TYPE: Side-by-side ultralight motor glider/kitbuilt.

PROGRAMME: Design begun 1994; project leader Franco Orlando. Prototype (S5-NBP) built and certified in Slovenia; public debut at Aero '95, Friedrichshafen, April 1995, but not flown until 1996. Series production from 1999. Marketed in France by Zen ULM and elsewhere. Kit versions introduced 1 April 2004 (51 per cent kit to meet FAA requirements and quick-build QBK).
Between 6 June and 25 August 2004, pilot Matevž Lenarčič completed a round-the-world solo flight in the Sinus 912 S5-PCT. Maiden flight 9 March 2006 of 200th member of Sinus/Virus family, a tri-gear Sinus 912 for a customer in Taiwan.

CURRENT VERSIONS: Sinus 503: 37.0 kW (49.6 hp) Rotax 503 UL-2V two-stroke and Pipistrel variable-pitch, folding propeller. Certified in Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland and Slovenia.
Sinus 912: 59.6 kW (79.9 hp) Rotax 912 UL-2 flat-four with Pipistrel variable-pitch, folding propeller. As described. Certified in same countries as 503.

CUSTOMERS: Sold in 11 European countries, including 54 to French customers by 2002. Others to Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Eritrea, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Caledonia, Reunion Islands, Santo Domingo, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, US and Venezuela. Total sales (including Virus) 200 by March 2006.

COSTS: Sinus 503 EUR49.200; Sinus 912 EUR60.700 ready to fly. Kit versions: 912 51 per cent EUR51.900, QBK EUR56.500; 503 51 per cent EUR42.000, QBK EUR46,200. (All 2005).

DESIGN FEATURES: Meets JAR 22 specifications. Pod-and-boom fuselage with high cantilever wing (except on prototype, which was strut-braced), upturned wingtips, and strut-braced T tail, in-Flight-adjustable pitch propeller for improved engine-off performance; can be feathered for gliding.
Aerofoil section Orlando-Venuti IMD 029-b.
Wing is employed by Albastar Apis single-seat sailplane.

FLYING CONTROLS: Conventional elevator and rudder, manually operated. Flight-adjustable trim tab in starboard elevator. Flaperons on inboard 90 per cent of wing trailing-edge, deflections —5, +9, +18°. Schempp-Hirth-type spoilers in upper wing, one per side.

STRUCTURE: Principally of glass fibre, carbon fibre and Kevlar. Quoted build time 200 hours for QBK kits.

LANDING GEAR: Tailwheel type; fixed. Fuselage-mounted spring cantilever main legs with speed fairings. Hydraulic disc brakes on mainwheels.

POWER PLANT: One Rotax piston engine, as under Current Versions. Pipistrel Vario in-Flight-adjustable pitch two-blade composites propeller. Fuel in two tanks, combined capacity 60 titres (15.9 US gallons; 13.2 Imp gallons), of which 54 litres (14.3 US gallons; 11.9 Imp gallons) usable.

ACCOMMODATION: Two persons, side by side in enclosed cockpit, each with upward-opening door.

EQUIPMENT: BRS ballistic parachute systems optional.

Data for Sinus 912.

DIMENSIONS, EXTERNAL:

• Wing span: 14.97 m (49 ft 1¼ in)
• Length overall: 6.60 m (21 ft 7¾ in)
• Height overall: 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)

DIMENSIONS, INTERNAL:

• Cabin max width: 1.10 m (3 ft 7¼ in)

AREAS:

• Wings, gross: 12.26 m² (132.0 sq ft)

WEIGHTS AND LOADINGS:

• Weight empty: 284 kg (626 lb)
• Max T-O weight: 450 kg (992 lb) (472.5 kg (1.041 lb) in France if fitted with ballistic parachute; 544 kg (1,200 lb) in Australia (AUF rules))

PERFORMANCE, POWERED:

• Never-exceed speed (V_NE): 121 kt (225 km/h; 139 mph)
• Max level speed: 119 kt (220 km/h; 137 mph)
• Cruising speed: 108 kt (200 km/h; 124 mph)
• Stalling speed: flaps up: 36 kt (66 km/h; 41 mph)
• flaps down: 34 kt (63 km/h; 40 mph)
• Max rate of climb at S/L: 390 m (1.280 ft)/min
• Service ceiling: 8.800 m (28.875 ft)
• T-O run: 88 m (290 ft)
• Range: 647 n miles (1,200 km; 745 miles)
• g limits: +4/-2

PERFORMANCE, UNPOWERED:

• Best glide ratio at 51 kt (95 km/h; 59 mph), folded propeller: 27
• Min rate of sink at 49 kt (90 km/h; 56 mph), folded propeller: 1.03 m (3.4 ft)/s