This video features the original designer, Scott Land back in 1999
The Zing first showed up on the scene when it was introduced at Oshkosh back in 1996 at the peak of the ultralight era. The Zing was designed to fly behind a 30-45 hp engine, the airplane gets off the ground in about 75 feet, lifting off at about 25 mph. With a 32 hp Kawasaki 340 engine it’s not uncommon to see a climb out speed of 45 mph at 900 feet per minute, with cruise coming in at around 60-65 mph depending on your engine and prop combination. The original designer, Scott Land, reports that with the 35 hp Kawasaki 340 Liquid cooled engine he got the best performance. He was swinging an IVO prop with a 2.8:1 reduction drive. Top speed was 75mph at 6650 rpms. His cruise was 60-65mph at 5800 rpms.
Visibility is outstanding and landings are a snap with the aluminum, one piece gear. No nasty habits and a 27mph power on stall give the pilot a safe, secure feeling. Ground steering is very positive with no tendencies to want to ground loop.
The Zing was designed as a sleek ultralight parasol to give the competition a run for their money. With the sleek custom cowling, one piece landing gear, and somewhat large and unique vertical stabilizer, it stands out from the crowd as a show stopper and true winner. Similar to its older brother, the Cloudster, it was designed to fly on low power for those who enjoy low and slow morning flying at minimum cost. The profile fuselage and narrow cowling provide a clean aerodynamic appeal.
The major components of the plane are all wood with various aluminum fittings, landing gear, and aluminum struts. The plane is available as either plans only, full kit or as sub component kits. The airplanes construction is very similar to that of a wood model aircraft, and can be built by anyone using standard hand tools (though more tools are better), in an area as small as a 1 car garage and take 300-450 hours to complete depending on skills, tooling, and work habit. A fast and experienced builder could do it in 300 hours. A typical breakdown may be 60 hours on the fuselage, 10 hours on the landing gear and rigging, 100 hours on the wings, 40 hours on the tail feathers, 20 hours on engine installation and break-in, and 70 hours on covering and painting.
Zing Specifications | |
Dihedral | 1 1/2 deg. |
Incidence | 2 deg. |
Airfoil | Modified Clark Y 14% |
Chord | 56″ |
Tail Span | 80″ |
Cockpit Width (I.D.) | 21.5″ |
Fuselage depth | 18″ |
Fuselage width | 23″ |
Wingspan: | 25′ 6″ |
Wing Area | 117 sq/ft |
Wing Loading | 4.3 lbs./sq. ft. @ 500 lbs gross. |
Length: | 17 ft |
Horsepower: | 28-45 hp |
Fuel Capacity: | 5 gal |
Range: | 115 mi |
Cruise: | 55-65 mph depending on engine and prop |
Top Speed in level flight (vh): | 75 mph |
Calculated Stall Speed | 27 mph |
Actual Stall Speed | 26 – 28 mph |
VNE | 70 mph |
Climb: | 650 ft/min |
Ceiling: | 10,000 ft |
Takeoff Distance: | 160 ft |
Landing Distance: | 200 ft |
Gross Weight: | 500 lbs |
Empty Weight: | 249 lbs w/ Kawasaki 340 |
Useful Load: | 251 lbs |
Build Time (kit) | 350 hrs est. |
Build Time (plans only) | 500 hrs est. |
If you own a Zing, or have photos of a Zing, please contact us to send photos!
Order your new set of plans today! | |||
#120 | Zing Plans | $110 |