# Quicksilver Aircraft > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Quicksilver_Aircraft > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Quicksilver_Aircraft.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_Aircraft > Source revision: 1355366427 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Aircraft manufacturer Quicksilver Aircraft Industry Aerospace manufacturer Founder Dick Eipper Key people Dan Perez (COO) Products Kit aircraft **Quicksilver Aircraft** is an American manufacturer of [ultralight](/source/Ultralight_aircraft) and [light aircraft](/source/Light_aircraft). Founded in 1972 as **Eipper Formance** and later **Eipper Aircraft**,[1] the company today claims to be the leading manufacturer of ultralight aircraft in the United States,[2] with the Quicksilver type ultralight being used to train more ultralight pilots than any other type.[3] The company was previously known as Quicksilver Manufacturing Inc.[4] In 2015 the owners dissolved Quicksilver Aeronautics and closed the Temecula factory after a prolonged downturn in sales, while retaining the intellectual property and arranging for parts and support to be supplied through long-time distributors such as Air-Tech Inc.[5][6] ## History Quicksilver was founded in Eipper Formance, a hang glider manufacturer established by Dick Eipper in Southern California in the early 1970s.[7][8] Eipper Formance produced both flexible-wing and rigid-wing hang gliders, including Bob Lovejoy's Quicksilver rigid-wing design, which used a rectangular wing and conventional tail surfaces rather than a delta wing.[7][8] In the late 1970s the company began experimenting with adding engines and landing gear to the Quicksilver glider, creating the Quicksilver C as a self-launching powered glider aimed at pilots flying from flat terrain.[7][8] Subsequent versions introduced tricycle landing gear and progressively more conventional aerodynamic controls, leading to the Quicksilver E and then the MX series, which replaced pure weight-shift control with two- and three-axis control surfaces.[7][8] Eipper Formance was renamed Eipper Aircraft and later Quicksilver Aircraft. Under later ownership the firm traded as *Quicksilver Manufacturing Inc.*, headquartered in Temecula, California, and offered a seven-model line-up that included Sprint and Sport trainers and the more enclosed GT series.[7][4][8] Quicksilver's GT400 and GT500 models, introduced in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, were designed as higher-performance aircraft with podded or enclosed cockpits. The GT500 became the first aircraft to be certificated by the [Federal Aviation Administration](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration) in the Primary Category for sportplanes in 1993.[4][8] In the 2010s the company developed the Sport 2SE, a fully built, two-seat [Special Light-Sport Aircraft](/source/Light-sport_aircraft) (S-LSA) derived from the open-cockpit Sport 2S. The Sport 2SE received S-LSA approval in 2014 and has been marketed as a trainer and rental aircraft.[9][10] In October 2015 Quicksilver announced a major reorganisation and closed its Temecula factory after a difficult financial year, with management citing falling sales and the need to liquidate assets.[11] Later that month the owners opted to dissolve Quicksilver Aeronautics, the then-current corporate entity, while retaining the intellectual property and arranging for long-time dealer Air-Tech Inc. of Reserve, Louisiana, and other suppliers to provide parts and potential future kits.[5][6] An official statement issued on behalf of Flying Spirit Aircraft, the rights-holding company, indicated that factory support for existing aircraft and replacement parts would continue through third-party companies and that new kits might be offered depending on demand.[6] Previous logo as Quicksilver Manufacturing ## Aircraft [Quicksilver MX II Sprint](/source/Quicksilver_MX_II_Sprint) two seater - [GT400](/source/Quicksilver_GT500) - [GT500](/source/Quicksilver_GT500) - [MX Sprint](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [MX Sport](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [MX-2 Sprint](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [MXL-2 Sport](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [Quicksilver C](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [Quicksilver E](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [Sport II](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) - [Sport 2S](/source/Eipper_Quicksilver) ## References **Citations** 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Markowski, Michael A. *Build your own ultralight? - tips from an expert*. *[Popular Science](/source/Popular_Science)*, May 1984, p.106. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Quicksilver Manufacturing official site](http://www.quicksilveraircraft.com/), accessed 2011-02-10 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Goyer 2004, p.131. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-QM_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-QM_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-QM_4-2) ["GT500"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110715135805/http://quicksilveraircraft.com/gt500.htm). *Quicksilver Aircraft*. 2011. Archived from [the original](http://quicksilveraircraft.com/gt500.htm) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2022. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AOPA2015_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AOPA2015_5-1) Marsh, Alton K. (October 21, 2015). ["Quicksilver dissolves, overall aviation outlook flat"](https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2015/october/21/quicksilver-dissolves-aviation-market-looking-flat). *[AOPA](/source/Aircraft_Owners_and_Pilots_Association)*. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AusFly2015_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AusFly2015_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-AusFly2015_6-2) ["Quicksilver Aircraft closes factory"](https://www.australianflying.com.au/news/quicksilver-aircraft-closes-factory). *Australian Flying*. October 23, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-History_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-History_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-History_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-History_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-History_7-4) ["History"](https://www.quicksilveraircraft.com/history.php). *Quicksilver Aircraft*. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Johnson_8-5) Johnson, Dan. ["Quicksilver – The Cessna of the Ultralight Industry"](https://www.ultralightsaustralia.com.au/quicksilver-articles-mobile). *Ultralights Australia*. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Flying2014_9-0)** ["We Fly: Quicksilver Sport 2SE"](https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft-lsasport-we-fly-quicksilver-sport-2se/). *Flying*. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-AOPA2019_10-0)** ["Flying a Certified Ultralight Trainer – The Quicksilver Sport 2SE"](https://youcanfly.aopa.org/flying-clubs/flying-club-newsletter/2019/november/17/aircraft-spotlight). *AOPA Flying Club Newsletter*. November 17, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Quicksilver Aircraft "Reorganizing""](http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Quicksilver-Aircraft-Reorganizing-225040-1.html). *AVweb*. October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] **Bibliography** - Goyer, Norm (2004). [*Air Sports: The Complete Guide to Aviation Adventure*](https://books.google.com/books?id=DG9g7NyEtiUC&pg=PA131). New York: McGraw-Hill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-07-141051-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-07-141051-1). Retrieved February 10, 2011. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Quicksilver aircraft](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Quicksilver_aircraft). - [Official website](http://www.quicksilveraircraft.com) v t e Quicksilver Aircraft Aircraft C E GT400 GT500 MX Sprint MX Sport MX-2 Sprint MXL-2 Sport Sport II Sport 2S Companies Eipper Aircraft Eipper Formance Quicksilver Aircraft Quicksilver Manufacturing This article about an American aeronautical company is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:US-aeronautical-company-stub) - [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template_talk:US-aeronautical-company-stub&action=edit&redlink=1) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:US-aeronautical-company-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Quicksilver Aircraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_Aircraft) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_Aircraft?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.