Nice vid and a very desirable plane. I remember back to my flight learning days and how confidence inspiring both my instructors were in the same way that Rand would be. I can still remember my first attempt at a stall over the Pacific Ocean here in Australia. "Look David, there's a lovely pod of whales down there!" as I nervously pulled back on the stick, trying not to look like I was shaking like a leaf! Bob was always so calm and positive! Really appreciate the effort you've put in to making this vid - thanks for the ride! Cheers - Dave
+Ivan Kondaurov Thanks for watching! Glad you got to soar. Rand gave a great demonstration of the remarkable Pipistrel motorglider. I only wish there was a little more lift that winter day so we could have gone up a little with the engine off instead of just slowly downward.
@@sopilote56 I agree with you on thermals it be so nice to stay up for hours in total silence without engine running. We did about 2.7 hours and what a great time that was !! Pipistel is extremely popular in Europe and well respected between glider and regular pilots alike. I really wish that more pilots be flying birds like that. I personally fly Autogyro MTO sport and feeling is not the same as you get in this glider. Ones again, thanks for sharing your experience with us.
@Random Stuff with Joe Thanks for watching! Lots of General Aviation airports have flight schools that offer "Intro Rides" for $100-$200. You can use the website "Airnav" to find airports in your area and Airnav lists flight schools and other airport information. An intro ride is a great way to try a bit of hands-on flying. You may be able to do intro rides with multiple schools. Becoming a licensed pilot requires a significant commitment of time and money. Plan on flying once or twice a week over a period of 5 or 6 months. Its hard to make progress and sharpen your skills if you go too slow or stop and start. Flying is challenging and that is part of what makes it fun. I wanted to learn to fly as a kid but didn't actually start flying lessons until I was 41.
@@sopilote56 Ya. I took an intro flight when. I was in my early 20s. I'm now 52. I just don't have the time to commit. But I'm still always fascinated with flying. This Motorglider flying looks really fun tho.
@@randomstuffwithjoe Getting a glider rating and then a motor-glider add-on may be an easier option. In my opinion, flying gliders on a nice sunny day is a lot more fun than flying powered aircraft. If you want to try a glider flight (highly recommended) check the Soaring Society of America (SSA) website "Where to Fly" at www.ssa.org/where-to-fly-map/
+bluestudio67 Thanks for watching! The wing airfoil on the Sinus is really nice (a lot like the Discus glider I used to have) It tapers at the tips and has really nice aileron control right up to the stall.
@robert robert Thanks for watching! The Sinus has great range and fuel efficiency with nice handling. So many good characteristics. I found it be extremely easy to land - like a glider.
@Din Kotton Thanks for watching! I found it very easy to fly and land and it is super fuel efficient. I really like that the wings are removable if required to allow winter storage, shelter from hurricanes, etc.
Wow! What a pretty cool little aircraft. I would guess it's cheaper to travel across country in this aircraft rather than by auto on ground. And a lot more fun. One thing I couldn't help but to notice about the lakes. They appear to be near perfectly round. I wonder if they are crater lakes, and if so are they impact or volcanic?
+Gryphon Arms USA Thanks for watching! I think you could readily achieve 30 to 40 MPG flying cross-country at about 100 miles per hour true air speed. Thanks for noticing the round lakes - that is why I chose the shot for the video thumbnail. Central Florida has lots of nearly perfectly round lakes from sink holes - collapsed limestone caverns. Googled Pipistrel MPG and found this from a 2011 Flying Magazine article "One of the surprising performance points it turned in was a level speed of 142 knots. It will, in fact, cruise at 140 ktas (the factory specs say 148) making 40 nautical miles per gallon - exceptional for a factory-made 100 hp two-seater." You mileage may vary.
@Dennis Mathias Thanks for watching! Rand wold know best, but better IPads have Barometers and Accelerometers which when combined with GPS and WAAS might be "OK." It could also be that there was some type of AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) hardware in the airplane sending data to the IPad.
That stall seems very akin to certain fixed wing microlights. Remarkable aeroplane/motor glider, ideal. Is there a reason why it's being flown from the right seat, or is that a motor glider thing? The only thing that might be off-putting is the shiny/reflective carbon fibre panel? But I'd be happy with one, so versatile, modern, frugal. BTW what are those near perfect circular lakes? Old quarries or gravel pits? They look very mysterious from the air, intriguing and cool. Thanks for posting 😊👍
@Muso Seven Thanks for watching! Sorry for the late reply as I was traveling. Rand is a CFIG and is used to flying from the right seat with the trainee in the left seat. The stall was very gentle...the wing has at least three different profiles so good aileron authority after the wing roots stall. I suppose you could put a film over the carbon fiber to reduce glare. The round lakes are almost certainly very large sinkholes. They form when the Karst rock formations below the surface collapse. If you look at Florida on Google Earth you will see lots of round lakes of various sizes.
