Heath
   
Parasol Model V
Photo: Robert Deering 9/3/2011
Museum of Flight
Seattle, Washington

Heath Parasol Model V

 

The Museum’s Heath Parasol was constructed from a kit designed by Edward Heath in 1926. Heath, son of a machinist, received all his engineering training by trail and error in his family’s machine shop where he constructed his first aircraft. Dealing mostly in aircraft parts, he founded the E.B. Heath Aerial Vehicle Company in Chicago in 1913. Passionate about aviation, Heath had big ideas about making the costly hobby of flying affordable to the average American. World War I briefly derailed his attempts at marketing an inexpensive, light plane to Americans and he worked for several years dealing surplus government and military planes and engines.

 

After renaming his company the Health Airplane Company, Heath returned to his idea of the affordable plane in 1925, with designer Claire Linstead. The two produced the Tomboy in 1925, in which Heath competed and won the light planes events at the National Air Races in Philadelphia in 1926. Using his winnings from National Air Races, Heath and Linstead produced the Parasol: a single seat, high-wing monoplane with a 27-horsepower Henderson motorcycle engine. Heath quickly discovered that the Parasol was an affordable, reliable light plane that he could market to the average American. He began selling the Parasol in a variety of forms: fully constructed and operational, fully constructed minus the engine, disassembled in kits (kits were divided into 11 groups—each purchased separately) and just basic blueprints of aircraft that customers could use to build a Parasol from scratch.

 

Heath achieved his goal: Parasols quickly became popular and he sold nearly 1,000 kits and at least 50 fully assembled aircraft. Tragically, he was killed in 1931 piloting a new low-wing test model Parasol. He is remembered as a pioneer in homebuilt aircraft and was the first American to successfully market and sell the homebuilt airplane kit.

 

SPECIFICATIONS: PERFORMANCE:
Span:  7.62m / 25ft Maximum speed:  112.63km/h
Length:  5.11m / 17ft Cruising speed:  90.1km/h / 56mph
Height:  1.73m / 6ft Range:  321.8km / 200miles
Empty Weight:  117.94kg / 260lbs Service ceiling: 
Gross Weight:  254.02kg / 560lbs  
Crew: 
Engines:  One 27 h.p. henders motorcycle engine
   
SOURCE:  Museum of Flight   

Heath Aircraft

 

Edward Bayard Heath (November 17, 1888 – November 1, 1931) was an American Aircraft engineer.

 

Heath designed and built a series of aircraft starting in 1909 with a Bleriot inspired monoplane. His first flight was on 10 October 1909 in Amsterdam, New York resulting in a broken landing gear. On July 4, 1910 Heath made $500 in appearance fees and $200 in photograph revenues from his aircraft that flew a 3 feet above the ground.

 

In 1911 Heath went to work for Glen Curtiss in Hammondsport, New York as a motorcycle mechanic, next to the Curtiss aircraft factory where he built a second aircraft with Walter Eales making short aerial runs. After purchasing the Chicago based Bates Aeroplane in 1912, Heath founded the E.B. Heath Aerial Vehicle Co., later becoming the Heath Airplane Company.

 

His company produced the Heath Feather and Heath Favorite after World War I, and later the Heath Parasol series of aircraft powered with Henderson Motorcycle engines.

 

Heath died on February 1, 1931 in Maine Township, Cook County, Illinois during a test flight of a new low-wing aircraft design.  Heath's company was eventually purchased and after WWII, changed its product to kit electronics. Heathkit filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2012.

 

Source: Wikipedia