Heath Parasol
Heath Aircraft · United States · first flew 1926 · light aircraft
The Heath Parasol was a popular plans-built homebuilt monoplane of the late 1920s, designed by Edward Bayard Heath to give private builders an affordable single-seat sporting aircraft. Its parasol wing arrangement, with the wing raised clear of the fuselage on struts, gave the name and provided excellent upward and forward visibility.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Parasol wing mounted high above an open-cockpit fuselage on steel-tube struts |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Parasol wing mounted high above an open-cockpit fuselage on steel-tube struts
- Very simple wire-braced structure with no enclosure for the pilot
- Narrow-chord wing with prominent centre-section cutout for visibility
The strut-mounted parasol wing sitting visibly above the open cockpit fuselage is the instant identifier; the narrow fuselage and wire bracing underline its ultralight construction.
Specifications
- The Heath Parasol has a length of 5.18 m (17 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 113 km/h (70 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Heath published plans in 1926 and sold kits through his Chicago-based company, making the Parasol one of the earliest successful homebuilt designs in the United States. Hundreds were completed by amateur builders using motorcycle engines and salvaged aircraft components, fuelling the grassroots light aviation movement of the interwar years.
Variants
Builders modified the design with various engines including Henderson and Anzani units; no formally designated variants existed, but each example differed in detail.
Where you'll see it
Used exclusively for private sport flying and never adopted for military or commercial purposes; it influenced a generation of homebuilders and set conventions for American amateur aircraft construction.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.