Mirage Aircraft Corporation

Mirage Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer and homebuilt-aircraft design business based in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Its principal activity is the provision and continued marketing of aircraft plans for amateur construction rather than the production of certified general-aviation aircraft for the commercial market. The company is associated primarily with the Mirage Celerity, a homebuilt aircraft designed by Larry Burton and first flown in 1985, and with the fixed-gear Mirage Marathon variant. The business originated in Tucson, Arizona, before later relocating to Prescott Valley. Its operating model reflects the structure of the amateur-built aircraft sector: designers and specialized companies make aircraft plans and, in some cases, kits available to individual builders, while builders undertake construction and assembly themselves. This differs from the conventional aerospace-manufacturing model in which a manufacturer produces complete, type-certified aircraft for delivery to customers. The Celerity design was created by Larry Burton, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1994. Following his death, Mirage Aircraft Corporation continued selling and supporting the design. The company therefore functions not only as a marketer of aircraft plans but also as a custodian of an established homebuilt-aircraft design whose commercial availability continued beyond its original designer's lifetime. Kits for the Celerity and for the fixed-gear Mirage Marathon variant are provided through Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., a supplier serving the amateur aircraft-building community. Mirage's offerings are consequently distributed through a combination of direct design-plan activity and specialist kit-supplier channels. The available reference material does not establish a broader aircraft portfolio, large-scale manufacturing operations, international subsidiaries, public-market ownership, or detailed financial information. Mirage Aircraft Corporation occupies a niche position within recreational and experimental aviation. Its relevance comes from maintaining access to plans and construction support for aircraft intended to be built by amateurs, rather than from operating an airline, manufacturing military aircraft, or selling mass-produced aircraft. Publicly documented information about its workforce, leadership, ownership, production volumes, and present-day corporate structure is limited.

Mirage Aircraft Corporation developed within the American homebuilt-aircraft and experimental-aviation market. The company's original location was Tucson, Arizona, and it subsequently moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona, where it is identified as being based. Public sources do not provide a confirmed founding year, a detailed incorporation history, or a complete account of the company's early ownership. The company became associated with the Mirage Celerity, an amateur-built aircraft designed by Larry Burton. The design first flew in 1985, establishing the aircraft as a developed homebuilt-aircraft concept rather than merely a paper project. Its commercial model centered on making plans available to individual builders who would construct the aircraft themselves. This placed Mirage in the plans-built and kit-assisted segment of aviation, where customers generally assume responsibility for construction and completion. Larry Burton died suddenly of a heart attack in 1994. After his death, Mirage Aircraft Corporation continued to sell the Celerity design. This continuation preserved access to the aircraft plans and allowed the design to remain available to the amateur-building community despite the loss of its original designer. The available sources do not identify a successor designer or describe any major redesign following Burton's death. Mirage also became associated with the Mirage Marathon, a fixed-gear variant of the Celerity. Kits for the Celerity and Marathon are provided by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., which connects the designs with an established supplier serving aircraft builders and experimental-aircraft customers. The distinction between Mirage's design-plan business and the external provision of kits is important: the available information supports Mirage's role as the continuing marketer of the designs, but does not establish that Mirage operates a large in-house kit-production facility. The company's history is therefore characterized by continuity of a small, specialized aircraft-design business rather than by a sequence of major corporate expansions. It relocated within Arizona, continued the Celerity program after Burton's death, and maintained availability of the Celerity and Marathon designs through plans and kit channels. No reliable public information in the supplied references establishes a broader product range, major acquisitions, public listing, international production network, or significant changes in corporate strategy. Its documented identity remains that of an American provider of amateur-built aircraft plans and related design support.

• 1994

  Death of designer Larry Burton

  [1]Mirage Aircraft Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Larry Burton died suddenly of a heart attack. Mirage Aircraft Corporation subsequently continued marketing the Celerity design.

• 1985

  Mirage Celerity first flight

  [1]Mirage Aircraft Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The Mirage Celerity, designed by Larry Burton, made its first flight and became the company's principal documented homebuilt-aircraft design.

• Relocation from Tucson to Prescott Valley

  [1]Mirage Aircraft Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company moved its base from Tucson, Arizona, to Prescott Valley, Arizona. The available source does not specify the year of the relocation.

A niche provider and continuing marketer of plans for experimental and amateur-built aircraft, with associated kit availability through a specialist aviation supplier.

• Amateur-built aircraft design · 1985

  Mirage Celerity

  The Mirage Celerity is a homebuilt-aircraft design created by Larry Burton. It first flew in 1985 and is marketed through aircraft plans intended for amateur construction. Mirage Aircraft Corporation continued selling the design after Burton's death in 1994. Kits associated with the Celerity are provided by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., while builders undertake the aircraft's construction themselves.

• Amateur-built aircraft variant

  Mirage Marathon

  The Mirage Marathon is a fixed-gear variant associated with the Celerity design family. It is offered for amateur construction through plans and related kit support. Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. provides kits for the Marathon. Publicly supplied material does not provide detailed specifications, production quantities, or a confirmed launch year.

1. 1Mirage Aircraft Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mirage Aircraft Corporation official websitemirage-aircraft.net