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Meet the aircraft
Pipistrel developed the Virus family in Slovenia around a lightweight high-wing airframe, fixed landing gear and enclosed side-by-side two-seat cockpit. Versions have been supplied under different light-aircraft categories and construction arrangements.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A radio fumble gives way to an evening’s flying
Unwin’s photographic flight began less smoothly than he would have liked. While trying to coordinate with the EuroFox carrying the photographer, he fumbled the radio’s frequency transfer and provoked some impatience from the other aircraft. Deepak Mahajan’s compliment about professional flying left him privately amused by the contrast with his own performance.
Pilot · May 2020 web publication. June 2019 SW121 flight from Saltby with Deepak Mahajan; Dutch-registered aircraft, distinct from the Alpha flown earlier that afternoon.
Pilot · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Pipistrel Aircraft · 3 min ·
Pipistrel Virus SW 121 | EASA-approved for intentional spins and UPRT training
Pipistrel presents a Virus SW 121 spin demonstration in the real aircraft.
Real aircraft · Pipistrel Virus SW 121
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Pipistrel Virus SW 121
Pipistrel developed the Virus family in Slovenia around a lightweight high-wing airframe, fixed landing gear and enclosed side-by-side two-seat cockpit. Versions have been supplied under different light-aircraft categories and construction arrangements.
The SW 121 has its own wing, engine and cockpit configuration. The developer documents the equipment represented in the simulator.
Pipistrel Virus SW 121
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Shared ownership brings several kinds of flying together
Koch’s 2017 report describes the SW121 shared by Melanie and Frank Demelius and professor Rudolf Mathar. Their aircraft served personal travel and glider towing, with ownership connecting people whose professional lives otherwise kept them in different places.
aerokurier · Pilot Report: Pipistrel Virus SW 121 LSA ↗Owners and uses described in the contemporary report
Development milestones
First flight: August 10, 1999 ( 1999-08-10 )
Developed from: Pipistrel Sinus
Wikipedia contributors · Pipistrel Virus ↗Pipistrel Virus · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1361645427
Pilot accounts
A radio fumble gives way to an evening’s flying
Unwin’s photographic flight began less smoothly than he would have liked. While trying to coordinate with the EuroFox carrying the photographer, he fumbled the radio’s frequency transfer and provoked some impatience from the other aircraft. Deepak Mahajan’s compliment about professional flying left him privately amused by the contrast with his own performance.
Later, softer evening air made holding formation easier and allowed the photographic work to go more comfortably. With that finished, Unwin and Mahajan had time to enjoy the surroundings, visiting the views around Belvoir Castle and Harlaxton Manor. They returned for touch-and-goes with the airfield quiet.
Pilot · May 2020 web publication. June 2019 SW121 flight from Saltby with Deepak Mahajan; Dutch-registered aircraft, distinct from the Alpha flown earlier that afternoon.
Read the full account · Pilot ↗An owner shares her aircraft, then supplies the glider tow
Melanie Demelius introduced Koch to the aircraft she shared with Frank Demelius and Rudolf Mathar. Her airline background showed in an orderly approach to the checklist, something Koch recognised from his own professional flying. After she made the departure, he took the controls and enjoyed the Virus’s responsive turns, while finding the flap lever less convenient for his elbow.
The visit then changed aircraft and perspective. Koch moved into the front seat of an ASK 21 with Frank behind him, while Melanie used the Virus to tow them airborne. The owners’ hospitality let him experience two sides of their flying: first handling the powered aircraft, then watching it work ahead of a glider. The tow leg was Melanie’s Virus flight, with Koch flying the glider.
aerokurier · 2017. SW121 demonstration at Schmallenberg-Rennefeld with Melanie Demelius, followed by Koch flying an ASK 21 glider; Demelius flew the Virus on the tow.
Read the full account · aerokurier ↗The view compensates for somewhere awkward to keep a snack
Lyons particularly liked the view through the Virus’s glazed doors and over its short nose. Having mainly flown low-wing aircraft, he appreciated the different connection with the landscape below. For him, the attraction of a travelling aeroplane included being able to enjoy what passed outside, as well as reaching the destination.
A smaller detail was less welcome: the baggage compartment could not be reached from the cockpit. He was accustomed to retrieving a water bottle or snack from behind the seats and found the change frustrating until he adjusted. His review also describes responsive controls with comparatively heavier roll effort. Those personal preferences give practical texture to his enthusiasm without establishing a particular journey or flight-test programme.
SportPilot · January 2023. First-person review of the Virus SW 100, with the 912 ULS installation; not the SW121. No specific flight date, registration or location is established in the article.
Read the full account · SportPilot ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024Virus SW121
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Virus SW121
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020Virus SW 121
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Virus SW 121
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Wingspan | 10.71 m (35 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Wing area | 9.51 m² (102.4 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 289 kg (637 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 600 kg (1,323 lb) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Rotax 912 ULS , 75 kW (100 hp) |
| Maximum speed | 283 km/h (176 mph, 153 kn) |
| Cruise speed | 273 km/h (170 mph, 147 kn) at 75% power |
| Stall speed | 79 km/h (49 mph, 43 kn) without flaps |
| Range | 1,450 km (900 mi, 780 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 6,800 m (22,300 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 8.4 m/s (1,650 ft/min) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Pilot account
A radio fumble gives way to an evening’s flyingPilot · May 2020 web publication. June 2019 SW121 flight from Saltby with Deepak Mahajan; Dutch-registered aircraft, distinct from the Alpha flown earlier that afternoon.
Unwin’s photographic flight began less smoothly than he would have liked. While trying to coordinate with the EuroFox carrying the photographer, he fumbled the radio’s frequency transfer and provoked some impatience from the other aircraft. Deepak Mahajan’s compliment about professional flying left him privately amused by the contrast with his own performance. Later, softer evening air made holding formation easier and allowed the photographic work to go more comfortably.
Dave Unwin
Pilot · Read the source ↗An owner shares her aircraft, then supplies the glider towaerokurier · 2017. SW121 demonstration at Schmallenberg-Rennefeld with Melanie Demelius, followed by Koch flying an ASK 21 glider; Demelius flew the Virus on the tow.
Melanie Demelius introduced Koch to the aircraft she shared with Frank Demelius and Rudolf Mathar. Her airline background showed in an orderly approach to the checklist, something Koch recognised from his own professional flying. After she made the departure, he took the controls and enjoyed the Virus’s responsive turns, while finding the flap lever less convenient for his elbow. The visit then changed aircraft and perspective.
Markus Koch
aerokurier · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Pipistrel VirusWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1361645427 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft MSFS 2020 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Pipistrel Virus SW 121
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Review pending
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Pipistrel Virus SW 121: The profile supplies selected light-aircraft stick resistance.
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