NEW BOOK RELEASED BY AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER CHRIS HEINTZ
Press Release: For Immediate Release
(February 18, 2010)
(February 18, 2010)
Chris Heintz is one of the most prolific light aircraft designers of our times. For forty years, he relentlessly pursued a single unwavering goal: to offer individuals the information and means to build their own personal aircraft. Carried by a pioneering spirit and uncommon determination, Heintz introduced numerous innovations to the industry while offering a large number of varied designs for both homebuilders and sport pilots.
Designer of several of the most popular kitplanes on the market today, he also engineered fully acrobatic designs as well as a unique line of legal ultralights. While his designs hold a number of world records, one of his most remarkable accomplishments is the successful certification of his own standard-category aircraft design, the CH 2000. In addition, more and more of his high-performance STOL designs are used around the world every year, for humanitarian and/or utilitarian purposes… Much of this vast experience is now available in a much-awaited new book: Flying on Your Own Wings – A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design.
Since his first prototype, Heintz has offered construction drawings and instructions on how to build his various two and four-seat aircraft designs; Zenair, the company he founded in 1974, was a pioneer in the kit business and one of the first to offer complete pre-manufactured airframe kits (now common in the business). Heintz popularized sheet-metal as a choice building method for home-built aircraft (most designs were fabric-covered wood or steel-tubing structures at the time) and first proposed the use of corrosion-resistant and flexible 6061-T6 aluminum alloy for light plane structures; he also introduced blind-rivets as a primary assembly method. Both innovations have now been taken up by numerous other light airplane makers, kit manufacturers as well as factory assembled light sport aircraft (LSA).
Trademark features of all his designs are simplicity, sturdiness and affordability. Chris Heintz designs may not be known for their sleek looks and smooth contours, yet they are easy to assemble with basic hand-tools, functional and comfortable, and each offers pilots great visibility and performances – all “essentials” on Heintz’ list of high priorities. That thousands of pilots fly his planes today in over 48 different countries is ample evidence that many others share the same values. Many have become familiar with Heintz through his previously published articles in the EAA’s Light Plane World magazine (today, “the Experimenter”).
Heintz has persistently promoted grass roots aviation throughout his career: He was a regular presenter of Forums at AirVenture (Oshkosh) and Sun’n Fun from the early seventies until his retirement in 2008. He developed a reputation for being able to clearly explain design and engineering concepts to the average amateur builder / recreational pilot… A pioneer of “how-to” Workshops in aviation, he and his staff for years spent their days at large fly-ins showing the public how to make airplane parts and how to assemble them – this culminated in their “plane-in-a-week” challenges in which they completely assembled one of their standard kits during a seven-day show (and flew it on the last day!). To this day, they are the only ones to have done it – and they did it four different times! The hands-on workshop tradition continues today with Zenith Aircraft Co. hosting monthly events at its Missouri-based kit manufacturing facility.
Heintz has also been very influential at the administrative/regulatory level of recreational aviation. He almost single-handedly drafted the Canadian Ultralight regulations (which a few years later, became the basis for the LSA regulations adopted by the US). To this day, Heintz continues to work with the FAA (and CAA’s around the world). Recently, Heintz’s Upgrade Package kit to “beef up” his popular Zodiac XL design was accepted as a fleet-wide recommendation by the FAA; Heintz continues to preach far and wide about the importance of building, maintaining and operating any aircraft properly and safely…
In all his projects, Heintz’ genius has been in keeping things simple and manageable; he is known for being able to articulate the essence of any aeronautical issue as much as for not mincing his words. Heinz now brings this same succinct clarity to his new book, Flying on Your Own Wings, a summary of his life-long calling to design light sport aircraft. Heintz discusses the engineering involved in designing light aircraft in easy-to-follow laymen’s terms; essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand light aircraft such as the newly introduced PiperSport, also based on a Heintz design. Chapters in the book cover such topics as the Mathematics involved, Aerodynamics and Air Loads and Structural Stress Analysis. Heintz even “walks” readers through a Sample Design and the fundamentals of Flight Testing.
