[5][6][7][8][9][10] The founder of Birdman Enterprises, Terry Jones, first learned to fly in 1970 from Bill Moyes, the originator of the modern sport of hang gliding.

He named the company after the nickname that he had personally acquired as a hang glider pilot, "Birdman Jones".

Next the company developed a power package for self-launching hang gliders and started marketing it in 1979 as the Altair.

[2][3] In 1980 the company introduced its first ultralight aircraft design, the Birdman Atlas, which was based on the Eipper Quicksilver.

[2][11] In 1981, the company hired experienced Ukrainian hang glider designer Vladimir Talanczuk, who had recently immigrated to Canada.