Firebird Skydiving

Firebird USA LLC (formerly Firebird Skydiving GmbH and Firebird Sky Sports AG) is an American parachute manufacturer based in Eloy, Arizona.[1] The company also has locations in Germany, Sri Lanka, and the Czech Republic, and was formerly based in Füssen and Bitburg, Germany.[1] The company specializes in the design and manufacture of parachutes and at one time also constructed paragliders and parafoil kites.[2][3][4]

Firebird USA LLC
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Founded1995
FounderBernd Pohl
Headquarters
Eloy, Arizona
,
United States
ProductsParachutes
Websiteflyfirebird.com

Background

Firebird was founded as Performance Variable by Bernd Pohl in 1995.[5][6] In 2017 skydivers Sara and Steve Curtis, and George Reuter purchased Firebird.[5] After previously manufacturing its products in Germany and the Czech Republic, in 2018, the company moved its production facility to Eloy, Arizona,[5] a city that has the world's biggest drop zone.[7]

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][8] Once one of the world's leading manufacturers of paragliders,[2] the company stopped producing them around 2013 to concentrate on parachutes for military and civil applications, along with reserve parachutes.[9] Today, Firebird manufactures custom parachutes and related products, such as tandem rigs for parachutes, reserve parachutes, harness-and-container systems, and magnetic riser covers.[1][5][7]

Products

Canopies
  • FB Tandem
  • Rush Reserve
  • Quick 400 Reserve

Containers
  • Evo
  • Evo Student
  • Evo Tandem

Aircraft
Firebird Hornet Sport

Summary of paragliders built by Firebird, introduced in the mid-2000s and since out of production:

References
  1. Smathers, Heather (September 20, 2018). "New council member made jump from Luxembourg to Eloy". Eloy Enterprise. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003–04, p. 16. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. "Contact". flyfirebird.com. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  4. "Firebird – Skydiver's and Paraglider's Favorite". flyfirebird.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  5. "Firebird Changes Ownership". USPA. June 1, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. "Firebird goes USA". Freifall Press. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. Clinch, Tanner (October 12, 2016). "Eloy parachute business to service skydivers". Arizona City Independent. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  8. "New Paragliders / Archive – January 2004". ojovolador.com. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  9. Firebird (2013). "Fly Firebird". flyfirebird.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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