Winds Italia
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | c. 2001 |
| Founder | Randy Haney |
| Defunct | c. 2008 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Paramotors |
Winds Italia (English: Italian Winds) was an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Bologna that was founded by Canadian hang glider champion pilot Randy Haney. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of paramotors and powered hang glider harnesses in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules and the European microlight category.[1]
The company seems to have been founded about 2001 and gone out of business in 2008, when production of its two models was passed to Flugsport Vetterl GmbH und Co. KG of Schwarzenfeld, Germany.[2][3]
Winds Italia built a powered hang glider harness, the Raven, employing the single cylinder Radne Raket 120 engine of 15 hp (11 kW). The company produced the Airwalker paramotor and later the Orbiter series, introduced in 2003 and which replaced the Airwalker in production. The Orbiter offered both the Raket engine and the higher-powered Orbiter XP model with a 24 hp (18 kW) Cors'Air M21Y engine.[1]
Aircraft[edit]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winds Italia Raven | 2001 | powered hang glider harness | |
| Winds Italia Airwalker | 2001 | paramotor | |
| Winds Italia Orbiter | 2003 | paramotor |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 77. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
- ^ "Powerplanes". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "The Raven and Orbiter XP are now being produced in Germany". powerplanes.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2016.