Pipistrel Virus SW
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 Virus SW is the short-wing, fast version of Pipistrel's Slovenian composite two-seater, a high-wing motorglider lineage turned into a 130-knot cruiser: 35 ft 2 in span, 750 lb empty and 1,323 lb gross with a Rotax 912 ULS, and Pipistrel's data sheet quotes 133 knots maximum cruise on 4.1 gallons an hour, a 47-knot stall, 1,050 fpm and 646 nm.
The Virus SW is the aeroplane for a pilot who wants to cover ground on very little fuel and does not need to carry much: 573 lb of useful load with 25 gallons aboard leaves about 420 lb for two people and bags, and the 47-knot stall and 163-knot Vne show how slippery and lightly built it is. Most US examples are amateur-built kits, so the builder's work and the aircraft's own weight-and-balance are the record, while a type-certified SW 121 or an S-LSA follows Pipistrel's maintenance manual with an A&P or LSA repairman. The glider heritage shows in the long wings, the airbrakes on some versions and the need to fly it with discipline on approach; the composite airframe is inspected for finish damage rather than corrosion. Pipistrel, now owned by Textron, supports the type and the Rotax is universal.
Variants of the Pipistrel Virus SW
- Virus SW · 60 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 18.4 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 ULS (100 hp; 912 iS and 914 115 hp options) |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 133 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 646 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,050 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 47 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 573 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,323 lb |
| Empty weight | 750 lb |
| Usable fuel | 25 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 4.1 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 | 68 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 60 |
| Median year built | 2021 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 116.67 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 116.67 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 26 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 43.33 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 7 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 60 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 60 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 60 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.7 of 103 |
| Support | 4.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 18.4 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 6 · scores Sep 30