Heintz developed the CH 640 design in response to requests by kit builders for an affordable and simple four-seater. While there are literally hundreds of two-seat kit aircraft designs available for construction, there are remarkably few modern four-seat designs on the market: The available designs are either complex high-performance planes (Lancair IV), expensive (RV-10), or "utility" designs such as Murphy's Super Rebel and Heintz' own STOL CH 801. The ZODIAC CH 640 bridged the gap between the utility designs and the high-performance and expensive ones - making it a practical and useful aircraft for the "average" pilot/builder. The CH 640 has a useful load of 1,000 lbs., making it a "true" four-seater.
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Heintz used the FAA-certificated Zenith CH 2000 as the basic platform for this design since the aircraft already boasted a huge cabin area, and the type-certificated design could easily be "stretched" into a four- seater. Starting with a basic CH 2000 fuselage assembly, the CH 640 started to take shape by "stretching" the cabin area and adding the rear seat. New wings and horizontal tail sections were also developed; the firewall-forward side was borrowed from the Heintz’ STOL CH 801 design which utilizes the same engine.
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"Based on the ZENITH CH 2000, the new four-seat airframe for the prototype was really quite simple to build, taking just three months to put together," stated Mathieu Heintz. The CH 640 is unmistakably a Heintz design – with its conventional all-metal construction adapted for quick and simple kit construction. While a larger aircraft, the CH 640 kit build-time, complexity and cost is very competitive with most two-seat aircraft designs. |
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