Southern Powered Parachutes was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Nicholson, Georgia. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of powered parachutes in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft for the European Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight and the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles trainer rules. The company's designs were never listed in the American light-sport aircraft category.[1][2]
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | circa 2001 |
| Founder | John Massey |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Out of business |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Powered parachutes |
The company was founded as Condor Powered Parachutes by John Massey in about 2001 as a result of his experience as a powered parachute pilot and dealer for other brands. He wanted to produce a lower-cost aircraft and Massey had a chance meeting with the president of Aerostar that led to a manufacturing relationship. As the model line expanded the company changed its name to Southern Powered Parachutes.[1][3][4]
Southern produced two models, the Condor and Raptor, with the airframes built by Aerostar in Romania. The airframes were shipped to the US and assembled in Georgia for domestic sale. At least 15 Condors and eight Raptors were built. The company seems to have gone out of business in about 2006.[1][3][4][5][6]
Aircraft
edit| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Condor | 2001 | at least 15 | Two seat powered parachute |
| Southern Raptor | 2004[7] | at least 8 | Two seat powered parachute |
References
edit- ^ a b c Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 81. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (April 30, 2015). "SLSA Make/Model Directory". Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Condor PPC". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Southern Powered Parachutes". condorppc.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (June 9, 2015). "Condor Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (June 9, 2015). "Raptor Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Condor Powered Parachutes". condorppc.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2015.