Firebird Skydiving
Firebird USA LLC (formerly Firebird Skydiving GmbH and Firebird Sky Sports AG) is a German/American parachute and former aircraft manufacturer initially based in Füssen and Bitburg, but now located in Eloy, Arizona.[1] The company specializes in the design and manufacture of parachutes and at one time also constructed paragliders and parafoil kites.[2][3][4]
Company logo from 2012 | |
Privately held company | |
Industry | Aerospace |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Parachutes, paragliders |
Website | flyfirebird |
Once one of the world's leading manufacturers of paragliders,[2] the company stopped producing them in about 2013 to concentrate on parachutes for military and civil applications instead, along with reserve parachutes.[5]
In the mid-2000s, as Firebird Sky Sports AG, the company produced a range of 11 different models of paragliders, including the beginner Firebird Sub-One and Z-One, the intermediate Grid and Hornet, the competition Debute and Tribute as well as the two-place Choice Zip Bi, that incorporated zippers to reduce its wing area.[2][6]
The company achieved world championship status in 1991 when one of its designs was flown by the British paraglider pilot Robbie Whittall to victory in the World Paragliding Championships.[2]
Aircraft
Summary of aircraft built by Firebird:
- Firebird Choice Zip Bi
- Firebird Debute
- Firebird Grid
- Firebird Hornet
- Firebird Hornet Sport
- Firebird Sub-One
- Firebird Tribute
- Firebird Z-One
References
- "Contact Us", Firebird.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017
- Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 16. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
- "Contact". flyfirebird.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Firebird - Skydiver's and Paraglider's Favorite". flyfirebird.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". archive.org. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "New Paragliders / Archive - January 2004". ojovolador.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016.