While this book is bound to become a classic for light-plane designers (from seasoned aeronautical engineers to amateur enthusiasts); it will also, however, provide average kit-builders valuable insights into why aircraft structures are the way they are. In addition, the ample biographical information, aviation related anecdotes as well as Heintz’ musings and life philosophy should also make the book an appealing read for any light aircraft owner/pilot.
Designer of several of the most popular kitplanes on the market today, he also engineered fully acrobatic designs as well as a unique line of legal ultralights. While his designs hold a number of world records, one of his most remarkable accomplishments is the successful certification of his own standard-category aircraft design, the CH 2000. In addition, more and more of his high-performance STOL designs are used around the world every year, for humanitarian and/or utilitarian purposes… Much of this vast experience is now available in a much-awaited new book: Flying on Your Own Wings – A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design.
Since his first prototype, Heintz has offered construction drawings and instructions on how to build his various two and four-seat aircraft designs; Zenair, the company he founded in 1974, was a pioneer in the kit business and one of the first to offer complete pre-manufactured airframe kits (now common in the business). Heintz popularized sheet-metal as a choice building method for home-built aircraft (most designs were fabric-covered wood or steel-tubing structures at the time) and first proposed the use of corrosion-resistant and flexible 6061-T6 aluminum alloy for light plane structures; he also introduced blind-rivets as a primary assembly method. Both innovations have now been taken up by numerous other light airplane makers, kit manufacturers as well as factory assembled light sport aircraft (LSA).
Trademark features of all his designs are simplicity, sturdiness and affordability. Chris Heintz designs may not be known for their sleek looks and smooth contours, yet they are easy to assemble with basic hand-tools, functional and comfortable, and each offers pilots great visibility and performances – all “essentials” on Heintz’ list of high priorities. That thousands of pilots fly his planes today in over 48 different countries is ample evidence that many others share the same values. Many have become familiar with Heintz through his previously published articles in the EAA’s Light Plane World magazine (today, “the Experimenter”).
Heintz has persistently promoted grass roots aviation throughout his career: He was a regular presenter of Forums at AirVenture (Oshkosh) and Sun’n Fun from the early seventies until his retirement in 2008. He developed a reputation for being able to clearly explain design and engineering concepts to the average amateur builder / recreational pilot… A pioneer of “how-to” Workshops in aviation, he and his staff for years spent their days at large fly-ins showing the public how to make airplane parts and how to assemble them – this culminated in their “plane-in-a-week” challenges in which they completely assembled one of their standard kits during a seven-day show (and flew it on the last day!). To this day, they are the only ones to have done it – and they did it four different times! The hands-on workshop tradition continues today with Zenith Aircraft Co. hosting monthly events at its Missouri-based kit manufacturing facility.
Heintz has also been very influential at the administrative/regulatory level of recreational aviation. He almost single-handedly drafted the Canadian Ultralight regulations (which a few years later, became the basis for the LSA regulations adopted by the US). To this day, Heintz continues to work with the FAA (and CAA’s around the world). Recently, Heintz’s Upgrade Package kit to “beef up” his popular Zodiac XL design was accepted as a fleet-wide recommendation by the FAA; Heintz continues to preach far and wide about the importance of building, maintaining and operating any aircraft properly and safely…
In all his projects, Heintz’ genius has been in keeping things simple and manageable; he is known for being able to articulate the essence of any aeronautical issue as much as for not mincing his words. Heinz now brings this same succinct clarity to his new book, Flying on Your Own Wings, a summary of his life-long calling to design light sport aircraft. Heintz discusses the engineering involved in designing light aircraft in easy-to-follow laymen’s terms; essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand light aircraft such as the newly introduced PiperSport, also based on a Heintz design. Chapters in the book cover such topics as the Mathematics involved, Aerodynamics and Air Loads and Structural Stress Analysis. Heintz even “walks” readers through a Sample Design and the fundamentals of Flight Testing.
While this book is bound to become a classic for light-plane designers (from seasoned aeronautical engineers to amateur enthusiasts); it will also, however, provide average kit-builders valuable insights into why aircraft structures are the way they are. In addition, the ample biographical information, aviation related anecdotes as well as Heintz’ musings and life philosophy should also make the book an appealing read for any light aircraft owner/pilot.