Heath Super Parasol
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Heath Parasol is an American single or two seat, open-cockpit,
parasol wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
ed,
homebuilt Homebuilt machines are machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. This can include different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or ...
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
.


Design and development

In 1926,
Edward Bayard Heath 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 to Clark Heath and Ada M. Johnson.Illinois Death Index Heath designed and buil ...
, a successful American air racer and the owner of an aircraft parts supply business, built the first example of the Heath Parasol, a small, single seat
parasol wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
ed airplane using surplus wings from a
Thomas-Morse S-4 The Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout was an American biplane advanced trainer, operated by the United States Army and the United States Navy. Dubbed the "Tommy" by pilots who flew it, the aircraft became the favorite single-seat training airplane produced ...
, a World War One fighter trainer, mounted above a steel-tube structure fuselage and powered by a
Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...
four-cylinder motorcycle engine. This was the prototype for a series of single and two-seat recreational craft that utilized the Clark Y airfoil. In 1929 ''
Modern Mechanix ''Mechanix Illustrated'' was an American printed magazine that was originally published by Fawcett Publications. Its title was founded in 1928 to compete against the older ''Popular Science'' and ''Popular Mechanics''. Billed as "The How-To-Do Ma ...
'' magazine published the plans in a series and the plans were reprinted in their "1930 Flying & Gliding Manual," which in turn has been reprinted periodically by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). Although Heath died in 1931 his Parasol designs remained extremely popular, being economical to build and operate as well as easy to fly. Subsequently, the Heath Company of St. Joseph / Benton Harbor Michigan sold nearly 1,000 kits on an installment basis. Fewer than 50 aircraft were factory built, but several hundred were completed and flown by homebuilders during the Great Depression. Heath is remembered today for having helped pioneer the homebuilt aircraft industry and for having introduced the kit concept of packaging the materials needed to build an aircraft. When it ceased producing aircraft kits to concentrate on 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 ...
), the Heath Company sold the ATC (CAA Aircraft Type Certificate) for the LNA-40 (ATC-487) Federal Record: ATC 487, June 3, 1932 to the EAA who continued to sell original plans to potential homebuilders. Except for the prototype, the wings consist of two solid spruce spars, built up wooden ribs, compression struts, and internal drag and anti-drag bracing. The Parasol's
empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...
is built of wood, and externally braced. Depending on the model, the fuselage was built of wood, bolted steel tube, or welded steel tube. Wing, empennage, and fuselage are fabric covered. Two five gallon fuel tanks are typically installed at the root end of each wing, the fuel being gravity fed, sometimes to a small collector tank behind the firewall. The only tools necessary to assemble one of the Parasol kits were a pair of small pliers, screwdriver, hacksaw (with plenty of blades), hammer, small hand drill, chisel, center punch, file and drill. A variety of powerplants could be fitted, including the factory-supplied converted
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 ...
engine (viz. Heath-Henderson B-4). Post-war, the VW boxer engine was used as well. Production of an early version was undertaken as early as 1931, in Australia, by the Adcock-Heath Company.


Variants

Home building encourages local variations that blur type definitions for non-certificated versions. ;Prototype: Used the , wing from a Thomas-Morse S-4C "Tommy." ;CA-1 Parasol: Wingspan of , with square tips. Parallel wing struts. First built 1928. Not Certificated (nor required to be). One seat. 260 pound empty weight. Heath B-4 engine, 27 hp at 2800 rpm. ;CA-1A Super Parasol: Wingspan of , with rounded tips. Parallel wing struts. First built 1929. Not Certificated (nor required to be). One seat. 260 pound empty weight. Heath B-4 engine, 27 hp at 2800 rpm. ;V-Parasol: Span , various more powerful engines and V-form wing struts. ;LNB-4 Parasol: Wing span increased to . N-form struts. One or two seat. 450 pound empty weight. Heath B-4 engine, 25 hp at 2800 rpm. Certificated (CAA, ATC-456) June 3, 1932. ;LNA-40 Parasol: Wingspan of , V-form struts. One or two seats. 465 pound empty weight. Door moved to opposite side of fuselage to accommodate hand-propping the clockwise turning (at 2550 rpm)
Continental A40 The Continental A40 engine is a carbureted four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine that was developed especially for use in light aircraft by Continental Motors. It was produced between 1931 and 1941. Design and developm ...
powerplant. First built 1932. CAA type certificated (ATC-457) June 3, 1932.


Survivors

* There is a LNB-4 Parasol on display at the
New England Air Museum The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is an American aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. Its c ...
,
Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England. The airport is about halfw ...
, Windsor Locks, CT. * The
Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle.< ...
, Seattle, WA, owns a Parasol. It is currently at their Restoration Center in Everett, WA.Museum of Flight
/ref>


Specifications (Super Parasol)


See also

*
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 ...
descendant company, maker of electronic kits


Notes


References

*


Further reading

* Sport Flying Quarterly, Vol.9 No.7, 1975, pp 54–63.


External links

{{commons category, Heath Parasol
LNB-4 at EAA





V Parasol

Museum of Flight, Everett WA

"1932 Ad for Heath home built aircraft" ''Popular Mechanics'', August 1932

Reprint of Peter M. Bower's January 1982 AOPA Pilot article.

Photo and caption.
1920s United States civil utility aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft
Parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...
Parasol-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1926