The Pipistrel Taurus is polished and ready for flight testing……
Several years in development….. The team which brought us the Sinus and Virus are now ready to test fly the new Taurus Motorglider. The Taurus is again a unique and cutting edge aircraft from the Pipistrel team, which will over time, extend what is acceptable in modern aircraft designs.
The obvious things which make the Taurus stand out from the competition are the large cockpit with side-by-side seating and full dual controls, the Rotax 503 engine which is expected to power the Sinus to around 750 fpm climb at MTOW.
Now for the good news…… The Taurus will be available with AND without engine !! That will please about 50 people who have emailed asking that very question, YES the Taurus can be used as a towable sailplane !!.
Following is the calculated performance information on the Taurus which will be confirmed over the coming weeks during the test flying program. I am excited to bring you more information in the coming month.
| Taurus is made in GFK (epoxy resin, glass, carbon, kevlar). The airfoil used on wings is ORL 170, (F. Orlando). | ||
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Model
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TAURUS 503
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ENGINE ROTAX
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503 UL DCDI 2V
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max power (with 2 carb.)
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50 hp at 6600 rpm
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PROPELLER
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2 blade Pipistrel wooden 1600 mm diam
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SIZES
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wing span
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15,2 m
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49.87 feet
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length
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7,17 m
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23.52 feet
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height
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1,41 m
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4.63 feet
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wing area
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12,33 m2
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132.72 ft2
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rudder area
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0,9 m2
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9.69 ft2
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horizontal tail area
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1,36 m2
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14.64 ft2
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aspect ratio
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18.6
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positive flaps
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9 deg, 18 deg
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negative flaps
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5 deg
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center of gravity
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22% – 41%
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WEIGHTS
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empty weight
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260 kg
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575 pounds
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minimum pilot weight
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60 kg
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132 pounds
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maximum total pilots weight
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212.5 kg
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468 pounds
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max take off weight (MTOW)
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450 kg / 472,5 kg FR
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992 / 1042 pounds
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fuel tank capacity
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30 l
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7.93 gal
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useful fuel
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27 l
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7.13 gal
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PERFORMANCES
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stall with flaps
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62,5 km/h
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34 knots
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stall without flaps
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65,5 km/h
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35 knots
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manoeuvring speed
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135 km/h
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73 knots
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max speed with flaps down
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130 km/h
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70 knots
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max speed with airbrakes out
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200 km/h
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108 knots
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max. permitted speed
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225 km/h
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122 knots
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VNE
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235 km/h
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127 knots
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min.sink
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0,65 m/sec
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130 fpm
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min.sink speed
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80 km/h
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43 knots
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max. sink with airbrakes
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5,5 m/sec
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1082 fpm
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best glide
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41:1
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best glide ratio speed
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110km/h
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60 knots
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best glide at 140 km/h
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34.5:1
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best glide at 180 km/h
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26:1
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max towing speed
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150 km/h
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81 knots
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45°-45° roll time
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3,9 sec
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take off run MTOW
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115 m
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380 feet
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take off over 15 m MTOW
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230 m
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755 feet
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cruising speed with 75% power
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145 km/h
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78 knots
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max climb rate
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(MTOW) 3,9 m/sec
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767 fpm
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service ceiling MTOW
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6.800 m
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22,500 feet
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max load factor permitted
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(x1,8) +4g -2g
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max load factor tested
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+ 7,2g – 7,2g
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fuel consumption at cruise speed
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12 l
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3.17 gph
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Note: all data are calculated and are subjected to change without notice
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