The Freebird II is a family of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

side-by-side two-seat, high wing,

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in no ...

single engined

kit aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

originally designed for construction by amateur builders by the

Freebird Airplane Company Free Bird Innovations, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and formed in about 2003. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of plans and kits for amate ...

Marshville, North Carolina Marshville is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 2,402 at the 2010 census. Marshville is known as the birthplace of country music singer Randy Travis. Geography Marshville is located at (34.988458, -80.367 ...

, and later

Pro Sport Aviation Free Bird Innovations, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and formed in about 2003. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of plans and kits for amate ...

Wingate, North Carolina Wingate is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2010 census. History The Wingate Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. It is named for ...

.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-81 Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 166. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''Kit Aircraft Directory 2005'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 60. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 The Freebird II was produced until late 2014 by

Free Bird Innovations Free Bird Innovations, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and formed in about 2003. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of plans and kits for amateur ...

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Detroit Lakes is a city in the State of Minnesota and the county seat of Becker County. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000 midsumm ...

, as the LiteSport Classic.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 56. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Development

The Freebird I was introduced at

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Inte ...

1996, and was intended to meet the requirements of the US FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category under the two-seat trainer exemption, although it is now offered in the US

Light Sport Aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

or amateur-built categories. The Freebird II is constructed from bolted

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It h ...

tubing, covered with doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The aircraft features conventional three-axis controls, including a trim system. The tricycle landing gear is steered by differential braking and a castering nosewheel. The company estimated that an average builder would take 120 hours to build the aircraft from the assembly kit. The standard engine recommended is the two-stroke

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the R ...

and with this engine the standard empty weight is . The

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operati ...

is also used. The Freebird II's wings can be folded in five minutes by one person and the aircraft can then be trailered or stored. Options available included full cabin doors,

flaperon A flaperon (a portmanteau of flap and aileron) on an aircraft's wing is a type of control surface that combines the functions of both flaps and ailerons. Some smaller kitplanes have flaperons for reasons of simplicity of manufacture, while ...

s, brakes,

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

and a custom-fitted trailer.

Variants

;Freebird II :Initial version, two seats in side-by-side configuration, wingspan,

, built by Freebird Airplane Company. ;Sportlite SS :Improved version, two seats in side-by-side configuration, wingspan,

, built by Free Bird Innovations. ;Sportlite 2 :Improved version, two seats in side-by-side configuration, wingspan,

, built by Free Bird Innovations. ;LiteSport II :Improved version, two seats in tandem configuration, wingspan,

, built by Free Bird Innovations. 352 examples had been completed and flown by 2011.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 ;LiteSport Classic :Current production version, two seats in side-by-side configuration, wingspan,

, built by Free Bird Innovations. 102 examples had been completed and flown by 2011.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 56. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Specifications (Freebird II)

References

External links

* {{Free Bird Innovations Free Bird Innovations aircraft 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Light-sport aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft

Development

Variants

Specifications (Freebird II)

See also

References

External links