We Bought an ABANDONED Airplane For $16,000! Will it Start & Fly After 8 Years?

We just bought an abandoned plane for $16,000 that has been sitting since 2015. Will we be able to save it? Watch us attempt a first start after 8 years. It will be a lot of work to get this plane back in the air, but it will happen. It's a 2006 Zodiak 601XL SLSA factory built by AMD. This plane will make for a big profit flip if we can get it all sorted out on a budget. Oh yea, it has no logbooks or paperwork :)

Check out Larry's channel: @zenvairpilot

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PLEASE NOTE: We are aviation enthusiasts. These videos are for entertainment purposes only. We are NOT qualified to give flying instruction. All of our videos, including this one, have been significantly edited down from the original full length raw footage. Many radio calls, checklist steps, and other procedures have been omitted to keep the videos a reasonable viewing length. Please speak to a CFI with any flying questions you may have.

[fishhead]

32:28 The spider legit made me jump 😂😂

[amillerhighlife]

I was one of the ones bidding against you. Glad you got it, so now I can see what happened to it. Cool little airplane. Want to sell it?

[Foxtrot]

I jumped out of my seat when you made that black widow hit the lens. My heart is still racing, lol

[robtebay]

Everyone needs a Larry in their lives! What a star. He knows every nut, every wire. Great video. Looking forward to part 2!

[MrClickbang]

Without a Larry type in my back pocket, I would NEVER try this! You got the right crew for this job! And kudos to Larry for being open to sharing info and helping! Way to support the plane, Larry!!!

[dhoover]

I’m not a pilot, just a wannabe. I think this is a perfect plane for the both of you. You clearly have the means to be able to afford this risk. If, as I suspect, you’re able to get it airworthy, it will make an excellent time builder for both of you to get you certification. If you use both this and the 172 and take your check ride in the 172, you will be on your way. Good luck and fly safe.

[arturoq]

Congratulations
As a private pilot and ex-owner of an LSA very similar to that one, you are going to have a lot of fun with that airplane
I wish you blue skies and happy and safe flying

[davidheilman]

I am a Small Airplane guy, so this video was great. The length was fine, and content was very good, for me.

Not much of a Jet fan, interesting, but I am turned off by the extreme costs to buy, and maintain a Jet.

And the REGULATIONS for aircraft is suffocating! Sure, Safety is indeed important, but regulations, as in other things, is incredibly confining, and not always for safety reasons.

I do enjoy the search and the finding of Cars and Planes that are Gems that needs some polish and a bit of TLC, and they come back to life. Like this airplane, semi-abandoned, sitting for years, and could be had for a small amount of cash. A Good story with a good ending.

Thumbs up!

[JRGarage]

This dude seems more excited about his $16k LSA than his Citation lol

[scottcol]

I love the content lately. Keep up the great work. $16k for a factory built certified plane that is airworthy is an amazing deal. And being from 2006, its avionics should not be super outdated. Great buy!

[adriennefoley]

I like it when you guys do things yourself ….not just hiring people to do the work 👍🏻🔥😎

[vallorahn]

This video brings me hope that I can once own or share own an airplane. It being priced as used Toyota is really inspiring. Thanks for sharing the experience up until the engine start, its really nice and relaxing to watch a video that does not leave some anxiety-enducing cliffhanger in the end.

[stevewatkins]

I’m not a gambler…but I am a risk taker like you guys! Nothing ventured…nothing gained! And you’re having a blast! Keep up the great content and God bless you in 2024!

[Davidutube]

Hey guys, not to diminish your other videos, but this one is probably one of the best. Very entertaining and fun to watch! Can't wait for part 2...

[povlrueger]

Fricken got me with that spider. Almost fell outta my desk chair.

[jamiehworkman]

This was fun to watch! Hope repairs and upgrades go smoothly and you’re in the air with it soon. $16k seems like a great deal.

[jsmutny]

Congrats on the purchase, very comfortable airplanes. You mentioned wanting to do upgrades a number of times in your video. Remember that SLSA aircraft are certificated under ASTM standards which REQUIRE a Letter of Authorization from the manufacturer for any deviation from original equipment or repairs that are not specifically described in the aircraft maintenance manuals. While the new AMD is supporting these 601's, you might want to consider moving yours to an ELSA. There would be two benefits in doing that, first you could deviate from original equipment. Second, after taking a 16 hour course getting your Light Sport Repairman - Inspection (LSRI), you could perform your own maintenance including the Condition Inspection. Good luck! Will enjoy watching your videos.

[duanekauffman]

Another trick you could have done was taken two 2x6’s and bolted them down across on the front of the trailer with them sticking over the edge enough for the wheels to sit on and with enough gap for the wheels to sit between them and strapped them down good and tight. Food for thought on your next purchase. I just picked up a Stinson from Missouri to Michigan and had to modify the trailer with that method and worked great. Great find!!!!

[hmtechsvc]

God bless you Larry! (the real MVP!) This was by far the best origin story on YT! Cant wait for the updates!

[RedNeckWelding]

Great content, I love the Zenith. I’m building a Zenith 701 and resurrected a Grumman Traveler last year that had sat in New Jersey for 11 years. Now I’m enjoying flying the Grumman after nearly 400 hours of restoration work. Looking forward to following this project.