By Mike Davenport, Vancouver, British Columbia
A recent flight in the Zenith company’s best-selling aircraft to date, the CH750 STOL, reminded me that I have had a small involvement with them for some time. I also discovered a 1973 magazine article that related the story of Chris Heintz in the very early days, so I just had to share some of both.
Chris Heintz, a French-born designer, while in France, had built and flown the prototype (F-PPZY) of what would become a long line of aircraft and the family business. He moved to Canada and made his home in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The first time that I had seen a Zenith goes back to Canada Day, July 1, 1978. I had been drafted to be the western Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) steward on behalf of the Royal Canadian Flying Club Association (RFCA) for an unusual trans-Canada flight in a homebuilt aircraft, Chris’s design, the CH300. I met the pilot, Red Morris, for the first time when he arrived in Vancouver, planning to fly the CH300 unrefueled the 3,000 miles across Canada, something that had never been done. Period. Not even by the airlines or the military.
My task was to seal all the tanks and the barograph to confirm both that nothing had been added during the flight and no landings had been made en route.
This early kitbuilt aircraft was the largest of Chris Heintz’s designs at that time, and with Chris’s approval, it was extensively modified for the trip with a 180-hp engine and four additional fuel tanks in the wings and two in the fuselage. This increased the total fuel capacity from 32 to 170 gallons.
The Zenith had a design gross weight of 1,850 pounds, but as the aircraft came off the scales at 2,718 pounds, it would require a waiver for the overweight condition. It was also equipped for IFR flight as Red considered that to be necessary as the chances of getting VFR conditions over 3,000 miles of Canada were somewhere between slim and nil. IFR flight was also something that was not done in a homebuilt in Canada in 1978, and so this would also require a special waiver from the DOT. Both things were not easily obtained but eventually permission was received. These were requested in October with the overweight permit received in January and the IFR permit on March 15. Bureaucracy, then as now, moved slowly. The overweight permit came with some rather onerous requirements but was eventually granted.
After an uneventful takeoff, a half hour into the flight, Morris had to return to Vancouver due to the failure of the alternator. Once it was replaced, the flight proceeded without further incident until near North Bay when the alternator again became an issue forcing him to shut down as many electrical devices as possible including radios, strobes, and his wing leveler. The lack of the radios caused a great deal concern for the escort plane as they no longer had any way to contact Red.
Once east of Montreal, it became apparent that fuel consumption ruled out further thoughts of continuing to Newfoundland, and therefore judgement prevailed over desire and the flight ended in Halifax.
In the end all went well, and a very tired and nicotine deprived Red Morris landed in Halifax 22 hours and 45 minutes after takeoff from Vancouver.
He later advised me that the FAI had confirmed three nonstop world records including Vancouver to Winnipeg, Vancouver to North Bay, and Vancouver to Halifax. The record flight CH300 airplane was later moved to the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in the Ottawa area, having been delivered there by Red in 1984.
The next Zenith that I met was years later when I was asked to paint one.
Greg Booker, a retired Vancouver police officer, had spent the last 10 years meticulously building this aircraft, most of which happened in a closed-in sundeck at his home with finished parts being stored in his dining room. That is until his wife Diana put her foot down. Construction then moved to the airport to more Spartan conditions. For example, over the years his “shop” temperatures ranged from 2 degrees Celsius below zero to 52 degrees Celsius (28 F to 125 F). Hardly ideal, but one does what one has to, to get the job done.
I asked him about the highs and lows experienced during the project; he said that one of many highs was becoming involved with local builders through membership in both EAA and the RAAC, and interactions on Facebook. His response to the low point was twofold and clearly representative of the man I’ve come to know. 1. “How many times can you drill through the same finger?” 2. Learning to park my ego — “I messed up, get over it, and buy the new part.”
Greg had decided to have painting done in a mutual friend’s shop located nearby. The shop, owned by Werner Griesbeck, included a spray booth where he had been restoring antique aircraft for years and where he and I had painted numerous other aircraft ranging from a Beech Staggerwing to Piper PA-12s and PA-14s.
I agreed to do the painting with Griesbeck’s assistance, and the work began in early February. (I am not a professional painter, but as a sales manager for a major paint company, I had paid attention in the classes that I taught). Greg and his son Jeff had done the paint design and selected the colours so all that remained was to buy the paint and get started. This purchasing was made a little bit easier due to my position as a retiree of said paint company and so blatantly used that connection to get a significant discount.
Forty-six years after my first encounter with the Heintz family’s products, I had my second ride in one; the first had been with Red Morris back in the fall of 1978.
And a great ride it was. Sunday, July 14, 2024, was one of those severe clear days with virtually no wind or turbulence; it was perfect weather for a leisurely flight to Campbell River. Greg and his Zenith 750 provided the transportation. As a passenger, I had the opportunity to be a tourist and enjoy the incredible views that coastal British Columbia provides.
Once at the fly-in, the Zenith was a center of attention, and Greg was kept busy answering questions most of the day.
The trip back to Langley was notable as the weather was calm and the large windows provided a great view for pictures. The busy harbour tower granted our request to fly the southern shoreline, again providing an excellent photo opportunity.
