Friends Enjoy a Different Kind of ‘Bar Hopping’ in Their Zenith LSAs

Zenith STOL flyers introduce a friend to landing on gravel bars.

Dan Pimentel

Friday, September 02, 2022 at 06:10 AM ET

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Curt Thompson chose a unique paint scheme for his plans-built Zenith CH701 Clownfish Plane. [Courtesy: Terry Green]

Key Takeaways:

Four Washington state LSA pilots embarked on "The Great Gravel Gaggle" to introduce a new pilot, Curt Thompson, to the thrill of gravel bar landings in Zenith STOL aircraft.
Thompson's first gravel bar landing emphasized safety, with experienced pilots checking the site first and a cautious, well-documented approach.
The article highlights the suitability of Zenith aircraft for short-field operations and Thompson's challenging eight-year journey of plans-building his CH701, nicknamed the "Clownfish Plane."
The outing underscored the multiplied fun and camaraderie of sport flying with friends, particularly when engaging in adventurous STOL operations like gravel bar hopping.

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One of the main draws to what we know as “sport flying” is just going out and having fun with your airplane. And when that fun involves more friends who also share your love of flying light sport airplanes, the “fun” aspect is multiplied several times.

So when three LSA pilots from Washington state decided to introduce a fourth sport pilot to the exhilaration that comes from landing on gravel bars in a STOL machine, they named the one-day outing “The Great Gravel Gaggle.”