The Pipistrel Virus is designed from the Sinus. It is a monoplane in high wing configuration, with a T-tail. The cockpit has two seats side by side. The first version has a wingspan of 12.5 m. The SW (Short Wing) versions have a wingspan of 10.7 m. It is powered by a Rotax 912 of 80 hp or 100 hp1.
The Pipistrel Virus made its maiden flight on August 10, 1999. Serial production began shortly afterwards, in January 2000. In April 2003, the hundredth specimen of the Sinus/Virus family was produced. In 2004, production moved to a new factory located in Ajdovščina2.
The development of the SW (Short Wing) version began in 2007 and its series production started the following year2.
In 2008, the Pipistrel Virus won NASA's General Aviation Technology Challenge3.
