Murphy Aircraft

The company was started as the result of a hunting accident. Darryl Murphy was a mechanical engineering technologist who designed and built a rigid wing hang glider in 1978 as a school project at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 1984 Murphy was in a non-aviation accident that left him hospitalized for four months. During his recovery time he decided to design a biplane to fit into the then-new Canadian ultralight category. The aircraft was a single-seat model and was intended as a one-off aircraft for his own use, with no production intentions. Murphy named it the Renegade.Murphy Aircraft: Meet Our Staff: President Darryl Murphy, Towards the Flightline, Winter 1993-84 page 3. Murphy Aircraft.{{cite web|url = http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/people/2008/01/01/runway-model|title = Runway Model|accessdate = 14 March 2010|last = Zukowski|first = Helena|date = January 2008|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100205081228/http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/people/2008/01/01/runway-model|archivedate = 5 February 2010}}

After taking the Renegade to a number of fly-ins and other aviation events, Murphy was encouraged by the positive response it received and by the number of people who asked him to build one for them. In 1985 Murphy quit his job and started Murphy Aviation (later renamed Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing), with his brother Bryan and located the company in Chilliwack, British Columbia.Murphy Aviation: News Bulletin, page 4. Murphy Aviation, Spring 1988

The original Renegade design was turned into a two-seater by relocating the fuel tank from the centre fuselage to the upper wing, installing a second seat and designating it the Renegade II. Initial sales were disappointing as only one kit was sold in the first six months. Sales improved greatly once the aviation press began reviewing the aircraft. By 1986 the company had a backlog of orders, including many from outside North America. Murphy displayed the Renegade at the EAA Convention, Oshkosh and returned to Chilliwack with a substantial order book. During 1989 sales totalled 129 Renegade IIs.

In May 1987 a new version of the basic Renegade design first flew. Named the Renegade Spirit it added a radial engine-style round cowling and a {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 532 and later the Rotax 582 engine.Murphy Aviation: News Bulletin, page 2. Murphy Aviation, Summer 1987Armstrong, Ken: Catching the Spirit, Kitplanes MagazineMurphy Aviation: Catching the "Spirit" in a Murphy Rengade - Info Package. Murphy Aviation, 1990Campbell, Jim: Getting the Spirit. Sport Pilot, pages 20-25, 66-70, April 1989

In September 2008, as a result of restructuring due to the early 2000s recession, Murphy Aircraft split off their sales functions to a new company, Patterson AeroSales, headed by former Murphy sales representative Bob Patterson. Murphy Aircraft continues to concentrate on designing and manufacturing kit aircraft while Patterson handles "show appearances, advertising materials, promotions and general sales responsibilities". Murphy Aircraft President Darryl Murphy also explained that the company will only manufacture kits in batches once sufficient numbers of orders have been accumulated to justify a production run and that standard aircraft hardware parts, like rivets and bolts would be shipped directly from the suppliers to customers to save costs.{{cite web|url = http://www.pattersonaerosales.com/Friends%20of%20Murphy%20Aircraft-r4.pdf|title = New sales & production structure letter|accessdate = 2009-12-27|last = Murphy|first = Darryl|date = September 2008|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20091104072302/http://www.pattersonaerosales.com/Friends%20of%20Murphy%20Aircraft-r4.pdf|archivedate = 2009-11-04}}

On 9 January 2014 the company issued a press release indicating that Darryl Murphy was retiring and wished to sell the company, indicating he expected to receive in the "$2.5 to $4 million range, depending on how much of the manufacturing machinery the buyer wants".{{cite web|url = http://copa8.blogspot.ca/2014/01/murphy-aircraft-for-sale.html|title = Murphy Aircraft For Sale |accessdate = 10 January 2014|last = Murphy Aircraft|date = 9 January 2014}}{{cite news|url = http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Murphy-Aircraft-Manufacturing-On-the-Market-For-2-4-Million221245-1.html|title = Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing On the Market For $2.5-$4 Million|accessdate = 14 January 2014|last = Durden |first = Rick|date = 9 January 2014| work = AVweb}}

On 22 January 2016 Murphy Aircraft announced that it has begun the process to put the Murphy Rebel into the light-sport aircraft category.{{cite web|url = http://skiesmag.com/news/article/MurphyAircraftMfgannouncestwoexcitingnewprojects|title = Murphy Aircraft Mfg. announces two exciting new projects|accessdate = 2016-04-24|date=January 22, 2016}}

The company unveiled a new Darryl Murphy design at AirVenture in July 2016, the Murphy Radical, which incorporates bicycle carriers on the wings.{{cite web|url = http://generalaviationnews.com/2016/01/28/murphy-aircraft-begins-s-lsa-certification-for-rebel/|title = Murphy Aircraft begins S-LSA certification for Rebel|accessdate = 15 March 2023|date=January 28, 2016|work=General Aviation News|archive-url= https://archive.today/20230315185343/https://generalaviationnews.com/2016/01/28/murphy-aircraft-begins-s-lsa-certification-for-rebel/|archive-date= 15 March 2023|url-status= live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Murphy-Radical-Adds-Bike-Racks-226713-1.html |title = Murphy Radical Adds Bike Racks|access-date= 15 March 2023|work= AVweb|date= 12 April 2019|archive-url= https://archive.today/20230315185403/https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/murphy-radical-adds-bike-racks/|archive-date= 15 March 2023|url-status= live}}

In 2022, Murphy Aircraft was acquired by Beijing-based Duofu International Holding Group, one of the top 25 Chinese conglomerates, which has subsidiaries in the fields of investment, manufacturing, mining, real estate, culture, tourism, international trade and aviation manufacturing. The company appointed Jensen Li as the managing director.{{cite web|url= https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/experimentals/murphy-resurgent/|title= Murphy Resurgent|access-date= 15 April 2022|last= Folkerts|first= Jerry|work= AVweb|date= 28 April 2022|archive-url= https://archive.today/20220429113709/https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/experimentals/murphy-resurgent/|archive-date= 29 April 2022|url-status= live}}{{cite web |title=Emerging Industries |url=https://en.duofugroup.com/NewIndustry/index.html |website=Duofu Group |access-date=30 July 2024}}

The newly acquired company halted kit production while rewriting the kit documentation using CAD/CAM computerization and also re-working the kits to speed up assembly time with improved pre-drilling. Kit production was expected to resume later in 2023, with a reduced offering of only three designs, the Murphy Moose, Radical and Rebel.{{cite web|url = https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/experimentals/murphy-radical/|title = Murphy Radical|access-date = 15 March 2023|last = Wilson|first = Tom|work =AVweb |date = 13 March 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230406155502/https://www.avweb.com/web/20230406155502/https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/experimentals/murphy-radical/|archive-date= 6 April 2023|url-status= live}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category|Murphy aircraft}}

• {{Official website|https://www.murphyair.com/}}
• [http://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/diy-in-the-sky-murphy-aircraft DIY in the Sky: Murphy Aircraft]

{{Murphy Aircraft}}

Category:Aircraft manufacturers of Canada

Category:Chilliwack