22 July 2026
+VIDEO Zenith Aircraft has unveiled an intriguing new addition to its popular CH 750 family at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh – a three-seat aircraft that promises to combine genuine cross-country performance with the short-field capability for which the marque is best known.
The new CH 750 Super Cruzer is an all-metal, high-wing kit aircraft featuring a 2+1 seating layout, with two full-size seats up front and a third ‘jump’ seat behind. It’s aimed squarely at recreational pilots who want to travel further and faster than a traditional bush plane without giving up the ability to operate from shorter strips.
Rather than designing a completely new aeroplane, Zenith has taken the rugged fuselage and payload of its STOL CH 750 Super Duty and paired it with a new wing and tail derived from the faster CH 750 Cruzer. The result is an aircraft that retains much of the Super Duty’s utility while offering significantly better cruise performance.
Power for the prototype comes from a standard 180hp Lycoming O-360 turning a three-blade Sensenich propeller. Zenith says initial flight testing has produced cruise speeds of more than 120mph, while the redesigned airframe raises the VNE to 150mph. Additional aerodynamic fairings are expected to improve performance further.
Inside, the Super Cruzer offers a surprisingly spacious 50-inch-wide cabin with large bubble doors and excellent all-round visibility. The prototype also features a centre-mounted Garmin G3X display, leaving useful shelf space in front of both occupants.
Zenith President Sebastien Heintz described the aircraft as a natural evolution of two of the company’s most successful designs.
“The CH 750 Super Cruzer is a natural evolution of the highly successful STOL CH 750 Super Duty and CH 750 Cruzer models,” he said. “It blends utility with more cross-country capability while taking advantage of MOSAIC’s expanded definition of what a Sport Pilot can fly.”
While MOSAIC is a US regulation, the concept will also be of interest to UK pilots, where many owners are looking for aircraft that offer greater carrying capability and touring comfort without moving into certified types.
Zenith test pilot Roger Dubbert said the prototype behaved exactly as expected from its first flights, with balanced handling that should feel immediately familiar to GA pilots while still retaining impressive STOL performance.
Homebuilders will appreciate the Super Cruzer shares much of its structure with the existing Super Duty, allowing Zenith to offer a match-drilled kit using the company’s familiar blind-rivet construction.
The manufacturer estimates a build time of less than 400 hours, with orders now being accepted and deliveries due to begin shortly after AirVenture. Buyers can choose engines from 140hp to 230hp, and amphibious float options will also be available.
The Super Cruzer won’t replace the existing CH 750 models, but instead fills the gap between a traditional STOL machine and a cross-country tourer. For pilots who occasionally want to carry a third passenger—or simply enjoy the extra flexibility of a jump seat—it could prove one of the more interesting kitplane launches of Oshkosh 2026.
