Zodiac CH 650

The Zodiac CH 650 is the evolution of the CH 601 XL: it replaced the Zodiac XL at Zenith Aircraft, and by December 2011 one hundred examples had been completed and flown. For the German ultralight market the relevant version is the CH-650 E, whose DAeC data sheet 61196.2 was first issued on 15 December 2011 and lists Zenair Ltd. in Ontario as manufacturer and type custodian. Alongside it, the CH-650 Ei is treated as a type of its own and is built by I.C.P. srl in Castelnuovo Don Bosco near Asti, Italy. Listings written as "650e" refer to this series; the data sheet calls it "CH-650 E". All technical data listed here comes from data sheet 61196.2 for the CH-650 E; for an Ei, check the figures against its own data sheet and the aircraft's papers.

Geometrically the 650 stays close to the XL: an all-metal aluminium low-wing aircraft with an 8.20 m span, 12.3 m² of wing area, 6.10 m length, cruciform tail, fixed tricycle gear, two side-by-side seats and 472.5 kg maximum takeoff weight with a rescue system. Power comes from the Rotax 912 S/ULS/ULSFR at 100 hp with the same five approved three-blade propellers as the XL. The CH 650 E carries 2 × 45 l in aluminium wing tanks; what tankage an Italian Ei has must be taken from its own data sheet and cannot be inferred from 61196.2.

The most important difference from the XL is structural – though documented for the US CH 650 B kit model: for that aircraft the manufacturer cites a stronger airframe, a new swept-back tail design and a new canopy system with more headroom, improved ventilation, better visibility and added roll-over protection. The German approvals, by contrast, cover factory-built aircraft from Zenair and I.C.P., not the US kit. Whether and in what form those reinforcements are present in a specific German example has to be established from the data sheet and flight manual – the structural question does not simply disappear because the fuselage says "650".

German operating limits match the XL: VNE 224 km/h CAS, manoeuvring speed 146 km/h, flap limit 130 km/h, minimum speed 63 km/h CAS and a noise level of 57.5 to 59.9 dB(A) depending on propeller. The data sheet does not state cruise speed, climb rate or takeoff and landing distances. The only documented performance figures belong to the US kit model at 1,320 lb (900 ft/min climb, 550 ft takeoff distance, 656 miles range) and do not apply to the lighter German ultralight version. Anyone comparing performance should ask the seller or type custodian to show the figures in the actual flight manual.

Strengths are the newer development stage of a proven Zodiac formula, rugged riveted construction, solid touring ability for a metal ultralight and – on the Ei – European production. Weaknesses: the 650 appears far less often than the XL on the German used market, which keeps choice small and comparison difficult; empty weight appears in the data sheet only "per weighing report", so real useful load can only be read from an individual aircraft's papers, and performance data is absent from the data sheet altogether. The CH 650 is therefore the right pick for buyers who like the Zodiac formula and want a younger, well-documented aircraft.