Type of project :     Aluminum aircraft build from plan & raw material
                   Type of aircraft :     All Aluminum, low wings, 4 places
                   Model :                   Zodiac CH640 from Zenith Aircraft
                   Note : This plane is N640Z, the first CH640 completed, photo copyright Sergey Riabsev                                                                                                                                 

        -- Project open to Partner from Montreal Metropolitan Region in Canada --  
               

The builder M.A. Philosophie IT ECM Expert Private Pilote Licence since 2004 For information or communication with me send me an email to                                       cj.tremblay@videotron.ca

Advice: All technical information contained in this Web site engage only his author. To obtain official data, technical information, construction specifications or any  technical or commercial information, please contact Zenith Aircraft, Zenair or CANZAC Aviation  and their official representatives.    FreeWare WEB Site Editor Used :

INTRODUCTION TO THIS HOMEBUILD AIRCRAFT PROJECT FROM PLAN

This aircraft project start from construction plan and raw material. What this implies? This mean you fabric most of all pieces of the wings and the aircraft fuselage from raw materials (normally, exception for engine and avionic equipments). In a kit build project, you buy all pre-formed pieces and assembly them accordingly to the assembly plan provided by the supplier or the plane fabricant. A project "from scratch" requires all details specification of each pieces of the aircraft (including forming blocs and dies) in addition of the assembly plan. See the following pictures :

Plans: plan.JPG  Note : Design & Construction Standards and Drawing Plans are provide by Zenith Aircraft. The Inventory Pieces Lists (Excell files in the blue book and Visio Diagram files are written by me and you can see Aircraft Spruce Catalog 2005 Edition (Red book) is from the popular aircraft supplier.

Raw  materials : material_1.JPG

 Why I choose this aircraft model ? After one year of close examination of different models of different kind, I finally choose this type of aircraft project for many reasons. This is not only a question to find the best plane, because the best plane, is primary the one fit your needs. Some of those reasons are :

• First, I want to build my own aircraft for my own education and because I like to build something with my hands and with my brains, and ... this is a dream that I have since I was young. Yah, it's not new, but it's true.

• Secondo, like many of us, I learned to fly on old "coucous", Cessna & Piper, from sixteen and seventeen decades. Look the face of yours friends, the first time they get in the plane, they are surprised by the age of the plane and wondering to themselves if this machine is in good shape. --  I want to own and fly a new plane.

• Tertio, a new aircraft is not really economic, this is why I choose the homebuild category of aircrafts.

• I want an all metal plane, because I like to work with aluminium (I got some experience) and because I am allergic to wood or fiberglass dust.

• I want a project with progressive money investment. I don't want to face the fact asking to myself: "Dam God, What I think to buy this 25 000$ US kit plane project ? I want to do this project without stress and pressure. I got a job in downtown for that!...  If for any reason, I had or want to stop the project, the impact cost will be limited. I could sold out the project and forget it.

• Zenair, (also Zenithair) are Chris Heintz's Companies, are one of rare company to sold the complete drawings to build a plane from scratch. They provided the fabric drawings and specifications for all pieces of the plane (except for avionic and engine).

• The drawing and plan assembly are very detailed and completed with profusion of photography.

• Zenair and their Canadian supplier, CAN-ZAC Aviation offers a very good support and services.

• Many of the planes models of Zenith Aircraft (not the CH640, this in a relatively new model) has been build and completed.

• The CH640 offers a very good payload and flying performance.

• Nice look and many good design characteristics.

Project Planning Schedule

Many builders take time to log every hour worked on their project. This helps to discipline them for investing the required time to complete the project. I prefer an approach more by target-piece objective completion in a pre-schedule time frame. This project is nearly 2500-3000 hours/person (depending on sub-kits acquisition) without counting study, documentation needed for certification (web base documentation) and time with suppliers & support, waste time to re-do parts... My discipline is to work nearly 15-20 (or some week more) hours by week on the project for a total of 800-1000 hours in a year.

Project Planning Schedule
	Dates
Project Planning Phases	Planning	Completed	Progress Status
Preparing project: Garage, Tools, Study & Plan	Sept.-Dec 2005	Dec. 2005	Completed
Rudder	Jan.-April 2006	March 2006	95%
Tail Wing	Jan.-April 2006	July 2006	95%
Wing - R & L - Spar & ribs	June 2006 Dec 2007	November 2007	85%
Wing - R & L - Cover Skins	April 2008
Ailerons-Flaps - R & L	January 2008	June 2008	95%
Fuselage	May-Dec 2008	October 2006	4 %
Engine	Jan.-April 2009
Avionic, systems, interior & painting	April-Dec 2009
Certification & Flight Tests Completed	Jan-May 2010

  Zenair/Zenithair Aircraft & Suppliers 

Back Home Page

• If you may want more information on Zenair Ltd visit the Zenair.com  web site as the supplier of the CH640 plans and drawings. This plane model is also sold in kits and parts package.

