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
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Founded1995
FounderBernd Pohl
Headquarters,
ProductsParachutes
Websiteflyfirebird.com

Background

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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

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Canopies

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  • FB Tandem
  • Rush Reserve
  • Quick 400 Reserve

Containers

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  • Evo
  • Evo Student
  • Evo Tandem

Aircraft

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Firebird Hornet Sport

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c Smathers, Heather (September 20, 2018). "New council member made jump from Luxembourg to Eloy". Eloy Enterprise. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d "Firebird Changes Ownership". USPA. June 1, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Firebird goes USA". Freifall Press. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ a b 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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