Kit Info - ZODIAC CH 640: New Four Seat Kit Aircraft from Chris Heintz

The underlying philosophy behind the ZODIAC CH 640 kit is to provide the builder with everything needed to complete the airframe - with only basic tools and skills. Drawing upon Zenair’s 25 year kit aircraft manufacturing and design experience, the kit is developed for maximum ease of construction, while using only materials and parts of the highest quality. The standard ZODIAC CH 640 kit is estimated to require only about 1,250 hours to build from the complete factory-supplied kit.

All you'll need to get started is a level workbench and basic hand tools. The detailed and illustrated photo manuals guide the builder through the entire kit assembly process following a logical step-by-step sequence. All kit components, parts and hardware are supplied – labeled and numbered for easy identification. Every airframe bolt, fastener, and rivet is supplied with the standard kit.

The airframe kit takes straight-forward and basic assembly work to put together using only simple tools, such as an electric hand drill, a hand rivet puller, ‘Cleco’ temporary fasteners, a set of wrenches, a few hand files, sheet-metal snips, etc. Importantly, virtually no jigs and fixtures are needed in the building process, as all sections are built up from the flat workbench. A bending brake, shear or other machinery is not needed, and assembly is easily done in a single car garage or basement workshop.

While previous aircraft building experience and sheet-metal skills are always an asset, the ZODIAC CH 640 kit and assembly instructions are developed specifically for the inexperienced novice builder. The simplicity of construction, quality of parts and components, and the completeness of the kit translates into low build-times and a very high kit completion ratio, even for novice builders.

The ZODIAC CH 640 kits will meet the requirements for amateur-built (experimental) categories in the United States and Canada, as well as in most countries around the world.

In the kit, all the wing ribs and fuselage bulkheads will be supplied pre-formed. For example, the internal wing ribs are first press-formed, with lightening holes cut and flanged, and then hand finished at the factory for a perfect ready-to-install fit. The heavy-duty wing spars come complete with all solid (bucked) rivets already set by factory professionals. Surface skins - wings, ailerons, elevator, rudder, and fuselage - are ready for fitting.

Pre-assembled parts (such as the wing spar) are factory-treated with zinc-chromate primer for maximum corrosion resistance. Welded parts, such as the engine mount, control assemblies, and fuel tank, will come factory welded and ready to install.

The ZODIAC CH 640 kit is complete: the heavy-duty landing gear system, hydraulic brake system, fiberglass wing tips, control systems, welded aluminum fuel tanks, etc., are standard equipment in the complete airframe kit.

The ZODIAC builder is able to start assembly right away after taking delivery of the kit. Working from a flat table, the builder can immediately begin assembly - simply by measuring, drilling and riveting, and thus progress through the whole airframe section by section, aided by the detailed step-by-step manuals and visual photo guides supplied with the kit. Building the all-metal CH 640 is straight forward, requiring no complex jigs, and no messy (and hazardous) doping or epoxy work is involved. With the proven and simple all-metal construction technique, the ZODIAC builder does not have to worry about having a temperature controlled dust-free work-shop environment, and does not have to mix compounds and wait for parts to cure.

A new aircraft design and kit, the ZODIAC CH 640 kit and its assembly processes are completely new, yet draw on Zenair's extensive aircraft manufacturing expertise. Assembly of the kit does not rely on static blueprints, but makes extensive use of a very comprehensive series of step-by-step photo manuals with hundreds of very detailed photos with brief text instructions. Digital photo and video technology has allowed us to capture all the building steps in minute detail, with the ability to reproduce the high resolution images in simple and logical step-by-step manuals.

The canopy kit is supplied as a "ready-to-install" component. The windshield and the dual gull-wing doors are already fitted to the molded fiberglass assembly - the whole canopy assembly being ready to simply place on top of the fuselage assembly. In addition to supplying all the pre-formed and cut parts for the aircraft, positioning holes (rivet and bolt holes) have been pre-jigged and pilot drilled at the factory. All the builder has to do is line the parts together, and finish drilling and riveting the assembly together. Surprisingly, there is very little need for measuring and setting up, reducing the need for actual blueprints, and making the project suitable for the true amateur builder.

Assembly of the kit is divided into many small modular projects, allowing the builder to focus on one small section at the time before moving on to the next. For instance, the wing is divided into numerous sub-sections. This modular sequential approach minimizes required workspace, and also allows builders to buy the kit sections as they progress through the project.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed evaluation of the Zodiac CH 640 kit on May 2, 2001 and determined that the quick build kit, as evaluated, met the intent of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 21, Section 21.191(g). Note that the FAA evaluation should not be construed as meaning the kit is FAA certified, certificated or approved, but is eligible for airworthiness certification by amateur builders.

Designer Chris Heintz' extensive light aircraft engineering experience has allowed the development of an aircraft that minimizes the actual number of parts in the aircraft (thus saving the builder cost and and assembly labor) and Zenair's comprehensive aircraft manufacturing experience and capability allows us to do factory sub-assemblies and components for the basic kit parts. Our basic philosophy with the kit is to provide all the parts and components ready for assembly, so that they require only basic skills and tools to be put together. If an assembly requires a special jig or critical measurements, the assembly is pre-jigged or built at the factory or supplied with the jig with the kit. Critical and time-consuming assemblies, such as the control systems, are completed at the factory and supplied ready for final assembly.

Customers will find the ZODIAC CH 640 kit to be easy and enjoyable to build, even for novice first-timers, and it should take less time to put together than most two-seat kit aircraft on the market.

"The proven all-metal construction requires only basic tools and clecos to hold sections together. The use of Avex pull-type rivets greatly reduces the challenges associated with other forms of riveting. Chris' background as an aeronautical engineer ensures that his aircraft are solid and designed for everyday use with wear and tear kept to a minimum. Check out some of his kits with lots of flying time on them; compared to its competitors, the Zenith holds up very well. Chris is responsible for a lot of great ideas that are so logical you'll wonder why others haven't incorporated them before."
- Aviation Quarterly