Edward Bayard Heath (November 17, 1888 – November 1, 1931) was an American Aircraft engineer.
Biography
He was born on November 17, 1888 in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
to Clark Heath and Ada M. Johnson.
[Illinois Death Index]
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
Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern ...
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
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
in
Hammondsport, New York
Hammondsport is a village at the south end of Keuka Lake, in Steuben County, one of the Finger Lakes of New York, United States.
The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath.
History
Lazarus Hammond founded ...
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 Company
Bates may refer to:
Places
* Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County
* Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County
* Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Ell ...
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
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and later the
Heath Parasol
The Heath Parasol is an American single or two seat, open-cockpit, parasol winged, homebuilt monoplane.
Design and development
In 1926, Edward Bayard Heath, a successful American air racer and the owner of an aircraft parts supply business, bui ...
series of aircraft powered with
Henderson Motorcycle
Henderson was a manufacturer of 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931. They were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and appealed to both sport riders and police departments. Police favored them for traffic patrol because the ...
engines.
Heath died on February 1, 1931 in
Maine Township, Cook County, Illinois.
[ He was in an aircraft accident while testing a new low-wing aircraft design.]
Legacy
Heath's company was eventually purchased and after World War II, changed its product to kit electronics. Heathkit
Heathkit is the brand name of kits and other electronic products produced and marketed by the Heath Company. The products over the decades have included electronic test equipment, high fidelity home audio equipment, television receivers, amateu ...
filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2012. As of 2019, the company has a live website at www.heathkit.com..
References
External links
Heathkit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Edward
American aerospace engineers
Members of the Early Birds of Aviation
1888 births
1931 deaths