@Vecino's Coffee Guy Thanks for watching! I recommend contacting Rand Vollmer, the Pipistrel Dealer for Texas, Louisiana , Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida -- Phone: 813 333 1088 and Cell: 813 774 2127
@Wm Cottrell Thanks for watching! I really don't remember but I think it is either electric trim rocker switch or a lever. Could be some kind of trim that uses a spring.
The flight was 4-1/2 years ago, I cannot say for sure but it was probably an adhesive GoPro mount near the wing tip. It could also have been a threaded mount attached to a tie-down point.
@unebonnevie Thanks for watching! Simple aircraft like the Sinus are almost never pressurized. Pressurization adds weight and complexity that is not needed for the kind of flying most private pilots do. In the US, a supplemental oxygen system is required for flying above 14,000 feet. Using oxygen for long flights above above 7,000 feet is best in my opinion. Typically the oxygen system uses a portable cylinder and a cannula system that feeds gas into the nostrils so that normal headsets/microphones can be used for communications. Aerox, Mountain High and Precise Flight make portable systems for small airplanes and gliders.
@Dave Doe Thanks for watching! As a flat-lander who lives barely above sea level my first visit to Flagstaff (7,000' msl) I got a bad headache just walking around after landing at Phoenix and driving straight there. During my visit last month I was fitter, my transition to altitude was gradual and I felt great. From the Airman's Information Manual 8-1-2-a: "a deterioration in night vision occurs at a cabin pressure altitude as low as 5,000 feet." I like to fly Florida between 8,000 and 11,000 msl and have not used Oxygen but it would be good to have at night.
@@sopilote56 yeah actually I'm not a pilot but I live in Colorado and am interested in the Sinus because it can fly so high and climb so well - it might be a good plane for doing mountain tours when the wind is calm. I was considering maybe taking some of the gliding classes in Florida to try a pipistrel out.
@@davedoe6445 @Dave Doe Thanks for watching! Rand Vollmer was offering Pipistrel training in Zephyrhills, Florida last I heard. Florida is a great place to train in the dry season between November and May. I really don't know how the aircraft would do for mountain tours. Probably really well but it may be bumpier than aircraft with higher wing loading.
+private private Thanks for watching! It was a "Light Sport" airshow/special event and the runway was too close to the exhibit area so during the event a taxiway was the runway.
+Yacahuma X Thanks for watching! Yes I think there was another plane really close. Not good to be messing with systems, heads inside the cockpit when you are close to the airport. I do not think that the temporary air traffic control tower had radar.
Wakita Sioux Thanks for watching! In Florida you pay Sales and Use Tax when you buy or bring an aircraft into the State. The total tax varies by County but the base is 5%. It is one time. Not every year. No state income tax in Florida. Hope that helps.
+Scotabot Thanks for watching! I had flown the Pipistrel with Rand for almost an hour previously without cameras. This was a photo flight for the sole purpose of filming Rand's demo.
The thing is a brick compared to a sailplane…motor glider pilots rely on the engine so much they never really learn to soar beyond sinking to a point where they re-start…you can fly like that in a 172 …try flying a 1000k triangle in that pig, it will never happen. Buy a glider and learn how to soar without constantly reaching for the starter…
#donzioldbuddy Thanks for watching! I have spent several minutes climbing in a Cessna 152 with the engine idling over the eastern side of Lake Tahoe flying out of Minden, Nevada. So in my (log) book a Cessna 152 is soar-able. The Sinus needs reasonably strong thermal lift or mountain wave to do sustained soaring but there are many places where you could probably have fun flying it around for an hour or more with the engine off. It is a very efficient airplane and has set fuel economy records. It isn't trying to compete with Stemme (which I have flown) or self-launch sailplanes but it is a great little motor glider. I am just back from Sun-N-Fun 2022 and there were many, many Pipistrel aircraft on display. Hope that the Textron (Cessna) purchase of Pipistrel will be a positive thing.
+TheCoolVibration Thanks for watching. It is easy to find fault with a pilot when every move they make is captured on video. Nothing was edited out. Flying in a busy air show environment is chaotic and stressful. Winds were gusty with a significant crosswind component for landing on the narrow 1200-foot usable-length taxiway. I think Rand did a GREAT job of demonstrating/explaining the capabilities of the Sinus on a windy winter day, with an approaching cold-front (visible in the distance) and no thermals to be had.
