Chris Heintz (aeronautical engineer)

His family noted that he "helped pay for his studies by performing magic shows on city squares that included daring sword-swallowing feats as well as fire-eating routines.

[1][2][4][6] Heintz flew his CH200 prototype to the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In in 1974, and due to the demand from the amateur constructors that he met there, plans and a construction manual were written so that others could build the CH200.

The Zenith CH 2000 was type certified in 1996 and a company, Aircraft Manufacturing and Design started by Heintz in Eastman, Georgia, to produce it as the AMD Alarus.

[1][2][6][9] During a number of successive exhibitions at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Heintz organized building a complete aircraft during the seven day event.

[1] After retiring to his native France, Heintz wrote a book about homebuilding in 2009, entitled Flying On Your Own Wings - A Complete Guide To Understanding Light Airplane Design.

"[1][6] Due to his work at Zenair, the company was awarded a Federation Aeronautique Internationale Honorary Group Diploma for "greatly contributing to the progress of aviation" in 1995.

[1][6] Heintz was named to the EAA Hall of Fame in 1999 and given the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association/Kitplanes magazine Presidents' Award at AirVenture on 24 July 2001.

[2] AVweb's Russ Niles described Heintz as, "one of general aviation’s most prolific aircraft designers and a pioneer of the modern homebuilt movement".