Airwave Gliders
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Fulpmes , Austria |
| Products | Hang gliders, paragliders |
Airwave Gliders was an aircraft manufacturer originally established in the United Kingdom and later headquartered in Fulpmes, Austria. The firm specialized in the development and production of both hang gliders and paragliders.[1]
Founded in 1979, the company ceased operations around 2009.[2][3] As of 2019, the Airwave website remained online, directing customers to Bruce Goldsmith Design for product support.[4]
Their product portfolio included a variety of aircraft, notably paraglider models designed by Bruce Goldsmith, such as the Airwave Magic, Scenic, Sport, Ten, and Wave.[1]
History
Established in 1979 in the United Kingdom, Airwave initially focused on manufacturing hang gliders. Early on, their designs were successfully flown by top British pilots at several World Hang Gliding Championships.
The company expanded into paragliding in 1989 when Bruce Goldsmith initiated this division. Notably, in 1997, John Pendry secured first place at the World Paragliding Championships flying an Airwave paraglider. Subsequently, Goldsmith departed from Airwave to pursue opportunities with other manufacturers.[1][3]
In November 1999, Markus Villinger acquired Airwave and relocated its operations to the Stubaital valley in Austria's Central Eastern Alps. Prior to this, Villinger managed Wills Wing Europe, the official distributor for Wills Wing hang gliders. He convinced Goldsmith to rejoin Airwave in May 2000, with Goldsmith’s paraglider designs being produced by external contractors. Operating from his residence in Gréolières, France—a location favourable for year-round paragliding—Goldsmith contributed remotely. Villinger eventually divested from the company to focus on real estate development.[3]
Villinger later repurchased Airwave and moved its base to Fulpmes, where both his own hang glider designs and Goldsmith’s paragliders were manufactured.[3]
By 2008, Airwave had discontinued manufacturing its own hang glider models and transitioned into a distributor role for Wills Wing hang gliders while continuing to outsource paraglider production.[5] The company appears to have ceased operations around 2009 amid the economic downturn caused by the Great Recession.[2]
As of 2016, Bruce Goldsmith continued to offer technical assistance and spare parts for Airwave products through his new enterprise, Bruce Goldsmith Design.[4]
Aircraft
Overview of models produced by Airwave Gliders:
Paragliders
- Airwave Alpine Extreme
- Airwave Burn
- Airwave Gecko
- Airwave Kiss
- Airwave Logic
- Airwave Magic
- Airwave Mustang
- Airwave Scenic
- Airwave Slingshot
- Airwave Sport
- Airwave Ten
- Airwave Wave
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 12. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. Template:ISSN
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Airwave-Gliders". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "company". airwave-gliders.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Experta Evolution. "Airwave". airwave-gliders.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "hanggliders". airwave-gliders.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2016.