Ajdovščina, Slovenia

Pipistrel achieves historic type certification in Colombia

Pipistrel, a Textron company, has announced that Aerocivil, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, has issued the type certificate for the currently produced Pipistrel Explorer, Velis Club and the X-Eye, a variant of the 121A Explorer for aerial surveying.

This significant milestone marks a prestigious achievement for Pipistrel, as it becomes the first organization to receive Colombian Aeronautical Regulation-Very Light Aircraft (RAC-VLA) type-certification from Aerocivil.

This achievement underscores the integrity of multiple Pipistrel traditional combustion engine aircraft, opening new opportunities for Colombian customers to own and operate Pipistrel aircraft, strengthening the company’s position in Colombia and its global reach.

"Pipistrel’s successful type certification by Aerocivil marks a crucial step in demonstrating our commitment to meeting international aviation standards,” Gabriel Massey, President and Managing Director of Pipistrel, said. “This achievement not only opens up new opportunities in Colombia but also serves as a blueprint for our entry into other markets with similar regulatory frameworks.”

The Pipistrel Explorer offers superior performance with minimum power required, making it suitable for remote operations in varied temperatures and altitudes. The aircraft is approved for day and night visual flight rules (VFR) operation, intentional spins and comes with an instrument flight rule (IFR) ready avionics package. The Explorer (Virus SW 121A) achieved European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification in 2021.

The Velis Club, a variant based on the Virus SW 121 model, is designed for flight training and other applications. The X-Eye, a surveying aircraft system developed for X-Eye AG, offers advanced special mission capabilities and payload options, and is based upon the Explorer 121A variant. The vehicle serves as a mapping platform for remote sensing applications such as 3D modeling, pipeline inspections and environmental analysis.