The Zenair Tri-Z CH 300 is a three-seat

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

homebuilt light aircraft. A single-engined low-winged

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, the CH 300 first flew in 1977, with several hundred kits sold.

Development and design

Zenair ZENITH CH-300 C-FNQI on floats 02

The CH 300 is an enlarged three-seat derivative of the Zenair Zenith CH 200, designed by Chris Heintz in the mid 1970s as the Tri-Zénith.Taylor 1976, p.458. Like the CH 200, it is a low-winged

of all-metal construction with a fixed nosewheel undercarriage, but is larger and more powerful, and is fitted with a rear bench seat capable of accommodating a third adult or two children, and is fitted with a forward sliding canopy. It is designed to be powered by an engine giving between 125 and 180 hp (93 and 134 kW).

Zenair Zenair Ltd is a Canadian kit aircraft producer founded by aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz and based in Midland, Ontario. History The company was founded in 1974 when Heintz started to manufacture Zenith kits from his two-car garage. ...

, ''Zenair pamphlet'', circa 1986. The first example made its maiden flight on 9 July 1977, with over 400 sets of plans sold by 1982. One CH 300, modified with extra fuel tanks and piloted by Robin "Red" Morris, made a non-stop trans-Canada flight between

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is located from Downtown Vancouver. It is the second busie ...

and

Halifax International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime pr ...

on 1–2 July 1978, covering the 2,759 mile (4,440 km) in 22 hours, 44 mins, setting three FAI Class C-1c point-to-point speed records.List of records established by the 'Zenair Tri-Z'
. ''Fédération Aéronautique Internationale''. Retrieved 27 February 2010. Plans for the CH 300 remained on sale in 1999.Taylor 1999, p.535. The Zenair CH 300 formed the basis for the factory built Zenair CH-2000, which first flew in 1993.Taylor 1999, p.401.

Variants

;CH 300 :Basic model with

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

;CH 300 TD :"Taildragger" model with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

Aircraft on display

* Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Specifications (150 hp O-320 engine)

Notes

References