About Us

About Firebird UK

Simon Murphy is the owner of Firebird UK, who started selling kit shortly after he started flying in 1976. Simon flies both hang gliders and paragliders, but is most at home with some rigid tubes inside his sails. He has actually flown for Great Britain on a couple of occasions, but more as a result of being in the right places at the right times than as a result of having any noteworthy skills. His ideal is to be drifting off XC on his Litespeed, and his only claim to success is that he has held the local XC record for the last 16 years!

Home Help

firebirduk.com v 4_3

The business would probably cease to function without the sterling efforts of Martyn Howe, who has been flying since 1978. After about ten years in hang gliding, Martyn temporarily transferred his affections to microlights, then returned to hang gliding before discovering the delights of paragliding. He now rarely flies anything else, enjoying the simplicity and convenience of paragliders. He is currently revelling in the performance and friendly behaviour of his new Eagle.

Simon and Martyn are, first and foremost, friends. Their friendship was borne out of their mutual love of Free Flight. At different times, but for similar reasons, they each elected to try to earn a living in the world they loved, rather than earn much more in a mundane profession. So far, this strategy has worked!

A part-time associate of FBUK is Harriet Pottinger (formerly editor of Free Flyer and Chairman of the BHPA) who is a committed flyer, and for some obscure reason seems to like hanging out with Simon. She has a proper job, and doesn’t earn anything out of FBUK, but there is no doubt that she is a part of the team.

One member of the FBUK Line up must never be forgotten. The company is based at Turfhouse in Luppitt, Devon. Nestling in the remote valley of the River Love, this is a place so beautiful that it has been known to literally take the breath of visitors away!

It also promotes a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere that has become ingrained in our business attitudes. We know that there is far more to life than trying to take all your money in exchange for our goods, and so our sales methods are laid-back.

It was Simon’s desire to spend as much of his time as possible at Turfhouse which prompted him to give up other diverse (and rather more lucrative) business interests in order to work from home. This was a decision to embrace a higher quality of life rather chasing higher financial rewards. Firebird UK is, literally, a cottage industry.

Visitors are welcome, but please get in touch before dropping by – you will need fairly detailed instructions merely to find us, which are available on our Contact page. Also, remember to allow for the fact that your visit might take longer than you think – most people aren’t in a hurry to leave Turf, and we may even ply you with tea or coffee to slow you down to our pace!

- top of page -

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Site Map