Pipistrel Sinus, Virus Build Manual

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K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Pipistrel

Sinus & Virus

Kit Build Manual

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Table of Contents

What do you need?......................................................................................................................................4

Preparing the Fuselage .............................................................................................................................. 5

Preparing the undercarriage.....................................................................................................................10

Fitting the undercarriage to the aircraft...................................................................................................18

Firewall setup ............................................................................................................................................ 21

Mounting the engine to the firewall..........................................................................................................22

Sound dampening material ...................................................................................................................... 23

Painting the fuselages interior (part 1) ................................................................................................... 25

General touch ups and painting the fuselage (part 2)............................................................................27

Lining the fuselage interior with carpet and mounting the fuel taps....................................................29

Fitting the cockpit carpet .......................................................................................................................... 32

Installation of the heat duct, oil tank bracket and wire bundle fittings.................................................33

Cutting the slots for the fuel gauge ......................................................................................................... 34

Fitting the throttle assembly and the flap handle ................................................................................... 34

Fitting the ballistic chute (part 1) ............................................................................................................. 37

Fitting the ballistic chute (part 2) ............................................................................................................. 43

Fitting the lower fuel system .................................................................................................................... 49

Fitting the Velcro for the seats..................................................................................................................54

Rudder pedal preparation ......................................................................................................................... 55

Seat belt preparation..................................................................................................................................56

Drilling the rudder cable holes..................................................................................................................58

Running the rudder cable outers..............................................................................................................58

Mounting the pedals ................................................................................................................................. 61

Fitting the rudder cables .......................................................................................................................... 69

Mounting the upper flaperon pushrod bracket.......................................................................................70

Mounting the electrical panel ................................................................................................................... 71

Fitting the rudder assembly ..................................................................................................................... 72

Horizontal stabilizer preparation..............................................................................................................81

Preparing the elevator / rudder ................................................................................................................ 83

Fitting the horizontal stabilizer ................................................................................................................ 88

Installation of the sliding elevator trim knob .......................................................................................... 93

Fitting the trim system .............................................................................................................................. 95

The Control System .................................................................................................................................. 98

Mounting the control system..................................................................................................................102

Nose wheel cable preparation ................................................................................................................ 107

Finishing the rudder cables ................................................................................................................... 109

Fitting the rudder .................................................................................................................................... 110

Fitting the brake lines ............................................................................................................................. 111

Mounting the fuel lines in the cabin ...................................................................................................... 117

Fitting the windscreen ............................................................................................................................ 118

Installation of the strobes ....................................................................................................................... 123

Fitting the engine (part 1) ....................................................................................................................... 126

Fitting the engine (part 2) ....................................................................................................................... 167

Fitting the dashboard ............................................................................................................................. 175

Fitting the front cowls ............................................................................................................................. 178

Fitting the cowling around the exhaust and final cowl touch ups ...................................................... 187

Propeller setup ........................................................................................................................................ 191

Fitting the nose wheel ............................................................................................................................ 196

Wing preparation ..................................................................................................................................... 197

Assembling the airbrakes........................................................................................................................215

Mounting the wings ................................................................................................................................ 223

Fitting the Wheel Spats ........................................................................................................................... 229

Fitting the nose wheel spat .................................................................................................................... 233

Fitting the luggage rack and headsets...................................................................................................234

Mounting the Autopilot System..............................................................................................................237

Automatic nose wheel and rudder centering systems ........................................................................ 245

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Congratulations on your purchase or evaluation of the Pipistrel Sinus or Virus aircraft kit. The Sinus and Virus are unique aircraft, providing exceptional performance, unparalleled flying qualities and astonishing economy.

The building procedures explained in this manual are aimed towards the abilities of an average person with basic tools. Most of the precision manufacture has been performed at the factory under controlled conditions, and this will provide the homebuilder with an aircraft which should be every bit as good as a factory manufactured plane.

Most of the construction can be performed by the builder alone, but you will require additional assistance for some tasks. Possibly a friend or partner could assist you with some of the construction. In situations, where you need to rotate the fuselage or fit the wings, you may need three people.

By following these simple instructions and the accompanying photographs, we expect that you will need around 250 to 400 hours of enjoyable construction to finish the aircraft. Should you have any questions with this manual or the construction techniques please contact Pipistrel USA for clarification. If you aren't used to the metric system, be sure to check Appendix 1 where we have added a conversion table to help you with certain measurements.

