Firebird Paragliders.Like some other well-known manufacturers, Firebird Paragliders initially existed to produce hang-gliders. Firebird were churning out hang gliders as early as 1975, so they have been around for quite a while. Longer than most paraglider manufacturers in fact. The paragliding side of the operation began with production of the Maxi. At this time the company was also a paragliding school, and they sold a lot of Maxis to their students. This gave a real boost to the popularity of paragliding in Europe during the late 80's. Also in common with some other big manufacturers, Firebird Paragliders managed to attract some top-notch pilots who did some great flying with Airwave gear. Notably, in 1989 there was an expedition to Namibia in which a number of pilots attempted to break records. Much was achieved. The first paraglider flight of over 100km (62 miles), and a German altitude record of 3100m (10,200ft). From time to time, Firebird had major competition successes with pilots using their gear. The world comps were won in 1991 with a pilot flying a Ninja wing. Since 1996, Firebird increased its focus on the testing and development of new paragliders. The new designs that emerged helped to raise the profile of the company. Firebird wings often showed up well in competition results, and this was beneficial for publicity and sales. In 1998, Firebird came close to having a World Champion, their pilot flying a Cult competition wing. These days, Firebird Paragliders are based in Switzerland and cater for all aspects of paragliding. A new range of wings was released in 2005 which all sported a new visual design and a swept-back plan form. The company is proud of some advanced technical innovations. In particular, their Laser Cut Technology enables them to achieve very high levels of manufacturing quality. Unless anything has changed recently, Firebird is the only manufacturer to offer a 5 year warranty on all their new gliders.
Last updated: 23 Sep 2006 Return to Paragliding Equipment from Firebird Paragliders
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