Zodiac XL S-LSA at Camarillo

With the Zodiac XL now available as a fully assembled, factory-manucfactured certified Special-Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA), it was important to show the airplane at the Camarillo "Light Sport Tour". Quality Sport Planes arranged to have the factory demo from AMD on loan for three weeks, and we flew it to Southern California for the show.

Although low clouds and rain forced a number of un-scheduled stops on the way there (Paso Robles, Oceano and an overnight at Santa Ynes), the weather on the day of the show was perfect. The flight down was uneventful and demonstrated the cross country capabilities of the Zodiac very nicely: What a view!

The show was well attended and the XL very well received. Pilots were excited to hear that the S-LSA Zodiac XL is now entirely built in the US, including its engine. This is an important consideration when you know that only an A&P can do maintenance and repairs on a factory-built S-LSA... The combination of all-aluminum airframe and Continental O-200 means that practically any aviation mechanic can work on the airplane!

Of the 14 aircraft on display at the show, only two offered demonstration flights; the rest were static displays only. You guessed it: We were one of the two!

Waiting for the ice to melt early in the morning in Santa Ynes; in the company of the locally based STOL CH 701 built by Fred Sanford.

Virtually no one at the airport flew on the following day, due to howling Santa Anna winds. After one last demo flight, we headed home by climbing to 10.000ft and crossing the impressive coastal mountain ranges. The Zodiac handled the crosswinds and gusts beautifully before finding its way to the calmer Central Valley.

The airplane is now back at the factory, in Eastman, GA.

For more information on this remarkable new airplane in the S-LSA market, give us a call at 707-546-6272!

With people crowding around the airplane all day, it wasn't until evening that an unobstructed picture of the Zodiac could be taken...