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Pipistrel Taurus Overview

Taurus is the World’s first side-by-side ultralight powered glider! It offers complete freedom and independence thanks to the retractable engine, double retractable main landing gear, excellent gliding performance, inexpensive maintenance and a well ventilated spacious cockpit.

The idea behind the Taurus is to offer an autonomous and affordable gliding solution. The aircraft is completely self-launchable thanks to a powerful Rotax 503 engine, a purpose developed Pipistrel propeller system and twin parallel main landing gear. You do not even need a helping hand at the wingtip any more! 15-meter wings with winglets, 5-stage flaperons and very efficient airbrakes together with a lifting-body shaped fuselage make the Taurus fly like a dream. Taurus climbs really well too – fully loaded she can easily out-climb conventional glider tows… from take-off to 500 m (1650 ft) she only needs 3 minutes, 6 minutes to 1000 m (3300 ft) and 10 minutes to 1500 m (5000 ft). Reaching target altitude you shut down and retract the engine at a flick of a switch - literally. The intelligent engine control system will do everything by itself, making sure the propeller has positioned correctly and retracting the engine for you, while you concentrate on finding that perfect lift! Then, take advantage of the excellent 1:41 glide ratio coupled with 5 flaperon settings and head to your next waypoint… Landing can be performed engine-in or engine-out and you can easily vacate the runway taking using the comfort of the steerable tail-wheel.

Klaus Ohlmann, multiple gliding World Record holder, speaks about Taurus
Taurus has some great advantages, which originate from the ultralight world:
- the glider has enough space in the cockpit for two very large pilots;
- side-by-side seating arangement is a real rewad in comparison to the tandem-seating. Flying the Taurus is a lot more fun;
- the ballistic total-rescue system is huge advantage when compared to conventional motorgliders;
- taxi with the double-wheel undercarriage is a luxury, especially for training flights;
- the overall quality and finish is surprisingly good;
- it has self fitting connections for all flight controls - big plus;
- although being an ultralight, the glider feels like a real glider;
- Taurus will definitely convince some of the ultralight pilots to start gliding;
- I will be testing the performace really soon, guided flights provide an ideal comparison;
- the price is about 50% of what you would pay for another self-launching two seater glider;
- I am positive, that the Taurus will be a sucess story in the world of Gliding!

The cockpit of the Taurus is very long and comfortable. Even the really tall pilots will have no problems fitting inside. Side-by-side seating arrangement makes communication between the pilots perfect, unlike conventional tandem two-seaters. Full dual controls are reachable to both pilots and the pedals, seats, headrest and ventilation can be adjusted to suit your body size and needs in just seconds, also during flight. A special ergonomically shaped instrument panel houses all the instruments you will ever want without obstructing the excellent view in all directions. There are side pockets for each pilot and a roomy baggage compartment behind the seats with space for an oxygen system as well.

The whole of the cockpit is completely encased with bulletproof Kevlar® material and the canopy is a single piece Plexy-glass without the disturbing arches. In the Taurus there is no need for pilots to wear parachutes, because the aircraft has one instead - standard! You always have the safety of a parachute rescue system with you and it’s is activated at a pull of a handle. With Pipistrel, safety is the name of the game…

Taurus is made using the highest technology in the field of composite materials, including advanced honeycomb techniques. Metal parts are specially fabricated using the best quality aviation alloys, including Titanium and Magnesium. This ensures a very long life-span of the aircraft and virtually maintenance-free operation. The wings and T-tail can be disassembled in a matter of 15 minutes with only 2 people and a stand, just like a conventional glider. All the controls are self-fitting, making the task simple and as care-free as possible. A dedicated trailer is available as well as a hangar hoist system to lift the whole of the aircraft under the ceiling.

For a glider pilot, the Taurus definitely is the hottest aircraft on the market! She comes richly equipped as standard, with a large choice of optionals, including a parachute rescue system (total rescue system) and basically all glider avionics out there…



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