TheCoolVibration in the hands of an experienced glider pilot it can soar for hours. wondering if the flex option is good.. change wing tips when you want to soar and for going places use the shorter tips. would you get a garmin 3x or dynon skyview or is that IPAD good enough. also the rotax 80 can run on 87 octane car gas I believe by the way what's the name of the pilot. I know he flied from zephyr hills
+Ariel N The pilot was Rand Vollmer. He is the SALSA East Dealer see website here: www.salsaaviation.com/SALSA%20Pages/SALSA%20Contacts.html I think that you have it right about using short tips for cross country for a little less drag/higher speed. Avionics options are up to you. I would probably go for a Dynon Skyview, but depends on your mission.
I just bought a Sinus. Learning a bit more about the plane from Rand.
@4xoverland Thanks for watching! The Sinus is a great airplane and I believe Rand is an excellent instructor who knows it very well. Enjoy!
@@sopilote56 ha much are these?
Nice vid and a very desirable plane. I remember back to my flight learning days and how confidence inspiring both my instructors were in the same way that Rand would be. I can still remember my first attempt at a stall over the Pacific Ocean here in Australia. "Look David, there's a lovely pod of whales down there!" as I nervously pulled back on the stick, trying not to look like I was shaking like a leaf! Bob was always so calm and positive! Really appreciate the effort you've put in to making this vid - thanks for the ride! Cheers - Dave
+deldridg Thanks for watching! The Sinus handles very nicely and is easy to fly. The wing airfoil and taper plan form make stalls very safe.
Efficient and safe. . . Air breaks are a must have. This aircraft really wants to stay in the air.
@Samuel Tucker Thanks for watching! Easy to fly and easy to land.
Well I just went soaring . Very nice and thorough video, can't get any better demonstration than this. Thanks.
+Ivan Kondaurov Thanks for watching! Glad you got to soar. Rand gave a great demonstration of the remarkable Pipistrel motorglider. I only wish there was a little more lift that winter day so we could have gone up a little with the engine off instead of just slowly downward.
@@sopilote56 I agree with you on thermals it be so nice to stay up for hours in total silence without engine running. We did about 2.7 hours and what a great time that was !!
Pipistel is extremely popular in Europe and well respected between glider and regular pilots alike. I really wish that more pilots be flying birds like that. I personally fly Autogyro MTO sport and feeling is not the same as you get in this glider.
Ones again, thanks for sharing your experience with us.
I always wanted to learn to fly. This looks like so much fun.
@Random Stuff with Joe Thanks for watching! Lots of General Aviation airports have flight schools that offer "Intro Rides" for $100-$200. You can use the website "Airnav" to find airports in your area and Airnav lists flight schools and other airport information. An intro ride is a great way to try a bit of hands-on flying. You may be able to do intro rides with multiple schools. Becoming a licensed pilot requires a significant commitment of time and money. Plan on flying once or twice a week over a period of 5 or 6 months. Its hard to make progress and sharpen your skills if you go too slow or stop and start. Flying is challenging and that is part of what makes it fun. I wanted to learn to fly as a kid but didn't actually start flying lessons until I was 41.
@@sopilote56 Ya. I took an intro flight when. I was in my early 20s. I'm now 52. I just don't have the time to commit. But I'm still always fascinated with flying. This Motorglider flying looks really fun tho.
@@randomstuffwithjoe Getting a glider rating and then a motor-glider add-on may be an easier option. In my opinion, flying gliders on a nice sunny day is a lot more fun than flying powered aircraft. If you want to try a glider flight (highly recommended) check the Soaring Society of America (SSA) website "Where to Fly" at www.ssa.org/where-to-fly-map/
I did a demo with Rand at the 2019 Deland Expo this year and Rand is just a great CFI Pilot/instructor, very fun aircraft,
I bet.. with pants too
The motor was off for just a tad less than 13 minutes.
Is she capable of loops ?
Wow! That stall is outta sight! Amazing.
+bluestudio67 Thanks for watching! The wing airfoil on the Sinus is really nice (a lot like the Discus glider I used to have) It tapers at the tips and has really nice aileron control right up to the stall.
No doubt. Very sweet!
Rand vollmer is a Great instructor.. Ide pick him
@Venus Reena Thanks for watching!
What a marvelous little aircraft! I so want one! I think that landing might have been a little too close to the threshold.
