Heath Parasol — Original Construction Plans

The Heath Parasol — The Most-Built American Homebuilt of the 1920s and 1930s

The Heath Parasol is an icon of the early American homebuilt aircraft movement. Designed by Edward Bayard Heath in 1926 and refined through the late 1920s, the Parasol made it possible for an ordinary person with basic skills and access to a workshop to build, own, and fly a real airplane. It became the most popular homebuilt aircraft of its era, with hundreds completed worldwide. This download is the original construction article from the 1931 Flying and Glider Manual by Modern Mechanics and Inventions.

What’s Inside the Download

• 14 pages of authentic 1931 Heath Parasol construction content
• Original specifications, dimensions, and performance figures
• Wing, fuselage, tail surface, and undercarriage construction details
• Period photographs of completed aircraft
• Engine installation notes for the Henderson motorcycle conversion and Heath B-4 4-cylinder

Single-Seat Parasol Monoplane Built from Tube and Fabric

The Heath Parasol is a single-seat open-cockpit parasol-winged monoplane with a welded steel-tube fuselage, wood wing structure, and doped fabric covering. Designed deliberately for backyard construction — every component fits within the limits of what an average workshop in the 1920s could produce.

Performance and Specifications

• Configuration: Single-seat parasol monoplane, open cockpit
• Wingspan: 28 ft (8.5 m)
• Length: 17 ft 4 in (5.3 m)
• Empty weight: ~450 lb (204 kg)
• Original engine options: Heath B-4 (32 hp), Henderson 4-cylinder motorcycle (27 hp)
• Cruise: ~70 mph (113 km/h)
• Stall: ~30 mph (48 km/h)
• Construction: Welded steel tube fuselage, wood wing structure, fabric covering

Who Should Build the Heath Parasol

This design suits the patient builder comfortable with light welding, woodworking, and fabric covering. Expect 800-1,200 hours of construction time. There is a real historical thrill in building an aircraft to the same plans used by hundreds of pre-war American flyers.

About This Document — Period Reprint

This PDF is sourced from the 1931 edition of Modern Mechanics and Inventions Flying and Glider Manual, a public-domain US publication.

Related Plans on Plans for U

Other early-era homebuilts: see our Pietenpol Air Camper — Original 1933 Plans, the ’14 Classic Aircraft plans from the 20s and 30s’ bundle, and other listings under Aircraft Plans and Vintage Plans.