Zenair Ltd is a Canadian

kit aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

producer founded by

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

Chris Heintz and based in

Midland, Ontario Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Located at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region ...

History

The company was founded in 1974 when Heintz started to manufacture Zenith kits from his two-car garage. Heintz has introduced more than twelve kit aircraft designs. In 1992, Heintz licensed the kit manufacturing and marketing rights to

Zenith Aircraft Company Zenith Aircraft Company is a designer, developer and manufacturer of kit aircraft. History The independent, privately owned company was formed in 1992 in Mexico, Missouri, and is based in 20,000+ sq. ft. production facilities at Mexico Memori ...

for the

STOL CH 701 The Zenith STOL CH 701 and CH 750 are a family of light, two-place kit-built STOL aircraft designed by Canadian aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz through his Midland, Ontario, based company, Zenair. The CH 701 first flew in 1986 and ...

and the ZODIAC CH 601 designs, and has developed the new

STOL CH 801 The Zenith STOL CH 801 is a four-seat sport STOL aircraft developed by Chris Heintz and available in kit form from the Zenith Aircraft Company.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, Decembe ...

and the new ZODIAC XL for Zenith Aircraft Company. In 1996, Chris Heintz and Zenair Ltd. obtained FAA type-certification for the Zenith CH 2000, a two-seat low-wing aircraft based on his kit aircraft designs.

Aircraft Manufacturing and Design Aircraft Manufacturing and Design Co. (AMD) is a manufacturer of three aircraft- the AMD Alarus, Alarus CH2000, the AMD Zodiac, Zodiac CH601, and the AMD Patriot, Patriot 150. The CH2000 is a two-seat, single engine aircraft used primarily for ...

(AMD) manufactures this aircraft as the AMD Alarus CH 2000. AMD also produces the CH 601 XL as a

Light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

(LSA). In October 2012, four French universities selected the Zodiac CH 650B as their instructional aircraft. In France, where the CH 650 is semi-certified in the CNSK category, the kit aircraft can be assembled by amateurs and still be used by Aeroclubs and schools for flight training and banner-towing purposes. Zenair Limited on November 15, 2012 announced that its FAA type-certificated

CH 2000 CH, Ch, cH, or ch may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Television channel (sometimes abbreviated as "ch." for television and cable stations) * ''Chaos;Head'', a video game * '' Clone Hero'', a clone game version of popular rhythm game series ' ...

trainer will be assembled in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, South America by a joint venture involving the Peruvian armed services, the University of Perunas and SEMAN, a local aeronautical facility. Negotiations to structure the long-term program have been ongoing for the past year, with Zenair staff traveling to Lima and a contingent of Peruvian decision-makers visiting the Ontario-based factory. Company founder Chris Heintz died on 30 April 2021, at his home in France at age 82.

Aircraft

* Zenair Cricket - Kit * Zenair Zipper * Zenair Zipper II *

Zenair CH 50 The Zenair CH 50 Mini-Z is a single-seat light aircraftTaylor 1993, p.906 built by Chris Heintz in Canada in the late 1970s.Taylor 1984, p.526 Heintz sold plans and kits of many of his designs through his company Zenair for amateur constr ...

Mini Z *

Zenair CH 100 The Zenair Mono-Z CH 100 is a single-seat, single-engined Canadian light aircraft of the 1970s, that was designed by Chris Heintz. It is a smaller version of the Zenair CH 200 with a less powerful engine, which was sold as a homebuilt aircraft b ...

Mono-Z * Zenair CH 150 Acro-Z *

Zenair CH 180 The Zenair CH 180 Super Acro-Z is an aerobatic light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 3 ...

Super Acro-Z *

Zenair CH 200 The Zenair Zenith CH 200 and CH 250 are a family of Canada, Canadian single-engined homebuilt aircraft, homebuilt light aircraft. It is a low-winged single engine monoplane, that was first flown in France in 1970, with kits being made by the Canad ...

Zenair CH 250 The Zenair Zenith CH 200 and CH 250 are a family of Canadian single-engined homebuilt light aircraft. It is a low-winged single engine monoplane, that was first flown in France in 1970, with kits being made by the Canadian company Zenair from 197 ...

Zenair CH 300 The Zenair Tri-Z CH 300 is a three-seat Canada, Canadian homebuilt light aircraft. A single-engined low-winged monoplane, the CH 300 first flew in 1977, with several hundred kits sold. Development and design The CH 300 is an enlarged three-sea ...

* Zenair CH 300 Tri-Z *

Zenith CH 400 The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The zenith is the "highest" po ...

* Zenith CH 600 * Zenith CH 601 * Zenith CH 620 Gemini * Zenair CH 640 * Zenair CH 650 *

Zenith STOL CH 701 The Zenith STOL CH 701 and CH 750 are a family of light, two-place kit-built STOL aircraft designed by Canadian aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz through his Midland, Ontario, based company, Zenair. The CH 701 first flew in 1986 and ...

Zenith STOL CH 750 The Zenith STOL CH 701 and CH 750 are a family of light, two-place kit-built STOL aircraft designed by Canadian aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz through his Midland, Ontario, based company, Zenair. The CH 701 first flew in 1986 and ...

Zenith STOL CH 801 The Zenith STOL CH 801 is a four-seat sport STOL aircraft developed by Chris Heintz and available in kit form from the Zenith Aircraft Company.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, Decemb ...

* Zenith CH 2000 Alarus * Zenair CH 8000AG, made in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

by AviaMaster Aircraft Ltd. * Zenith Aluminum Floats - started 1978

References

External links

Company websiteZenith Aircraft Co. websiteThe Zenair Newsletter

Aircraft Manufacturing & Development website archives
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

Chris Heintz Light Aircraft Design History

Article about the CrossCanada flight from Sport Aviation Magazine
{{authority control Aircraft manufacturers of Canada Companies based in Ontario Midland, Ontario Manufacturing companies established in 1974 Canadian companies established in 1974 1974 establishments in Ontario