Other names Edward Baird Heath Parents Clark Heath Employer Glen Curtiss Home town Amsterdam | Spouse(s) Berna Heath Name Edward Heath | |
 | ||
Born November 17, 1888 Brooklyn, New York Died February 1, 1931, Maine Township, Illinois, United States | ||
Known for Heath Parasol, Heathkit | ||
Edward Bayard Heath (November 17, 1888 – November 1, 1931) was an American Aircraft engineer.
Contents
Biography
He was born on November 17, 1888 in Brooklyn, New York to Clark Heath and Ada M. Johnson.
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 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 in Hammondsport, New York 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 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, and later the Heath Parasol series of aircraft powered with Henderson Motorcycle 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 filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2012. As of 2015 the company has a live website at www.heathkit.com but no kits currently listed for sale.