Build kits, plans builders in their second year, and kits under way. Many of these builders have a complete and running engine.

  • 601 XL, John and Jean Kearney, North Dakota

  • 601 XL, Doug Eatman, Florida

  • 601 XL, Dr. Andy Elliot, Arizona

  • 601, Gary Thomas, England

  • 601, Mike Clark, Arizona

  • 601 XL, Doug and Steve Dalstrom, Ohio

  • 601 XL, Dick Proos, Tennessee

  • 601 HDS, Paul Chandler, Michigan

  • 601, Marty Chader, Colorado

  • 601 HDS, Eric Tingey, Canada

  • 601 XL, Mark Townsend, Canada

  • 601 XL, Bob Pustell, New Hampshire

  • 601 XL, W.R. "Gig" Giacona, Arkansas, www.peoamerica.net/N601WR

  • 601, Mario Mendoza, Chicago

  • 601, The Gingras Brothers, Florida

  • 601, Randy Culp, Canada

  • 601 XL, Gang Of Three, Oklahoma

  • 601 XL, Louis Kantor and Vince Olson, Missouri

  • 601 XL, Robin Bellach, Arkansas

  • 601 XL, Dino Bortolin, Canada

  • 601 XL, Rodney Mills, Alabama

    • Visit QuickTime to download the movie player

    Search http://www.ZenVair.com using Google
    Google
    WWW http://www.ZenVair.com

    Copyright 2006 William Wynne Web Design by Aviatrix