Zodiac 601 D

The Zodiac 601 D is the odd one out in the Zodiac family: it holds an entirely separate type approval under DAeC data sheet 61144, which lists ROLAND AIRCRAFT as manufacturer and Roland Hauke at Mendig airfield as importer and custodian – so type support is based in Germany. The current edition 12 is dated 4 August 2015, built to airworthiness code BFU 10/95 with supplementary approval under LTF 2003. How closely the 601 D is related structurally to the Canadian series cannot be settled from the data sheets: at 5.68 m long with 12.00 m² of wing area it measurably differs from the CH 601 XL (6.10 m and 12.3 m²). Buyers should therefore treat the 601 D as its own type and not rely on XL documentation.

It is built as an all-metal aluminium low-wing aircraft with a cruciform tail, 8.20 m span, two seats and – unusually – either nosewheel or tailwheel gear. Approved engines are the Rotax 912/UL at 80 hp and the Rotax 912 S/ULS at 100 hp, paired mostly with in-house propellers plus one two-blade unit from Neuform/Rospeller: for the 80 hp engine a 1.68 m composite three-blade, the 1.72 m Neuform/Rospeller two-blade and the Roland CFK V80 (E); for the 100 hp engine the Roland CFK V100 three-blade at 1.72 m and the 2-CFK V100 two-blade at 1.78 m. Fuel is carried in a single 60 l fuselage tank, and BRS, Galaxy GRS 5 and Junkers Magnum High Speed Softpack rescue systems are approved.

Its operating limits stand out from the family: VNE of 243 km/h is higher than any other Zodiac variant listed here, 203 km/h is permitted in strong turbulence, 200 km/h at maximum power, manoeuvring speed is 150 km/h and minimum speed 64 km/h. The split flaps extend to 45 degrees but may only be operated extended up to 105 km/h – an unusually low flap limit that demands discipline on approach. The centre of gravity range runs from 265 mm to 445 mm aft of the wing leading edge, and noise levels fall between 58.0 and 59.9 dB(A) depending on the engine and propeller combination.

Strengths are the high permitted top speed, rugged metal construction, the tailwheel option and – of real practical value – domestic type support that also supplies the propellers. The weaknesses are largely informational: data sheet 61144 contains no performance data at all, no cruise speed, climb rate, takeoff or landing distances or range. The operating manual named in the data sheet, Zodiac CH 601 D / DX, edition June 2005, is not freely available online – it belongs to the aircraft's papers and should be inspected at the seller's. Empty weight likewise counts only "per weighing report"; there is no type value. The 60 l fuselage tank also limits leg length considerably compared with the XL's 90 l of wing tanks.

The 601 D suits pilots looking for a fast, simple metal low-wing with domestic support, perhaps deliberately on a tailwheel. Because reliable performance data only comes from the individual aircraft's paperwork, any inspection must include the valid data sheet, the flight and operating manual, a current weighing report and the documentation for engine, propeller and rescue system.