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American ultralight airplane manufacturer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teratorn Aircraft, Inc. (named for the extinct ice age soaring bird) was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Clear Lake, Iowa. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft under the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Defunct | circa 1989 |
| Fate | Out of business |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Kit aircraft |
The company was formed as Motorized Gliders of Iowa, Inc. in 1976 and located in a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) production facility. The company first produced the weight-shift Teratorn Aircraft Teratorn and the follow-up Teratorn T/A single seat ultralight motorglider designs. In 1983 it introduced the Tierra and Tierra II.[1][3]
After Teratorn went out of business in about 1989, Golden Circle Air of De Soto, Iowa took up production of Terratorn's designs.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Golden Circle Air went out of business in circa 2006, the designs were acquired by Bret Kivell's Indy Aircraft and put back into production from 2011 to 2021.[12][13][14] In 2021, Matt Shubat incorporated Tbird Aircraft, LLC, and acquired the T-Bird rights and assets of Indy Aircraft. The company offers kits and parts for the T-Bird I and II, refurbishes old aircraft and are developing a new FAR Part 103 uktralight, the Tbird TU.[14][15]
Terratorn's Tierra and Tierra II designs have a reputation for structural strength and robustness in service. Though slow compared to other aircraft of comparable weight and power, they are reportedly comparatively "docile" and "predictable" with excellent short-field capability, and an unusually roomy cabin and good visibility. More than 4000 have been completed and flown.[1][14]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teratorn Aircraft Teratorn | 1970s | Single seat ultralight motor glider | |
| Teratorn T/A | 1980s | Single seat ultralight motor glider | |
| Teratorn Tierra | 1983 | more than 1500 Tierras | Single seat ultralight aircraft |
| Teratorn Tierra II | 1983 | more than 2500 Tierra IIs | Two seat ultralight aircraft |
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