On The Cover: That's the attention-getting Pipistrel Panthera. With retractable gear, a beefy Lycoming engine and slick modern styling, it's generated lots of hype since arriving in the U.S. this past fall. It's not certified yet, but it's expected to sell for a touch less than a new Cirrus SR22. Editor-at-large Paul Bertorelli put the Panthera through the wringer and prepared a flight trial report.
At the Aero show in Friedrichshafen, in 2012, the undisputed star was a sleek and sexy four-place single from the innovative Slovenian company, Pipistrel. The Panthera surprised on several levels because Pipistrel was a player in the world of microlight/light sport aircraft, but wasn’t thought to harbor aspirations toward the mainstream certified market.
PREMIUM CONTENT
This article is for subscribers
Log in to continue reading, or subscribe to get unlimited access to all content.
Paul Bertorelli is Aviation Consumer’s Editor at Large. In addition to his valued contributions to Aviation Consumer, his in-depth video productions on sister publication AVweb cover a wide variety of topics that greatly contribute to safety, operation and aircraft ownership. When Paul isn’t writing or filming, he’s out flying his J3 Cub.