As this is a new version of the kit manual for Pipistrel's Sinus and Virus rcraft, we would like your feedback and suggestions on the different tasks, so we may improve the manual for future customers. Please email info@pipistrel-usa.com with any of your questions

They say a picture is worth 1000 words... so we have tried to incorporate this in our manual and let the pictures do the talking. With over 1000 deruddered images to select from and print out you will probably find many answers to your questions in the photos and accompanying text.

Time to build..... Lets start !!

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What do you need?

Space

Pipistrel Sinus aircraft have a wingspan of just under 15 meters, while Virus aircraft have approximately 12.5. In order to work the wings comfortably, you're going to need a work space that is at least 9 meters long, because Sinus wings measure approximately 8 meters long. This would give you a little space at each end to move around a little more if you're making a Virus.

Work Conditions

Working with epoxy requires, that the components epoxy and work space need to be around 21 degrees Celsius until the epoxy completely cures. For all other steps and procedures you aren't required to heat your workspace.

Work Conditions

Here is a list of tools that will definitely come in handy when making your Pipistrel aircraft:

Vapor mask Tape measure

Variable speed drill Swaging tool

Set of metric drill bits (longer ones if possible) Work lamp (one that you can hang in the aircraft if

need be)

Metric thread taps Scissors or clippers

Metric step drill Paint brushes

Standard metric open-end wrenches Dremel hand drill

Standard metric ratchet sockets Dremel sanding drill bits

Standard metric Allen wrenches Heat gun

Special NutSert installation tool Various files for sanding, grinding and polishing

Right angle hand drill (or drill angle attachment) Felt-tip marker (erasable)

Jigsaw Drill bits for countersinking

De-burring tool Vernier caliper set

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Materials

Here is a list of materials that you will definitely need when making your Pipistrel aircraft:

Loctite 243

Loctite 262

Sheets of plastic for masking while painting (3M Painter's Masking Tape Pre-Taped Drop Cloth is highly recommended)

Grease (SKF bearing grease or Xintex)

Silicon (black if possible)

WD-40

Sandpaper (80 and 100 granulation)

Electrical tape

Two-sided tape

Rubber gloves

Preparing the Fuselage

 Support the fuselage on a suitable stand and support the rudder on a piece of foam to

protect it from damage.

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 Mask the elevator pushrod with masking tape to keep out dust and debris from the

pushrod bearings during the early fuselage preparation phases.

 Sand the cockpit openings smooth to remove the sharp edges from manufacture

 Sand the windscreen edge to ensure a good fit of the Lexan windscreen, paying particular

attention to the section marked with ovals in the photos below. The key is to make sure the edges around the windscreen are smooth and not sharp.

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 The sections highlighted below need a little extra material taken off the inside edge to

make sure the windscreen seats perfectly. Be sure to do both sides.

 With a marker pen, mark the center of the fuselage halves above the firewall section.

Look for the strip of raised plastic on the fuselages surface, which is a result of the fuselages manufacturing process. This will assist you in finding the center position, which in turn will be used to locate the windscreen brace.

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 Clean the windscreen mounting areas with thinners or alcohol removers to ensure they

are clean and will bond properly. Blow them with compressed air and a vacuum to ensure they are totally clean.

 Drill holes in the floor for the cables, flaps and the trim slot. Use the Dremel tool to cut

the holes and then sand smooth with a file and sandpaper. The same goes for the flap handle area and also the throttle nutserts. The factory will already have these positions marked for you in marker pen. Look at Appendix 2, 3 and 4 for hole diagrams with exact dimensions.

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 Dremel the holes and slots, use a vacuum cleaner to keep the dust under control when

cutting.

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Preparing the undercarriage

Drilling the main axle hole:

NOTE: The main axle hole most likely has already been drilled for you.

• The main axle hole is drilled half way in from both sides to avoid drifting

• The use of a reamer drill is recommended

• The tighter the fit the better, therefore drill cautiously. The last thing you want to do is

drill a hole that is too big.

Placement of the main axle and endplates:

• Place the endplates - be sure to align the plates correctly, as shown in the pictures below.

If aligned the wrong way, drilling the holes could cause perforation of the undercarriage's upper edge. When the plates are aligned correctly, the holes are drilled further away from the edge and will not cause perforation of the undercarriage.

• Slide the axle through and fix the assembly with the washer and the non-machined nyloc

nut - apply Loctite 243 to the axle's threads before assembling the washer and nyloc nut

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Now we have to to drill the holes for the brake pins.