• CAN-ZAC Aviation Ltd. web site at Can-Zac Aviation.com as the Canadian Distributor for Zenair Ltd. and Zenith Aircraft Company

• The Zenith Aircraft Company Zenithair.com as the manufacturer of Chris Heintz's other designs of aircraft : CH 601, STOL 701 and 801.

• Vortex Aviation Inc., Pierre-Yves Girouard President, is my main provider of raw material from the Montreal region in Canada (Qc), can be reach from the following web site   http://www.vortexaviation.ca/fr/index.html

• AeRROW Part & Service, Jacques Genest President, is my main provider of hardware bolts & nuts and others multiples guizmo required to build a plane. AeRROW is located near the Montreal region in Canada (Qc).

  Builder Support, Publications & References 

Recreational Aircraft Association of Canada

Apart support from suppliers, we can find support from the RAA Association. This is an association of planes of builders of any kinds. This large planes builders group is divided in many chapter in Canada, present in most of important metropolitan city. "The Recreational Aircraft Association represents a group of Canadian aviation enthusiasts, working together to promote recreational aviation and to advance the science of amateur built aircraft."

Recreational Aircraft Association of Canada

A local club is based near the St-Hubert Airport facilities. Activities and meetings information are avalables at the following Web Site:

RAA415 - Local St-Hubert

Matronics Internet Forums of Aircraft Builders

A supplier of specialized aviation equipments offers for free (base on voluntary contributions) Internet forums services to builders for most of popular planes models. Those forums are grouped by plane manufacturers. One forum concern only Zenith Aircrafts models for all Chris Heinz series including: 200, 300, 601, 701, 801, Zodiac XL 2000 and finally the Zodiac CH640. This forum is very popular and permit to builders to exchanges precious information and experiences during building their own plane.

New : A specicic forum is now provided for CH640 builder, click the following link to subscribe or read posted discussion memos :

Zenith-List - Thread for CH640

Book and reference materials

A project of this kind need some good reading. I present here some of those goods books, apart articles in many Magazines to numerous to be listed here. I would just mention the specialized and excellent KITPLANES magazine dedicaced to the homebuilt aviation fans.

There are excellent books (some publications can be find on Ebay) :

• Department of the Army, Technical Manual Aviation Unit Maintenance (AVUM) and Aviation Intermediate Maintenance (AVIM) Manual for General Aircraft Maintenance (Sheet Metal Shop Practices), Volume 10, TM 1-1500-204-23-10, Headquarters, 31 JULY 1992, 456 pages.
   

• Department of Transportation, Airframe & Power plant Mechanics, General handbook, (Consolidated Reprint – Includes CHG 1, date 3/31/99), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, First Edition 1970, First Revision 1976, Washington, DC20402-9328, 553 pages.
   

• Department of Transportation, Airframe & Power plant Mechanics, Power Plant Handbook, (Consolidated Reprint – Includes CHG 1, date 3/31/99), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, First Edition 1970, First Revision 1976, Washington, DC20402-9328, 503 pages.
   

• Department of Transportation, Airframe & Power plant Mechanics, Air Frame Handbook, (Consolidated Reprint – Includes CHG 1, date 3/31/99), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, First Edition 1970, First Revision 1976, Washington, DC20402-9328, 609 pages.

• Department of Transportation, Maintenance d'aéronefs - Méthodes, techniques et pratiques reconnues, Federal Aviation Administration; Circulaires d'information EA-AC 43.13-1A et 2A, Modulo Éditeur, 420 pages.

• Didier Féminiers, Cellules et systèmes d'aéronefs, Modulo éditeur, 1982, 315 pages. 

• Larry Reithmaier; Aircraft Mechanic's Shop Manual, Palomar Books, 1979, 360 pages.

• Pierre Soors, Dessin d'outillage en aéronautique, Modulo éditeur, 1984, 280 pages.

For Canadian builders only for information on Recreational  Aircraft Regulation and Certification process you can find Regulations on NavCan Web Site :

• Canadian Aviation Regulations (CAR), Chapter 549, in particular Appendix A, who completed and replaced Chapter 549.

Back Home Page