Finsterwalder
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, sporting goods |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Thomas Finsterwalder |
| Headquarters | Munich , Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Thomas Finsterwalder (founder) |
| Products | Hang gliders, paragliders, harnesses, helmets, emergency parachute systems |
Finsterwalder GmbH is a German enterprise producing hang gliders, paragliders, and associated equipment. Its main office is situated in Munich.[1]
The majority of Finsterwalder’s hang gliders are designed for compact folding, enabling easy carriage by hand during mountain ascents.[1]
Finsterwalder GmbH operates through two branches. The Munich location handles the design, manufacturing, and servicing of hang gliders and helmets. Meanwhile, Charly Products, based in Seeg, manufactures paragliders, harnesses, and emergency parachute systems.[2]
History
Established in 1974 by Thomas Finsterwalder, the firm initially focused on designing and building kayaks. Its inaugural hang glider model was the Finsterwalder Bergfex (translated as Mountain Freak), weighing approximately 11 kg (24 lb) and capable of being disassembled into a transportable package measuring 1.80 m (5.9 ft) in length within eight minutes.[2]
In 1985, a fire destroyed the company’s factory and all production equipment, causing a production halt until the following year.[2]
The acquisition of Charly Products in 1990 expanded the company’s portfolio to include paragliders and parachute systems. Following this merger, the business has been known as Finsterwalder & Charly. In 1994, Charly entered into a collaboration with Nova Paragliders.[2]
Aircraft
| Model | Maiden flight | Quantity produced | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finsterwalder Airfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Bergfex | 300+ | hang glider | |
| Finsterwalder Funfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Jetfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Lightfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Minifex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Perfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Skyfex | 6 prototypes only | hang glider | |
| Finsterwalder Speedfex | hang glider | ||
| Finsterwalder Superfex | 680 | hang glider | |
| Finsterwalder Topfex | {
hang glider |
|- |}