Builders;
I am looking for a Zenith 601XLB/650 airframe for sale, to have as an in- house test bed and demo aircraft.
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I’m going to use the aircraft for two purposes. First it will allow me to document and share all the details and refinements of an up to date Corvair/Zenith installation, and Second, It will be the demonstrator of an optional retrofit turbocharging system for 2,850cc Zeniths which I have quietly developed over the last few years.
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Above, John McIntire’s 2,850cc Corvair powered 601XLB in my hangar last month. The plane is more than 15 years old, but is in very good shape. This specific aircraft was, at the time of completion, an outstanding example of a ‘by the book’ installation. However, over the years it has had three different owners, who didn’t elect for all the optional updates, and it has some builder choice details that don’t exactly represent how I show people to install the engine. These circumstances are true of most of the Corvair powered Zeniths. In order have an up to date, ‘by the book’ example for builders to follow, the common sense solution is to do a completely fresh installation this fall, and keep the new plane in house.
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Above is a picture of the proof of concept 2,850 turbo kit installed on Vinnie Maggiore’s 750STOL. This plane has been flying for more than two years in this configuration. It is a retrofit onto an existing 2,850 engine. This system was built in my hangar in the spring of 2022 . I intentionally did not publicize the testing. It has a highly unusual configuration of the turbo below the engine, and an innovative methodology of dealing with the lubrication. The flight testing was done out of Vinnie’s airport in New York. It worked very well. The plane gained 24 pounds, but can deliver 150+ HP on take off. There is a lot of remaining work to develop a production kit from this prototype, but it will retain the same basic layout, and remain a retrofit.
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Above, a larger view of the installation. The existence of the project was revealed when Vinnie recently put the plane up for sale. This sparked questions, but it is for sale for the most common of non-mechanical reasons: Vinnie became a father in the fall last year, and as a responsible new family man, he is re-prioritizing some elements of his life. This brings me back to the logic of doing the production turbo development on an in-house plane, here at my airport, Over the years I have had a number of builders like Vinnie make important contributions to my test programs, and it has been greatly appreciated, but the next level will be done with an in house plane.
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Since I already have a very busy schedule with parts production and supervised builds, I am going to partner on this in house plane with my uncle, Gary Coppen. He has his own 4,000sf hangar here at our field, he is a very skilled craftsman, we have built Corvair projects together for more than 25 years, He is comfortably retired, and Gary’s grandchildren are teenagers, so the responsibilities of new parenthood are a memory from the Carter administration.
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Above, photographic proof of how long I have worked with Gary and turbos on Corvairs. This is a 24 year old photograph of a pre-gray hair me, running a fuel flow test on Gary’s Corvair powered Stitts SA-7 Skycoupe. This is the same aircraft we did all my original turbocharging installation flight tests with. Old guard builders will remember seeing this plane with its turbo. my Wagabond, and my original Corvair powered Zenith tail dragger at Sun n Fun in the early 2000’s.
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What I am specifically looking for:
It has to be a 601XLB or a 650 airframe, I don’t want to use a HD or HDS for this project.
I need a complete or 99% complete airframe. We are going to focus on the engine, we don’t have the time to build a kit.
I would prefer the plane having flown, but it doesn’t need to be registered nor have an airworthiness certificate.
If a builder or a family has a flying plane but for liability reasons would like to sell the engine separately and cancel the registration, this will be ideal, I can buy the airframe as simple parts.
I am looking for a working class, well built airframe, but not a show winner nor a technology demonstrator. An unpainted, steam gauge airframe without an interior is in our price bracket. I do not want to make anyone a low offer on a plane with a value above our basic needs.
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If you have such an airframe, or a good lead on one, please contact me, or come see me at my Oshkosh booth. Thank you.
William Wynne
904-806-8143
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