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 construction and ready-to-fly aircraft in the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Free Bird Innovations, Inc.
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Foundedcirca 2003
Headquarters
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
,
United States
Key people
Engineer: Eric Grina
ProductsKit aircraft
Websitewww.fly-fbi.com

History

The two-seat Freebird II was introduced by the Freebird Airplane Company of Marshville, North Carolina at Sun 'n Fun 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, who also built a derivative single-seater, the Pro Sport Sportlite 103.[1]

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 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.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Despite the LiteSport model name, none of the company's aircraft were ever listed by the US Federal Aviation Administration as light-sport aircraft.[9]

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 254 lb (115 kg). The project received a setback when the lead project engineer, Eric Grina, was killed in a car accident in October 2011.[6]

Aircraft
Summary of aircraft built by Free Bird Innovations and its predecessors
Model name First flight Number built Type
Freebird II 1996 Single-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Freebird Airplane Company & Pro Sport Aviation
Freebird I 1998 Two-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Freebird Airplane Company & Pro Sport Aviation
Free Bird Sportlite 103 by 2004 Single-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird Sportlite SS by 2004 Two-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird Sportlite 2 by 2004 Two-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird LiteSport Ultra by 2007 357 (2011) Single-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird LiteSport II by 2007 352 (2011) Two-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird LiteSport Classic by 2007 102 (2011) Two-seat ultralight aircraft produced by Free Bird Innovations
Free Bird 103 2011 One Single-seat ultralight aircraft planned but never produced by Free Bird Innovations

References
  1. Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page B-26, B-58 and B-81, Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4
  2. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 166. BAI Communications. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  3. Downey, Julia: Kit Aircraft Directory 2005, Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, pages 59-60. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  4. Downey, Julia: 2008 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  5. Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  6. Free Bird Innovations (November 21, 2011). "Freebird 103". Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  7. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 56. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  8. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 56. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  9. Federal Aviation Administration (March 5, 2015). "SLSA Make/Model Directory". Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
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