Murphy Renegade
| Renegade | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Renegade II | |
| Role | Kit aircraft |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Murphy Aircraft |
| Designer | Darryl Murphy |
| Produced | 1984-present |
| Number built | 590 (2011) |
The Murphy Renegade is a family of Canadian two-seats-in-tandem, single engine, conventional landing gear, biplanes, produced by Murphy Aircraft and intended for amateur construction.
In Canada all Renegade variants are eligible to be registered as amateur-builts, basic ultralights or advanced ultralights. In the USA the Renegade is not on the list of Special light-sport aircraft, but is eligible for the Experimental - Amateur-built category.
The Renegade was designed as the result of an accident. Darryl Murphy is a mechanical engineering technologist who designed and built a rigid wing hang glider in 1978 as a school project while attending 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 resulting aircraft, C-IDJY, is 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.
After taking the aircraft to a number of fly-ins and other aviation events, Murphy was encouraged by the large number of people who wanted him to build one for them. In 1985 he quit his job and started Murphy Aviation (later renamed Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing), with his brother Bryan and located the company in Chilliwack, British Columbia. 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 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.
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