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Edward Heath, born in 1888, received most of his engineering training at Chicago's Lane Technical High School and in the Chester Johnson family machine shop in Amsterdam, New York. It was in the latter where he constructed his first aircraft in 1910. The following year, he purchased a Chicago-based aircraft parts company and renamed it the E. B. Heath Aerial Vehicle Company. 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, though he continued to sell aircraft parts and deal surplus government and military planes and engines. He also operated pilot and maintenance schools, manufactured engines, and developed air racers.
In 1925, after renaming his company the Heath Airplane Company, Heath returned to his idea of the affordable plane, assisted by designer Claire Lindstedt. The two produced the Tomboy racer in 1925, in which Heath competed and dominated the light planes events at the National Air Races in Philadelphia in 1926. Using his race winnings and a stash of Army surplus Thomas-Morse S-4C Scout lower wings, Heath and Lindstedt produced the Parasol: a single seat, high-wing monoplane with a low-cost, 23-horsepower Henderson motorcycle engine.
At last, Heath had 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 (initially for $575), fully constructed minus the engine, disassembled in kits (kits were divided into 11 groups, each purchased separately), and basic blueprints that customers could use to build a Parasol from scratch. Heath achieved his goal, and Parasols quickly became popular. He sold approximately 1,000 kits and on the order of 50 fully assembled aircraft. Tragically, he was killed in 1931 piloting a new low-wing test model monoplane. He is remembered as a pioneer in homebuilt aircraft and was the first American to successfully market and sell the homebuilt airplane kit.
The Museum’s Heath Parasol was constructed from original plans designed by Heath in 1926. Some materials were salvaged from an original fuselage section. The build project occurred at the Museum's Restoration Center and Reserve Collection in Everett, Washington during 1996-2008.
Edward Heath, born in 1888, received most of his engineering training at Chicago's Lane Technical High School and in the Chester Johnson family machine shop in Amsterdam, New York. It was in the latter where he constructed his first aircraft in 1910. The following year, he purchased a Chicago-based aircraft parts company and renamed it the E. B. Heath Aerial Vehicle Company. 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, though he continued to sell aircraft parts and deal surplus government and military planes and engines. He also operated pilot and maintenance schools, manufactured engines, and developed air racers.
In 1925, after renaming his company the Heath Airplane Company, Heath returned to his idea of the affordable plane, assisted by designer Claire Lindstedt. The two produced the Tomboy racer in 1925, in which Heath competed and dominated the light planes events at the National Air Races in Philadelphia in 1926. Using his race winnings and a stash of Army surplus Thomas-Morse S-4C Scout lower wings, Heath and Lindstedt produced the Parasol: a single seat, high-wing monoplane with a low-cost, 23-horsepower Henderson motorcycle engine.
At last, Heath had 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 (initially for $575), fully constructed minus the engine, disassembled in kits (kits were divided into 11 groups, each purchased separately), and basic blueprints that customers could use to build a Parasol from scratch. Heath achieved his goal, and Parasols quickly became popular. He sold approximately 1,000 kits and on the order of 50 fully assembled aircraft. Tragically, he was killed in 1931 piloting a new low-wing test model monoplane. He is remembered as a pioneer in homebuilt aircraft and was the first American to successfully market and sell the homebuilt airplane kit.
The Museum’s Heath Parasol was constructed from original plans designed by Heath in 1926. Some materials were salvaged from an original fuselage section. The build project occurred at the Museum's Restoration Center and Reserve Collection in Everett, Washington during 1996-2008.
