built to be a pylon racer, a church midwing placed third in the 1930 national air races. the church used many parts from the heath parasol design. in 1931 the prototype was modified with an installation of a 38 hp inline air-cooled church designed engine and a cowling modification to accommodate the cylinders protruding upward in the pilot's line of sight. a 1931 advertisement placed by heath in popular mechanics extolled the virtues of its first-place finish with its parasol configuration, compared to the church's midwing planform.