Pipistrel Sinus
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Pipistrel Sinus is the Slovenian two-seat touring motorglider of 1996 from which the Virus descends: a 49 ft wing with a feathering propeller and a 23:1 glide, 717 lb empty and 1,320 lb gross on an 80 hp Rotax 912 UL, with Pipistrel quoting 100 knots cruise on 3.2 gallons an hour, a 40-knot stall, 866 fpm and about 650 nm; the Flex version takes short wingtips for faster cruising.
A Sinus is bought by someone who wants to soar and travel in one aeroplane and is prepared to accept a 15-metre span in the hangar, a 100-knot cruise and glider-like approach discipline with airbrakes; it is the most fuel-efficient two-seater on the register. Most US examples are light-sport aircraft maintained to Pipistrel's manual by an A&P or LSA repairman, a few are amateur-built kits with the builder's work to inspect, and the taildragger versions differ from the tricycle ones in ground handling. The composite structure wants inspection for finish damage and the feathering propeller and its control add maintenance a fixed-pitch aeroplane lacks. Pipistrel supports the type and the Rotax is universal.
Variants of the Pipistrel Sinus
- Sinus · 1996 · 53 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 16.1 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Rotax 912 UL (80 hp; 912 ULS 100 hp in some) |
| Horsepower | 80 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1996 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | 650 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 866 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 40 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 606 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Empty weight | 717 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 64 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 53 |
| Median year built | 2015 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 75.47 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 75.47 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 15 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 28.3 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 53 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 53 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 53 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.2 of 103 |
| Support | 3.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 16.1 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- 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 8 · scores Sep 30