La Mouette ( en,

Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

) is a French aircraft manufacturer headquartered in

Fontaine-lès-Dijon Fontaine-lès-Dijon () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It is known for the Couvent et Basilique Saint-Bernard, a collection of buildings on the site of the birthplace of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Cl ...

. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like ...

s and

ultralight trike An ultralight trike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift. These aircraft have a fabric flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fuselage pod driven by a pusher propeller. The pod accommodates either a ...

s. At one time they also produced

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harness, fuel tank, engine, ...

s.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', pages 45-46 and 82. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XCliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-27. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 52. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851 Founded in 1974 by brothers Gérard Thevenot and Jean-Marc Thevenot, the company was formed to produce versions of the American Seagull hang glider. Their glider was named La Mouette, after which the company was named. In 1979 they produced the

La Mouette Atlas The La Mouette Atlas is a French high-wing, single-place, hang glider, designed and produced by La Mouette of Fontaine-lès-Dijon.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 46. Pagefast Ltd, Lanca ...

which remained in production through 2012 and of which there are over 8000 examples flying. In 1986 the company started building

s and in 1995 introduced the "topless" hang glider, deleting the

kingpost A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above f ...

and upper

flying wires In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

. In 2010-11 the company developed an

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods ...

, the

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 216. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X The company also built a rigid wing hang glider, the

Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

and a

powered parachute A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels. The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible or ...

, the Skydancer under the brand ''Helite''. Helite is today a company that specializes in

air bag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. T ...

designs.

Aircraft

References

External links

* {{La Mouette aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of France Hang gliders Companies based in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté