The Freebird I is an American single-seat, high wing,

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

, single engined

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

ultralight

kit aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

designed for construction by amateur builders by the Freebird Airplane Company of

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and later also produced 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 W ...

.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-26 Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 166. BAI Communications. The original Freebird I design was further refined and developed and was produced until late 2014 by Free Bird Innovations of

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Detroit Lakes is a city in the State of Minnesota and the county seat of Becker County. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000 midsum ...

as the LiteSport Ultra.

Development

The Freebird I was developed from the two-seater Freebird II that had been introduced 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 ...

1996. The single seater was introduced in 1998 and retains the configuration and many features of the two seater, but with a revised, narrower fuselage. The aircraft was intended to meet the requirements of the US FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category, including that category's maximum empty weight. The Freebird I is constructed from bolted

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

tubing, covered with doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The aircraft features conventional three-axis controls, including a trim system. The tricycle landing gear is steered by differential braking and a castering nosewheel. The company estimated that an average builder would take 120 hours to build the aircraft from the assembly kit. The standard engine recommended is the two-stroke

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and development ...

and with this engine the standard empty weight is . The Freebird I's wings can be folded in five minutes by one person and the aircraft can then be trailered or stored. Options available included full cabin doors,

flaperon A flaperon (a portmanteau of flap and aileron) on an aircraft's wing is a type of control surface that combines the functions of both flaps and ailerons. Some smaller kitplanes have flaperons for reasons of simplicity of manufacture, while s ...

s, brakes,

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

and a custom-fitted trailer. The original Freebird I has been replaced in the company line by the improved LiteSport Ultra. A new variant, the Freebird 103, using the same wing with a redesigned fuselage, was under development in 2009.

Variants

;Freebird I :Original model introduced in 1998, single seat ultralight with

and standard empty weight of , built by Freebird Airplane Company and Pro Sport Aviation. ;Sportlite 103 :Improved model single seat ultralight with

and standard empty weight of , built by and Pro Sport Aviation and Free Bird Innovations. This single seat model can be converted into a two-seater and has an acceptable power range of . When it was in production it was available as a quick-build kit, fully assembled or as plans. The plans were extensive and included a 200 page construction manual, templates, covering instructions and a complete materials list. In 2001 the plans were US$185 and the manufacturer estimated that it would take 250 hours to build the aircraft from the plans. To help plans builders the manufacturer allowed builders to order any parts that they wanted without buying the complete kit.Downey, Julia: ''Kit Aircraft Directory 2005'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-58 Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ;LiteSport Ultra :Improved current production model, single seat kit aircraft with

and standard empty weight of , built by Free Bird Innovations. 357 had been completed and flown by 2011Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 ;Freebird 103 :Model originally projected for introduction in 2011 as a single seat US FAR 103 ultralight aircraft with a design empty weight under . The 103 intended to use the LiteSport Ultra wing mated to a newly

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

designed fuselage frame to save weight and was to be built by Free Bird Innovations. The project was set back when the lead project engineer, Eric Grina, was killed in a car accident in October 2011.

Specifications (Freebird I)

References

External links

* for the Ultra * for the 103 {{Free Bird Innovations Free Bird Innovations aircraft 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft

Development

Variants

Specifications (Freebird I)

See also

References

External links