@robert robert Thanks for watching! The Sinus has great range and fuel efficiency with nice handling. So many good characteristics. I found it be extremely easy to land - like a glider.
nice video. I like the sinus flex
Very awesome
I'm gonna save $ now . Hope I can afford to buy 1.
Thanks
@Din Kotton Thanks for watching! I found it very easy to fly and land and it is super fuel efficient. I really like that the wings are removable if required to allow winter storage, shelter from hurricanes, etc.
Might have to arrange a flight in the future
+Handymanherb Thanks for watching!
Wow! What a pretty cool little aircraft. I would guess it's cheaper to travel across country in this aircraft rather than by auto on ground. And a lot more fun.
One thing I couldn't help but to notice about the lakes. They appear to be near perfectly round. I wonder if they are crater lakes, and if so are they impact or volcanic?
+Gryphon Arms USA Thanks for watching! I think you could readily achieve 30 to 40 MPG flying cross-country at about 100 miles per hour true air speed. Thanks for noticing the round lakes - that is why I chose the shot for the video thumbnail. Central Florida has lots of nearly perfectly round lakes from sink holes - collapsed limestone caverns. Googled Pipistrel MPG and found this from a 2011 Flying Magazine article "One of the surprising performance points it turned in was a level speed of 142 knots. It will, in fact, cruise at 140 ktas (the factory specs say 148) making 40 nautical miles per gallon - exceptional for a factory-made 100 hp two-seater." You mileage may vary.
Sink holes
Thanks much and for a quick response!
Excellent video... instant sub and like! =D
How does the ipad handle pressure for baro & altitude? Good job on the video!
@Dennis Mathias Thanks for watching! Rand wold know best, but better IPads have Barometers and Accelerometers which when combined with GPS and WAAS might be "OK." It could also be that there was some type of AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) hardware in the airplane sending data to the IPad.
That stall seems very akin to certain fixed wing microlights. Remarkable aeroplane/motor glider, ideal.
Is there a reason why it's being flown from the right seat, or is that a motor glider thing?
The only thing that might be off-putting is the shiny/reflective carbon fibre panel? But I'd be happy with one, so versatile, modern, frugal.
BTW what are those near perfect circular lakes? Old quarries or gravel pits? They look very mysterious from the air, intriguing and cool.
Thanks for posting 😊👍
@Muso Seven Thanks for watching! Sorry for the late reply as I was traveling. Rand is a CFIG and is used to flying from the right seat with the trainee in the left seat. The stall was very gentle...the wing has at least three different profiles so good aileron authority after the wing roots stall. I suppose you could put a film over the carbon fiber to reduce glare. The round lakes are almost certainly very large sinkholes. They form when the Karst rock formations below the surface collapse. If you look at Florida on Google Earth you will see lots of round lakes of various sizes.
I am interested in this can I come see you and this aircraft?
@Vecino's Coffee Guy Thanks for watching! I recommend contacting Rand Vollmer, the Pipistrel Dealer for Texas, Louisiana , Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida -- Phone: 813 333 1088 and Cell: 813 774 2127
I know this may be a dumb question, but do these have a "trim" wheel?
@Wm Cottrell Thanks for watching! I really don't remember but I think it is either electric trim rocker switch or a lever. Could be some kind of trim that uses a spring.
Can you please tell me how did you mount camera on wing ?
The flight was 4-1/2 years ago, I cannot say for sure but it was probably an adhesive GoPro mount near the wing tip. It could also have been a threaded mount attached to a tie-down point.
Is this plane pressurized at high altitude? Or you have to have oxygen mask for high altitude?
@unebonnevie Thanks for watching! Simple aircraft like the Sinus are almost never pressurized. Pressurization adds weight and complexity that is not needed for the kind of flying most private pilots do. In the US, a supplemental oxygen system is required for flying above 14,000 feet. Using oxygen for long flights above above 7,000 feet is best in my opinion. Typically the oxygen system uses a portable cylinder and a cannula system that feeds gas into the nostrils so that normal headsets/microphones can be used for communications. Aerox, Mountain High and Precise Flight make portable systems for small airplanes and gliders.
@@sopilote56 My house is at 7,000 feet :(
@Dave Doe Thanks for watching! As a flat-lander who lives barely above sea level my first visit to Flagstaff (7,000' msl) I got a bad headache just walking around after landing at Phoenix and driving straight there. During my visit last month I was fitter, my transition to altitude was gradual and I felt great. From the Airman's Information Manual 8-1-2-a: "a deterioration in night vision occurs at a cabin pressure altitude as low as 5,000 feet." I like to fly Florida between 8,000 and 11,000 msl and have not used Oxygen but it would be good to have at night.
