Over 50 Aircraft Designed by Chris Heintz Convene in
Oshkosh
By Maxine Scheer
EAA designated July 25, 2011 as the Official Chris Heintz Day
and over 50 owners and builders of the aircraft he designed
convened at AirVenture this week to honor Chris and be part of the
world’s largest gathering of experimental aircraft. Through
the company he started, literally in his garage, Zenair Ltd., Chris
has introduced more than twelve successful kit aircraft designs
that are estimated to have produced more than 800 aircraft
presently flying around the world in 48 different countries.
Chris came to Oshkosh from France, where he is retired to meet with
dozens of aircraft builders at Conocco Phillip’s Plaza,
surrounded by gleaming models of his legacy, now known as Zenith
Aircraft.
An accomplished aeronautical engineer, Chris worked for
Aerospatiale on the supersonic Concorde jetliner, and later became
chief engineer at Avions Robin (France) where he designed several
fully-certified two and four seat all-metal production
aircraft.
Chris’ four sons have taken over the business and ANN had
the opportunity to talk with son Sebastian Heintz, Zenith
President, about his father’s accomplishments and the
company’s role in the kit building world. “Today was
special for my dad and we appreciate the gesture of EAA in
recognizing his accomplishments. Chris is a teacher at heart and
his love is to teach people how to build an airplane, especially
those who think they can’t. It made his day when a customer
called to say that they had their first flight in their aircraft
that day.”
Sebastian described how he and his brothers were running the
business together, while living in different parts of the world.
“Our vision for the company is simple, as dad did a great job
in setting things in motion. Our job is to keep in going, which in
aviation is always a challenge. But we see that the desire to
fly is there and we want to continue to provide simple designs that
keeps flying affordable.” He also credited CNC technology as
significantly accelerating the time it takes for the average
aircraft builder to complete their aircraft.
Sebastian described how all of the parts of the Zenith kits are
produced at the company’s headquarters in Central Missouri at
the airport in a town called Mexico.
Larry Zepp
Praise for Heintz design quality, buildability and ease of
flying were echoed by a number of Zenith owners and builders that
attended the award ceremony. Larry Zep, who identified
himself as a representative from EAA Chapter 2 in Fort Wayne, IN,
was studying the completed Zenith Zodiac CH 650B. “I am
building a Zodiac CH 650B and I chose a Zenith aircraft because
they are easy to build and great to fly. I get a lot of help
from Zenith and watch the DVDs from their home-build help. I
estimate this aircraft will take maybe 500-600 man hours vs.
thousands for most other aircraft. Once you get used to the
construction, and trust the plans, then it moves
fast.” Larry also chose Zenith because of how
they structured their purchases, where he was able to buy sections
of the kit vs. buying it all at once.
Sebastian noted that the main difference today versus 20 years
ago is that the average person can still build an airplane and
maintain a life. He estimated that it typically takes 1 year
to build a Zenith today vs. twenty-years ago when it was 3 or 4
years. He also speculated that kit completion ratios are much
higher.
For those interested in learning more about Zenith Aircraft,
representatives can be found in the North Aircraft Display Area,
Booth 640 and 641. Located nearby are the 50+ Zenith aircraft
that flew in for the events to honor Chris Heintz. More
information can also be found on their website.