Flying Zenith 750, 2850 cc Corvair, Blaine Schwartz

Builders:

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Another success story, made of hard work and persistence: Tonight Blaine Schwartz wrote to say he took his 2,850 cc Corvair powered Zenith 750 for it’s first flight. While there will likely be 1,000 new homebuilts fly in 2015, only a small select group of them will have builders who can lay claim to having built both the airframe and the engine. Blaine Schwartz is one of these men.

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Above, Man and the Machine. Both airframe and power plant made with his own hands, skills and understanding.

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Nice combination of the Chevrolet Bowtie and Zenith model number.

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A red white and blue theme on an All-American plane. The 750 kit is manufactured at the Zenith Factory in Mexico MO. and virtually all of our Corvair parts are made in the US. The Corvair is a 100% General Motors design, and all 1.7 million Corvair engines were made in the GM plant in Tonowanda NY. Today you can buy just about any new part for the engine, including Billet cranks designed for flight engines, that you like. Any Corvair / Zenith builder can be justifiably proud of his direct support of the US economy and manufacturing base. While many people can’t understand what is wrong with having a “take America back” bumper sticker on an imported car, Almost all Corvair builders cite the engine’s ‘Made in America’ credentials as an important factor in their selection of it.

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For a more detailed look at how Blaine assembled and test ran his engine at Corvair College #22, click on this story:  Schwartz Engine Runs at CC #22

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Above, Blaine’s engine about half way through the assembly at CC#22. The engine is as simple as we can make it. We live in a world where people blindly smother every moment of their lives in excessive technology, often isolating themselves from any real experience. I can make a very strong case that flight is the wrong arena to bring the blind worship of electronic technology and complication to. No popular light plane engine can make a claim to be smoother running than a Corvair, and it has an outstanding reputation for reliability, all at an affordable price, made in a setting where craftsmanship and learning are still king. These values are not for everyone, but if they ring true for you, you have found your engine.

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A look at Blaine during his build:

Zenith 750 Builder Blaine Schwartz

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A detail look at every aspect of the Zenith 750 Corvair Combination:

Zenith 750 / Corvair reference page, October 2013

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Above, Blaine and myself at CC#22. He is a life long fan of Chevrolets, and now he flies one. Blaine is also part of our information board for Zenith builders. Read more about it at these two links:  ‘Zenvair’ Information board formed  and   Zenvair’ information board, part # 2