A Canadian homebuilding pioneer who, among other distinctions, was the first to use a Rotax 914 in one of his designs, will be inducted into the Experimental Aircraft Association Homebuilders Hall of Fame Nov. 8. Darryl Murphy, who founded Murphy Aircraft in 1985 after building a single-seat biplane. “His subsequent designs included such notable aircraft as the Renegade biplane series, the all-aluminum Rebel, the Maverick, the Elite, and the sturdy Moose bushplane,” EAA noted in its news release.
Murphy retired in 2014 but he wasn’t finished designing airplanes. He showed the Radical, a STOL version of the Rebel at AirVenture 2014 and said he intended to certify it. “Darryl Murphy brought his curious, insatiable mind to the world of amateur-built aircraft designs,” said Charlie Becker, EAA’s director of chapters and homebuilding. “Throughout his aviation career, he has always been exploring new ideas and concepts to make recreational aviation more fun and accessible.”