Aircraft Manufacturing and Development

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AMD Alarus

Aircraft Manufacturing and Development Co. (AMD) is a manufacturer of two aircraft- the Alarus CH2000, a two-seat, single-engine plane used primarily for flight training purposes, as well as the Zodiac CH601, also a two-seat airplane, however, it is designed as a light sport aircraft (which the Federal Aviation Administration currently designates as such), and is used mainly for personal purposes. The company is headquartered in Eastman, Georgia, USA.

[edit] History

Founded in 1974 by aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz, Zenair, Ltd. (Midland, Ontario, Canada) began its presence in the light aircraft industry with a single aircraft design, the ZENITH CH 200. This two-seat kit aircraft was designed by Heintz during the sixties while he was chief engineer at French aircraft manufacturer Avions Pierre Robin. The ZENITH was an all-metal two-seat low-wing monoplane, designed to be simple and affordable: Simple because Heintz was an engineer and not a craftsman, and affordable because he was raising a family with five children while building the prototype.

Since 1974, Mr. Heintz has designed and developed more than 12 new aircraft models which have been marketed and sold as kit aircraft around the world. Among them was the Zenair ZENITH CH2000. This aircraft, based on Heintz' kit aircraft designs, received FAA type certification on July 25, 1995. This type-certified aircraft was renamed and is now manufactured as the AMD Alarus CH2000 by Aircraft Manufacturing & Development Co. in Eastman, GA.