Zenair CH2000 info for those interested or curious

[Rick Junkin]

I've had several people here ask about our CH2000, usually something like "what the heck is a CH2000", and one person thought other folks would be interested and recommended I post the info. So here it is.

The CH2000 was derived from the Zenith CH640 homebuilt and was produced by Aircraft Manufacturing and Development (AMD) as a normal category certified airplane for a number of years, ending around 2006 when the economy tanked. It is still supported by Zenair our of Canada. The airplane is pretty much a low wing C152 with better performance and a much bigger and better equipped cockpit with excellent visibility. It’s a decent primary and instrument trainer but it’s very sensitive in pitch trim in that small movement of the trim wheel imparts a much larger pitch trim change than a Cessna. It’s fine once a new pilot gets used to it. Pretty low wing loading so it does require full time attention. Ours is the Alarus configuration and is equipped for instrument training. No autopilot and not a good hands-off flyer so using it for instrument training encourages a good instrument crosscheck and excellent preflight preparation/cockpit organization to minimize heads down time.

It has well-behaved stall characteristics with the fat wing. Vs is 48KIAS and Vso is 30KIAS with full flaps, but I typically use half flaps and 40KIAS. The split flaps are more effectively drag devices than lift devices and I don't use more than half flaps for normal ops, but can be 2,000’  AGL on less than 1 mile final and put it on the numbers on speed with full flaps if needed. No flaps for takeoff, using flaps increases the takeoff roll.

It climbs Vy of 65KIAS and ~750fpm at full gross and 1,000’DA and and cruises 90KIAS @2600RPM and 6.5gph. I plan for 105KTAS for cruise at 6,000MSL. Redline is 2800RPM.

I haven’t taken anyone through primary training yet but have done quite a number of introductory flights for friends and their kids and they’ve all done well with it. I’ve used it to conduct a few flight reviews and the guys who flew it liked it too. It's a very simple and fun to fly airplane.

Ours is a 2004 and was owned by a flight school most of its life so took some abuse for its first 1400 hours or so, but the airplane is still solid. I'll qualify solid a bit - it has a homebuilt feel to it. That isn't a bad thing at all, just different. It's lighter on the controls and feels more responsive than other typical trainers, and the interior appointments are very simple and basic. The engine was IRAN'd for sudden stoppage at about 1250 hours (not your typical prop strike, a student ran it into a snow bank) and the cylinders were overhauled and chromed right before we bought it. We upgraded the GNS430W and added a GTX335 and a JPI900 with all the sensors for use in teaching good engine management in primary training. We have the best instrumented O-235 around. :-)

For those interested more info can be found at www.newplane.com.

Cheers,
Rick

 

 

Original panel configuration

 

New panel configuration with JPI EDM900

 

Lots of shoulder room and easy in and out with the gull wing doors

 

Size relative to my Bravo.

 

[carusoam]

Interesting…

Start with the Alarus, move up to the Mooney when ready… 

I like the stall speed Vso… that’s amazing!

Landing roll-out must be nicely contained.

Thanks for sharing the details Rick.

It looks like a fast plane… until somebody puts a Mooney next to it…

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Igor_U]

 

Rick,

Thanks for the writeup.

Designer Chris Heintz was certainly different then others. Does it has hinge-less ailerons like some of his experimental planes or is more conventional?

 

[carusoam]

Note came in for Rick… @Junkman

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

Wow, That's exactly the avionics stack I put in my project Cessna.