Canadian Darryl Murphy Inducted Into EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame

December 10, 2018

The EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame were established to honour the outstanding achievements of men and women who share the spirit of EAA and its community.

Those inducted into the Halls of Fame are selected by their peers for the myriad contributions made to their particular realm of flight — and aviation as a whole.

The five inductees — representing ultralights, the International Aerobatic Club, the Vintage Aircraft Association, Warbirds of America, and homebuilders — have dedicated their lives to their respective areas of aviation, and they join an esteemed group of individuals who represent the spirit of EAA in the highest form.*

This year’s inductee into the Homebuilders Hall of Fame is Canadian Darryl Murphy, EAA 293368.

Darryl and Pat Murphy

The list of inductees to the Homebuilders Hall of Fame are giants in the industry and include such names as Tony Bingelis, John Thorp, Dick VanGrunsven, Curtis Pitts, Burt Rutan, John Monnett, Lance Neibauer, and Jim Bede. The list goes on and on.

The Halls of Fame induction is an annual gala event with a lovely banquet and the guests are treated to the best in an evening of peer recognition and great food.

Darryl and Pat were joined by Darryl’s sister Colleen and her husband, Robin, who is a retired airline pilot and test-flew all of Darryl’s designs. Debra and I were also invited by Darryl to join them at their table.

The presentation of the award was made by EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board Jack J. Pelton after which we were treated to a number of slides showing Darryl’s aircraft designs.

Darryl took the podium and talked about his life’s aviation interests and work, and the successes that many of the builders around the world have had with his designs. He assured us that there were still more aircraft designs in the making.

“Darryl got his start in the late 1970s by designing and building a rigid-wing hang glider. While laid up after a non-aviation accident, he started designing a single-seat biplane that first flew in 1984. He upgraded that design to a two-seater using innovative construction techniques and then founded Murphy Aircraft the following year.

“Over the years, the designs continued to flow, including the company’s first commercial product, the Renegade biplane series, followed by the all-aluminum Rebel, the Maverick, the Elite, and the sturdy Moose bushplane. In addition, Darryl designed a series of amphibious floats, as well as a line of wheels and brakes. Murphy aircraft were among the first to fly with the venerable Rotax 912, and in 2003, Bombardier used a Murphy Moose to demonstrate its 300-hp V-6 engine at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. In 2002, Darryl designed the four-seat Yukon, and after announcing his retirement in 2014, went on to design the STOL, bike-rack-equipped Murphy Radical.”*

*Excerpts taken from this year’s Halls of Fame Induction ceremony souvenir brochure.