ZENAIR HISTORY – A Man and his Dream
Chris Heintz was barely out of his teens when he was first introduced to the magic of flight. It was just a quick introductory flight in a two-seat aircraft in his native France, but that was all it took! From that point on, his big dream was to design and build airplanes that anyone could own and fly! This was in the late 1950s and that first flight (“Young Eagles” of the time) set the stage for Chris' long and successful career as a light aircraft designer on two continents.
Chris completed his professional aeronautical training at one of Europe's most prestigious engineering schools, the ETA in Zurich, Switzerland. His first job as an aeronautical engineer found him at Aerospaciale, as a member of the top-level design team working on the Concord jetliner. The experience was of great personal value to Chris, but the supersonic Concorde was not the "fun and affordable" aircraft Chris longed to design for week-end fliers... As a next step, Chris accepted a position with Avion Pierre Robin, a well-established and reputable manufacturer of wood & fabric low-wing aircraft (Jodels). Within a few years Chris had designed two new all-metal designs that would be produced for many years to come. Thousands of these aircraft (HR 100 and HR 200) would eventually find their way into aeroclubs throughout Europe! This was getting closer to Chris' original dream, but at that point, flying in Europe became more and more controlled and restricted, while at the same time, the company (spurred by its success), asked for ever larger and faster designs from Chris who was head of the engineering department by then... |
For Chris, the "every-man" airplane could be neither large nor fast; the time had therefore come to look elsewhere. Having designed and built his own personal two-seater (the Zenith) during his spare time at Avion Robin, and having noted the keen interest in fellow pilots who saw it and flew it, he recognized an opportunity. Shortly thereafter, Chris and his wife sold everything they owned and took their five children and the Zenith to Canada - a land of fewer rules and many pilots...
|
On arriving in Canada in January 1973, Chris worked for two years at DeHavilland (Downsview) on the design team for the Dash-7 (tail section). While there, he noticed a number of employees with a particularly elevated passion for aviation. After work, they would still meet to tinker, design, build, and even fly their own creations! The group had formal meetings: it was the local Chapter of the EAA...
Along with the prototype CH 200, Chris attended his first Oshkosh Fly-In that summer. The high level of interest in the Zenith greatly inspired him and he immediately began translating the drawings and manuals for the aircraft. It wasn't long before plans owners called to ask about the availability of parts, so Chris started cutting and bending aluminum parts in the basement of his family home in Richmond-Hill; his good friend Gerry Boudreau fabricated welded steel assemblies in his own shop in Bolton, ON. When Chris' basement got too crowded, he re-assembled a recycled two-car garage in the backyard (see photos).
|
|
Within a year Chris and Gerry had both outgrown their garages, so rented a commercial building in the town of Nobleton, midway between the two. This would be home to Zenair for the next ten years, and the birthplace for the CH 100 series, the CH 300 and the Zipper ultralight series. Wooden Zenair propellers were manufactured there as well as the first all-aluminum Zenair floats. The first CH 600 was built there, as was the prototype STOL CH 701. Things were tight with all these things happening under one roof!
With the advent of new ultralight regulations in Canada which allowed the manufacturing of ready-to-fly aircraft, it was time to look for a new, larger home, preferably on an airport so that newly finished aircraft could be test flown on site… A site as found on the Huronia Airport and Chris set out to design and build the main building which has been home to Zenair ever since.
From the start, Zenair's mission has remained true to its founder's dream: To offer a range of simple and affordable aircraft for recreational pilots. Spanning 40 years, Zenair has produced kits for single-seat aircraft, two, three and four-seat aircraft, low-wing and high-wing designs, ultralights, and most recently, certified VLA and LSA aircraft.
From the start, Zenair's mission has remained true to its founder's dream: To offer a range of simple and affordable aircraft for recreational pilots. Spanning 40 years, Zenair has produced kits for single-seat aircraft, two, three and four-seat aircraft, low-wing and high-wing designs, ultralights, and most recently, certified VLA and LSA aircraft.
Nowadays, Chris Heintz is happily retired. He completed his long list of remarkable first-hand contributions to light aviation with a book, “Flying on Your Own Wings”. In it, following the noble adage that it is better to teach someone to fish than to just sell him a fish, he candidly shares his aeronautical knowledge on how to successfully design a light aircraft. With this approach, is it any wonder that more and more all-aluminum designs keep appearing; that Chris’ use of blind rivets (first used in his early European designs) is now common-place in the industry, and that many of his unique design features can be found on many other aircraft (i.e. center “Y” stick)?
With Chris no longer involved in the company, Zenair Ltd. – under the leadership of Chris’ sons – continues to develop, manufacture and sell Heintz-designed airframe and float kits around the world; the company’s newest model is the CH 750 CRUZER, a sleek new light sport aircraft just introduced last year…
With Chris no longer involved in the company, Zenair Ltd. – under the leadership of Chris’ sons – continues to develop, manufacture and sell Heintz-designed airframe and float kits around the world; the company’s newest model is the CH 750 CRUZER, a sleek new light sport aircraft just introduced last year…
.
More on Chris Heintz: http://www.zenithair.com/c-heintz.html
|
Today, Zenair is now one of the most experienced and well-established light aircraft kit manufacturers in the world, with many kits now also produced in the USA by Zenith Aircraft Company. Throughout the world, you can call any one of the company's 20+ representatives to take advantage of Zenair's unmatched expertise and experience! It’s easy to see why so many have already chosen a "Zenair"; over 10,000 happy kit builders can’t be wrong!