Indy Aircraft

Indy Aircraft Limited was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Independence, Iowa. The company specialized in the manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction.[1][2][3]

Indy Aircraft Limited
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Founded2006
Defunctcirca 2021
Headquarters
Independence, Iowa
,
United States
ProductsKit aircraft

The company traced its lineage to Teratorn Aircraft, which was formed in 1976 in Clear Lake, Iowa, and which introduced the Teratorn Tierra and Teratorn Tierra II aircraft designs in 1983. When Teratorn went out of business in about 1989, the Tierra designs were put back into production by Golden Circle Air of De Soto, Iowa, as the Golden Circle Air T-Bird line. Golden Circle Air went out of business in about 2006, and Indy Aircraft was formed to provide parts for the existing fleet. In 2011 the company restored the T-Bird and T-Bird II to production. More than 1500 Tierra/T-Bird Is and 2500 Tierra II/T-Bird IIs have been constructed by all manufacturers of the types in total.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Indy Aircraft put the T-Bird I and T-Bird II back into production, but not the Golden Circle Air three-seat T-Bird III or the tandem-seat T-Bird Tandem TBT06. At one time the company indicated it had plans to have its aircraft approved for the American light-sport aircraft category, but as of April 2017, neither of its types had been accepted by the US Federal Aviation Administration as Special Light-Sport Aircraft.[13][14][15]

The company's website was taken down some time after September 2021 and the company seems to have gone out of business.[16]

In 2021, Matt Shubat incorporated Tbird Aircraft, LLC, and subsequently acquired the T-Bird rights and resources of Indy Aircraft. The new company offers new kits and parts for the T-Bird I and II, refurbishing of old kits, and are developing a new design, the Tbird TU, to conform to FAR Part 103 requirements.[17][18]

Aircraft
Summary of aircraft built by Indy Aircraft
Model name First flight Number built Type
Indy T-Bird I 1983 more than 1500 Tierras and T-Birds Single seat kit aircraft
Indy T-Bird II 1983 more than 2500 Tierra IIs and T-Bird IIs Two seat kit aircraft

References
  1. Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 56. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  2. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 61. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 63. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  4. Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, pages B-60 and B-106. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4
  5. Pilot Mix. "Golden Circle Air, Inc T-Bird I". Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  6. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 168-169. BAI Communications. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  7. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 142. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
  8. Downey, Julia: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 50. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  9. Downey, Julia: 2001 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 54. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
  10. Downey, Julia: 2002 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 43. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
  11. Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: 2004 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  12. Downey, Julia: 2005 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 61. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  13. Indy Aircraft. "Products". Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  14. Indy Aircraft. "Product FAQ". Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  15. Federal Aviation Administration (March 1, 2017). "SLSA Make/Model Directory". Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  16. Indy Aircraft (October 15, 2022). "Welcome to Indy Aircraft Ltd.!". indyaircraftltd.net. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  17. Johnson, Dan: "Oshkosh 2022 – Day 0… T-Bird is Back; Two-Seat Aerolite; and More As the Show Prepares to Open," July 25, 2022, ByDanJohnson.com, retrieved June 20, 2023
  18. "Tbird Aircraft LLC," OpenCorporates.com, retrieved June 20, 2023
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