Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Pipistrel Alpha Trainer is a Slovenian light sport two-seater built for flight schools, and it is the most economical aeroplane in this entire survey to operate: an 80 hp Rotax burning under three gallons an hour, with a long glider-influenced wing that climbs at 1,200 fpm despite the modest power.
Pipistrel's background is in gliders and motorgliders and it shows in the aerodynamics. For a school running a training fleet the fuel and maintenance economics are compelling. The compromises are a thirteen-gallon tank giving limited endurance, a light airframe that is sensitive in gusty conditions, and a cabin that is adequate rather than roomy. The Rotax needs a trained mechanic with calendar-based as well as hours-based maintenance. Pipistrel was acquired by Textron in 2022, which has improved the support position considerably.
Variants of the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
- Alpha Trainer · 2012 · 133 active · this page
Also consider
- Evektor Harmony LSAPartial 14.1/30 · 2 seats · 108 kt
- Champion 7GCBC (registered as AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT)Score 29.9/50 · 2 seats · 105 kt
- Czech Sport Aircraft SportCruiserScore 29.8/50 · 2 seats · 110 kt
Compare with…
Put Pipistrel Alpha Trainer side by side with up to three other models.
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
Open Pipistrel Alpha Trainer in Compare
Watch this model
One email a day if anything changes: new ADs and NTSB records.
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Rotax 912UL2 |
| Horsepower | 80 hp |
| Fuel | mogas-approved |
| Certification basis | LSA |
| Production start | 2012 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 108 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,200 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 800 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 800 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 593 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 515 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,213 lb |
| Empty weight | 620 lb |
| Usable fuel | 13 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 4.5 gal/h |
Estimated cost to own
An estimate, not a quote. Change the inputs to match how you would fly it. Defaults are for a single-engine piston, 1–2 seats.
| Fuel (burn × price) | hourly | $33/h | $3,335/yr |
| Engine reserve (overhaul ÷ TBO) | hourly | $1,150/yr | |
| Maintenance reserve | hourly | $1,500/yr | |
| Insurance | fixed | $1,400/yr | |
| Annual inspection | fixed | $1,500/yr | |
| Hangar | fixed | $6,000/yr | |
| Rental rate, wet | for comparison |
How these estimates are built. Fuel = this model's typical burn x the national average price from AirNav's Fuel Price Report (100LL $7.41, Jet A $7.66 per gallon, 5 Oct 2026; your airport may differ by $2 or more). Engine reserve = typical overhaul cost / TBO for this engine. The remaining lines are class-level defaults, not quotes for this aircraft: annual inspection is the base inspection fee (findings are counted in the per-hour maintenance line); insurance assumes an instrument-rated owner with time in type and a $1M liability limit - less experienced pilots commonly pay 1.5-2x; hangar and tie-down are national mid-tier figures, with rural and metro options; the rental rate is a 2026 flight-school rate for a comparable aircraft, including fuel. Twin and turboprop maintenance defaults are estimates, not published figures. Sources: AirNav, BWI Aviation Insurance (2019-2026), Flying (May 2026), Savvy Aviation, American Flight Schools, published airport rate sheets. Every default is editable - change any number to match your situation. Depreciation, taxes, financing and major upgrades are not included. Depreciation is not included. An estimate, not a quote.
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $65,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $175,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $18,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $28,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 135 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 133 |
| Median year built | 2024.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 22.561 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 7.522 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 102 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 76.693 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 133 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 133 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 133 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 7.8 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 5 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 1.4 of 103 |
| Support | 8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 32.1 out of 506 |
These record scores treat Pipistrel Alpha Trainer as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 18 aircraft registered under PIPISTREL ITALIA S R L; includes 17 aircraft registered under PIPISTREL LSA S R L; includes the record of aircraft once registered under Pipistrel. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 31.56 · 197 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,000.75.
- Support: class median 89.
- Liquidity: class median 19.74.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30