Instead of paying 3000 Depression-era dollars for an antiquated biplane, the young enthusiast could buy a Heath-Kit for $199, and build the plane at home! In the wake of the "Lindbergh Boom" thousands of such projects were started, in barns and basements, throughout the United States and a score of foreign countries. This book recounts the personal experiences of several such young "builders", offering a realistic insight into their many trials and tribulations.

Heath's air racing career, which both promoted and financed his plane manufacturing enterprises, was also a spectacular success. At the 1928 National Air Races his diminutive "Baby Bullet" won every race it entered. With a top speed of over 150 MPH, it easily outran planes three times its size and horsepower.

A mysterious crash of an experimental low-wing model took Heath's life on February 1, 1931. Both the New York Times and Chicago Tribune covered the story of the tragedy, but none could account for the unusual wing failure of a previously trouble-free design.

Parked next to the Texaco Lockheed Air Express the small size of the Bullet is readily apparent. Plans for the 1928 Baby Bullet first appeared in the 1930 Flying and Glider Manual. When Heath introduced his diminutive Baby Bullet in 1928 he swept all competition, posting 142 mph around pylons at the National Air Races held in Los Angeles that year. The racer was powered with a two cylinder 32 hp Bristol Cherub engine.