@@sopilote56 yeah actually I'm not a pilot but I live in Colorado and am interested in the Sinus because it can fly so high and climb so well - it might be a good plane for doing mountain tours when the wind is calm. I was considering maybe taking some of the gliding classes in Florida to try a pipistrel out.
@@davedoe6445 @Dave Doe Thanks for watching! Rand Vollmer was offering Pipistrel training in Zephyrhills, Florida last I heard. Florida is a great place to train in the dry season between November and May. I really don't know how the aircraft would do for mountain tours. Probably really well but it may be bumpier than aircraft with higher wing loading.
Did you take off from the Taxi way???
+private private Thanks for watching! It was a "Light Sport" airshow/special event and the runway was too close to the exhibit area so during the event a taxiway was the runway.
An airplane that actually flies. What a novel idea. Airplane really close. 27:43
+Yacahuma X Thanks for watching! Yes I think there was another plane really close. Not good to be messing with systems, heads inside the cockpit when you are close to the airport. I do not think that the temporary air traffic control tower had radar.
Yes, that was scary close. Too close. My worst fear as a pilot!!!!
I have to have one of these. I just wonder what annual taxes runs per year in your state? It would give me a ballpark estimate on cost of upkeep.
Wakita Sioux Thanks for watching! In Florida you pay Sales and Use Tax when you buy or bring an aircraft into the State. The total tax varies by County but the base is 5%. It is one time. Not every year. No state income tax in Florida. Hope that helps.
Pipistrel Marketing Team: Achoo!
CEO: Let's go with Pipstrel Sinus
Pipistrel Marketing Team: Hey it's Covid season!
CEO:. We'll call the other model Virus
👍👍👍
Demo ride and the guy can't put his camera down. If I was the demo pilot, I wouldn't even talk to the passenger!!!!!!!!!
+Scotabot Thanks for watching! I had flown the Pipistrel with Rand for almost an hour previously without cameras. This was a photo flight for the sole purpose of filming Rand's demo.
The thing is a brick compared to a sailplane…motor glider pilots rely on the engine so much they never really learn to soar beyond
sinking to a point where they re-start…you can fly like that in a 172 …try flying a 1000k triangle in that pig, it will never happen. Buy a glider and learn how to soar without constantly reaching for the starter…
#donzioldbuddy Thanks for watching! I have spent several minutes climbing in a Cessna 152 with the engine idling over the eastern side of Lake Tahoe flying out of Minden, Nevada. So in my (log) book a Cessna 152 is soar-able. The Sinus needs reasonably strong thermal lift or mountain wave to do sustained soaring but there are many places where you could probably have fun flying it around for an hour or more with the engine off. It is a very efficient airplane and has set fuel economy records. It isn't trying to compete with Stemme (which I have flown) or self-launch sailplanes but it is a great little motor glider. I am just back from Sun-N-Fun 2022 and there were many, many Pipistrel aircraft on display. Hope that the Textron (Cessna) purchase of Pipistrel will be a positive thing.
The Sinus is a very effective and nice machine. The pilot apparently forgets that Sinus is a motor+++glider+++ . Flight is far from impressive...
+TheCoolVibration Thanks for watching. It is easy to find fault with a pilot when every move they make is captured on video. Nothing was edited out. Flying in a busy air show environment is chaotic and stressful. Winds were gusty with a significant crosswind component for landing on the narrow 1200-foot usable-length taxiway. I think Rand did a GREAT job of demonstrating/explaining the capabilities of the Sinus on a windy winter day, with an approaching cold-front (visible in the distance) and no thermals to be had.
TheCoolVibration in the hands of an experienced glider pilot it can soar for hours. wondering if the flex option is good.. change wing tips when you want to soar and for going places use the shorter tips. would you get a garmin 3x or dynon skyview or is that IPAD good enough. also the rotax 80 can run on 87 octane car gas I believe
by the way what's the name of the pilot. I know he flied from zephyr hills
+Ariel N The pilot was Rand Vollmer. He is the SALSA East Dealer see website here: www.salsaaviation.com/SALSA%20Pages/SALSA%20Contacts.html
I think that you have it right about using short tips for cross country for a little less drag/higher speed. Avionics options are up to you. I would probably go for a Dynon Skyview, but depends on your mission.
TheCoolVibration thanks thats a nice plane. soaring brings a lot of confidence and a better pilot.
sopilote56 and that plane is the sinus flex model. thanks again