Free Bird Innovations, Inc. is an American
aircraft manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry.
...
based in
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Detroit Lakes is a city and the county seat of Becker County, Minnesota, Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much hi ...
and formed in about 2003. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of
ultralight aircraft
Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...
in the form of plans and kits for
amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft in the US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles
Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...
category.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-26, B-58 and 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, pages 59-60. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 56. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 56. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
History
The two-seat
Freebird II was introduced by the Freebird Airplane Company of
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
According to the United States Census Bur ...
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 Intern ...
in 1996. Two years later they brought out the single-seat
Freebird I before going out of business. By 2000 both designs were being built by Pro Sport Aviation of
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 ...
, who also built a derivative single-seater, the
Pro Sport Sportlite 103.
Free Bird Innovations took over the Freebird I and II designs and by 2004 was producing three derivative models, the single-seat
Free Bird Sportlite 103 kit aircraft for the US FAR 103 ultralight category and the
Free Bird Sportlite SS and
Free Bird Sportlite 2 two-seaters. In 2007, they were building three further developed models, the single-seat
Free Bird LiteSport Ultra
The Freebird I is an American single-seat, high wing, tricycle gear, single engined pusher configuration ultralight kit aircraft designed for construction by amateur builders by the Freebird Airplane Company of Marshville, North Carolina and l ...
and the two-seat
Free Bird LiteSport II and
Free Bird LiteSport Classic and continued those models through 2011. The LiteSport II model had been dropped by 2012.
Despite the LiteSport model name, none of the company's aircraft were ever listed by the US
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
as
light-sport aircraft
A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a 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 restrictions on weigh ...
.
The company had been developing a new model, the
Freebird 103, originally projected for introduction in 2011, as a single seat US FAR 103 ultralight aircraft with a design empty weight under . The project received a setback when the lead project engineer, Eric Grina, was killed in a car accident in October 2011.
Aircraft
References
External links
*
Company website archiveson
Archive.org
The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...
{{Free Bird Innovations aircraft
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft