Pipistrel Sinus

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title: "Pipistrel Sinus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["motor-gliders", "pipistrel-aircraft", "1990s-slovenian-sport-aircraft", "slovenian-ultralight-aircraft", "t-tail-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "high-wing-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1995", "aircraft-with-fixed-tricycle-landing-gear", "single-engined-piston-aircraft"] description: "Type of aircraft" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipistrel_Sinus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Type of aircraft ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]

Field	Value
name	Pipistrel Sinus
image	File:Pipistrel Sinus at Festival Aéreo de Vigo 2010 (4806892945).jpg
aircraft_type	Ultralight Aircraft
national_origin	Slovenia
manufacturer	Pipistrel
number_built	1000 (Sinus and Virus family total, March 2019)
construction_date	1995–present
first_flight
developed_into	Pipistrel Virus
::

| name = Pipistrel Sinus | logo = | logo_size = | image = File:Pipistrel Sinus at Festival Aéreo de Vigo 2010 (4806892945).jpg | alt = | caption = | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = Ultralight Aircraft | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = Slovenia | manufacturer = Pipistrel | design_group = | designer = | builder = | issuer = | status = | owners = | primary_user = | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = 1000 (Sinus and Virus family total, March 2019) | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = 1995–present | introduction = | retired = | first_flight = | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = | variants = | developed_into = Pipistrel Virus | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded =

The Pipistrel Sinus is a two-seat, single-engine ultralight motor glider, developed and manufactured by Pipistrel in Slovenia and Italy. Its design has served as the base for future Pipistrel developments such as the Virus and Alpha Trainer.

Introduced in 1995, the Sinus has been produced in a number of variants with different engines and undercarriage configurations. It has good STOL characteristics and it can be equipped with a full airframe emergency recovery parachute system.

Development

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Pipistrel_Sinus.jpg" caption="Taildragger configuration"] ::

The development of the Sinus began in November 1994 in close collaboration with the Slovenian firm Albastar Ltd. The wing and fuselage were designed by the Italian aerodynamicist Franco Orlando. In April 1995, the Sinus was unveiled at AERO Friedrichshafen, the main European general aviation trade show. The first flight of the prototype took place on October 16, 1996.

The Sinus has served as the base for the design of future Pipistrel models such as the Virus, which shares the same fuselage and tail, but sports a shorter wing. Both models are usually marketed together as a family of aircraft. The Pipistrel Taurus two-seat motorglider uses the same 15 meter wing as the Sinus.

In 2013, Pipistrel started offering the Sinus Flex model, which is a standard Sinus with two interchangeable wingtip sets. The outer section of the wing can be replaced by a shorter part consisting of the winglet of the Virus model, converting the aircraft from motor glider to sport cruiser in minutes. The manufacturer states that the shorter wingtips turn the Sinus into the short-winged, faster-cruising, and easier-to-store Virus model, although there are some slight differences between the two models other than the wings. The Flex wings can be retrofitted to any other Sinus model.

By April 2003, Pipistrel had already produced 100 aircraft of the Sinus/Virus family. This number reached 1000 units by March 2019.

Design

The Sinus is a two-seat, ultra-light, high-wing, cantilever monoplane. It is primarily built from composite materials and is capable of soaring. The variable-pitch propeller (Pipistrel VARIO) can be feathered in order to diminish the air resistance in non-powered flight.

The Pipistrel Sinus comes with either nose-wheel or taildragger landing gear. Engine models available are the Rotax 503, 582 and 912.

Operational history

In 2001, Philippe Zen and Thomas Knowles flew a Sinus at the World Air Games in Spain and won first place in the two-seat category.

In 2004, Matevž Lenarčič flew a modified Sinus around the world in 79 days, setting several world records.

In May, 2019, Aarohi Pandit became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in an ultralight aircraft, in a Sinus 912 named "Mahi." In August, 2019, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean in a light sport aircraft.

Variants

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/PipistrelSinus912.jpg" caption="Pipistrel Sinus 912"] ::

;Sinus 447 :Rotax 447 powered variant for the Slovenian market. ;Sinus 503 :Rotax 503 powered variant with a variable-pitch folding propeller. ;Sinus 582 :As the 503 but fitted with a Rotax 582. ;Sinus 912 :Rotax 912 powered variant in either UL, LSA or experimental version. ;Sinus FLEX :Sinus 912 variant with interchangeable shorter wingtips. ;RQ-29 LEA :Long endurance reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle, developed by Technology Service Corporation for Long Endurance Aircraft Program of United States Special Operations Command. Based on Sinus 912 and has endurance of at least 24 hours with full payload.

Specifications (Sinus 912)

|ref=Manufacturer |prime units?=met Without an entry here, no specifications will show -- General characteristics

|genhide=

|crew=one |capacity=one passenger |length m=6.60 |length ft= |length in= |span m=14.97 |span ft= |span in= |height m=1.70 |height ft= |height in= |wing area sqm=12.26 |wing area sqft= |aspect ratio=18.3 |empty weight kg=285 |empty weight lb= |max takeoff weight kg=450 or 472.5 or 600 |fuel capacity=60 L or 100 L Powerplant

|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Rotax 912 UL2 |eng1 type=, 4-cylinder, 4-stroke liquid-cooled engine |eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=80 |eng1 shp= |eng1 kn= |eng1 lbf= |eng1 kn-ab= |eng1 lbf-ab=

|prop blade number=2 |prop name=, variable pitch, Pipistrel VARIO |prop dia m= |prop dia ft= |prop dia in=

Performance

|perfhide=

|max speed kmh=220 |max speed mph= |max speed kts= |max speed mach= |cruise speed kmh=200 |cruise speed mph= |cruise speed kts= |cruise speed note=at 75% power |stall speed kmh=66 |stall speed mph= |stall speed kts= |stall speed note=without flaps |never exceed speed kmh=225 |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |range km=1200 |range miles= |range nmi= |endurance=5.8 hours |ceiling m=8800 |ceiling ft= |g limits=+4, -2 |roll rate= |glide ratio=27:1 |climb rate ms=6.5 |climb rate ftmin= |more performance=

|avionics=

References

References

1. (21 March 2019). "#3, 2, 1… 1000!".
2. Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 63. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
3. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 312. BAI Communications, July 1998. {{ISBN. 0-9636409-4-1
4. Albastar Ltd. (2012). "Development project of the last decade".
5. "Pipistrel History".
6. (6 September 2013). "Pipistrel's Sinus Flex Offers Two Airplanes in One".
7. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 136. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
8. "The Pipistrel Company and {{sic".
9. "Matevž Lenarčič flew around the world and set a world record!".
10. (20 May 2019). "'Riding on a white bird with long wings': Woman flies ultralight aircraft across Atlantic". CBC News.
11. (23 August 2019). "Mumbai girl Aarohi Pandit becomes first woman to fly solo across Atlantic and Pacific Ocean".
12. "Pipistrel Aircraft Price Configurator".
13. Pew, Glenn. (5 September 2015). "Pipistrel Offers Flex Wing". Avweb.
14. "Technology Service Corporation RQ-29 LEA".
15. Trevithick, Joseph. (4 May 2021). "Crash In Iraq Helps Unmask Secretive Ultra-Quiet Special Operations Drone Program". The War Zone.
16. "Pipistrel Sinus/Virus Technical Characteristics".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::