Certification, Approvals and FAQ's - USA

The Pipistrel Sinus, Virus and Taurus aircraft are the world's first Ultralight Certified, composite, two seat side-by-side motorgliders.

I am being flooded with inquiries regarding registration in the USA with Sport Pilot and following is additional information.

“Can a person legally put a Sinus onto the USA register right now ??”

The simple answer is YES !

Before the Pipistrel range are accepted as SLSA aircraft all Pipistrel aircraft will be registered in the "Experimental" category, the sub group is "amateur built" if built from a kit, or "racing and exhibition" if purchased as ready to fly. Currently ready to fly aircraft can also be registered as ELSA aircraft

When owners fill in the application for an airworthiness certificate they write in "glider". The Sinus is first and foremost a glider; there is no separate category for self launch. Little argument can be made by the FAA because the Sinus clearly meets the standard for a glider in the Standard Category of certification so in the Experimental Category there will be no problem.

The regulations for the Experimental category do not require a medical to fly a glider; anyone who flies gliders with a glider licence does not additionally need a Sport Pilot license

There are some practical advantages to registration in the Sport Pilot Category but generally there is not a huge advantage that will be realized by a normal owner

There may be some operational limits and recommendations imposed on the aircraft when registered in the Experimental Category and these are summarized but not limited to the following.......

• The aircraft must display the word “EXPERIMENTAL” in accordance with § 45.23 (b).

• What they call Phase 1 - For the first 5 hours all flights shall be conducted within a radius of 50 nautical miles from (your base airport) until such time as the aircraft has been flown a minimum of 5 flight hours

• What they call Phase 2 - The aircraft will be limited to a 300 to 500 nautical mile radius of (your base airport) or as described in amendments to the issuing certificate. This means on a day-to-day operation of your plane you can fly up to 500 miles from home without informing anyone.

• No person may operate this aircraft for other than the purpose(s) of exhibition, air racing to exhibit the aircraft, or participate in events outlined in the annual schedule of events letter (or any amendments) describing compliance with §21.193(d).

• The owner/operator of this aircraft must submit an annual schedule of events letter update to the local FAA FSDO which lists the airshows, fly-ins, etc. that the aircraft will be attended during the next year, commencing at the time this aircraft is released into Phase 2 operation, eg. After the first 5 hours. This list will be subject to amendments as required, by letter or facsimile transmission to the FSDO - What this means is you can draw up an annual schedule of flying activity for the next 12 months, it gets faxed to your local FSDO once a year with your expected activities, if you don’t go to a particular event you don’t do anything, if you had Oshkosh on your form for this weekend but you decided to go to San Diego then you fax through an amendment to your FSDO

• The pilot in command of this aircraft must hold an appropriate category/class rating.

So to answer everyones' questions… yes you can register a Pipistrel motorglider today in the USA in the Experimental category and fly with a normal glider licence provided you can accept the conditions mentioned above…. If you don’t like the conditions then wait for the implementation of Sport Pilot.

Is there an option to use the Rotax 912S or 914?

No, the 100 hp and 115 hp Rotax engines are to powerful for the Sinus and Virus, the 80 hp engine is ideally suited for touring and soaring it is smooth, fuel efficient and reliable.

Can you describe the control linkages in the plane? Cables, rods, etc.?

The Sinus and Virus are controlled with pushrods with bearings, the rudders are controlled with cables

How much drag does the nosewheel option add? Do you recommend this option?

The nosewheel option on the Sinus does make it easier to control on the aircraft on the ground and it makes forward visibility better while taxing, unlike most tailwheel aircraft the Sinus is easy to control on the ground and shows no tendency to ground loop or display other unfavorable behavior. i would however recommend to most customers to get the nosewheel version

Is there a fairing for the nose wheel?

The Sinus if fitted with the optional nosewheel comes fully faired

Can you give me more details and prices for all the avionics options?

The standard instruments for both aircraft are the Brauniger electronic instrument panel, this basically has everything you need to operate the aircraft in normal conditions, add a VHF / UHF radio and transponder if necessary, if you want to soar the aircraft I would also recommend a Borgelt B40 vario with total energy probe and that’s about it….

Is Auto Pilot an option?

Yes we are fitting the TruTrak auto pilot system

Is there an altitude encoding transponder option?

Yes we have used the Microair transponders, but due to recent reliability issues we now recommend the Becker or Garmin Transponder

What are the special luggage racks?

The normal luggage rack is a fabric sling which sits behind the seats; this is enough for most owners. If you plan longer excursions the larger luggage racks will give you more than enough room.

Are the Sinus and Virus available as kits?

The Sinus and Virus and Taurus are currently available as FAA 51% approved kits.

Can the aircraft be fitted with a rescue parachute?

It is the manufacturers recommendation for high performance aircraft like the Sinus, Virus and Taurus to have a rescue chute fitted, in some countries it’s mandatory and in countries like the USA you can often get cheaper insurance with one fitted

I am very tall/short, will I fit in the Sinus or Virus?

The Sinus and Virus have adjustable ruder pedals; they take only moments to adjust each side. The designer is 6’4” and he fits in the aircraft but I would say that’s about the upper limit, one of our owners is only 5’2” and with the help of a different seat base he fits in the aircraft perfectly. The best way to find out is to sit in one at your local dealers location.

Are the wings on the aircraft removable?

The wings on the aircraft are typical of most modern gliders; they have overlapping spars with three pins going through each spar to lock the wings into position securely on the fuselage. They cane be removed in around 10 minutes by 2 people.

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