 The goal is to drill a hole that is just deep enough, so that the pin, once placed, sticks out

exactly 1 cm from the brake assembly resting plate. This can be done by marking the drill.

 Insert the pins and tap them in with a hammer

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Placement of the brake assembly:

 First check to see that the brake pad fits nicely into the brake assembly housing. It

should slide in and out of the housing smoothly, without being hindered or getting stuck. If needed, lightly grind the brake pad's two alignment pegs with a file until the pad slides in and out of the housing nicely. This is very important in order for the brakes to function properly.

 Slide the brake assembly on and ensure that it is properly seated on the resting plate. If

necessary, use a piece of pipe to tap it flush on the resting plate.

 Note that there is a left and a right brake; they must be fitted so the hydraulic nipple is

pointing to the front of the aircraft on both sides of the plane.

 Fit washer and clean brake – NOTE: FOR ALL VIRUS AND SIRUS MODELS WITH SERIES

NUMBER 277 AND GREATER, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO PLACE A WASHER BETWEEN THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY AND THE WHEEL. THESE MODELS HAVE AN ALTERED BRAKE ASSEMBLY WITH A BIGGER FLANGE AND THUS DO NOT REQUIRE THE WASHER.

Brake assembly WITH washer

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Wheel placement:

 Place wheel on the axle  Thoroughly grease the bearing and the wheel hub  Place the bearing and apply even more grease around the bearing afterwards

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 Fit the dust cover on the axle after thoroughly greasing it.  Fit the nyloc nut - note there is no washer as the nut is especially machined to fit  Tighten the nut up so that the wheel still turns freely - do not over tighten the nut or the

wheel may bind

 Wipe off excess grease

 Fit the wheel spat spacer, but first apply Loctite 243 to the axle's threads  When tightening the spacer, be sure not to also tighten the locknut. Brace the locknut

while tightening the spacer as shown below.

 Check one last time to ensure that the wheel turns freely and quietly.  Also grab the wheel with two hands and check to see that there is no free movement of

the wheel along the axis.

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 Go to other side of axle and tighten the other locknut, torque setting 6 Newton meters.  Mark all nuts with red paint. Repeat for other side.  Check tire pressures at 32 psi or 2.2 atmospheres

Modification of the landing gear for the aircraft with a nose wheel:

Aircraft with a nose wheel have a different way to run the brake lines and it is necessary to make modification to the tops of the landing gear legs. Normally the brake lines come from the brakes and travel up the inside of the legs and enter into the cabin. If the aircraft has a nose wheel, it is necessary to modify the exit hole so the line actually travels the normal route, goes back into the landing gear leg and exits on the bottom where it then enters the cabin on the front side of the leg.

 Drill a hole at a 45 degree angle directly beside pre-drilled hole located on top of the

undercarriage's legs. Do the same for the other side. Check to make sure no sharp edges remain.

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Fitting the undercarriage to the aircraft

For aircraft equipped with a nose wheel, the undercarriage is attached to the fuselage with bolts and special washers.

 These washers require a recessed hole to be drilled in the cockpit floor. Use an

appropriate drill bit.

 It is important that the washer is seated properly; if you make the hole too big, it will

allow the undercarriage to move around excessively and if you make the recess too small, the bolt and washer wont be seated properly. If by chance the holes are drilled too big, be sure to fill them in with epoxy.

 Note: for aircraft without a nose wheel there is no recess. There are just normal bolts

mounted with locknuts and a plate to hold the undercarriage in place.

Setup for aircraft without a nose wheel

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 Put a fair amount of epoxy around the top of the holes in the cockpit. This makes the

large locating washers sit perfectly in the holes.

 Then put a light smear of grease around the bottom of the washer and around the bolt

shaft to stop the epoxy from sticking to the metal parts. It is important to have the washers seated properly to avoid future damage to the structure

 Cover the tops of the landing gear leg with silicone before mounting as shown below

 Place undercarriage bolts into floor of fuselage and fit undercarriage leg. You'll need

someone to lift the front of the plane to do this, as its not so light.

 Tighten the nylocs on the undercarriage to 5.5 Newton meters. Apply Loctite 243.  Wipe up any excess epoxy and grease. After 24 hours it is necessary to retighten the

bolts again to 5.5 Newton meters to allow for the epoxy to come out while it is curing.

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 The last step is to prepare the fuselage for the brake lines. Position yourself under the

fuselage so that you're looking directly at the undercarriage and your legs are pointing towards the engine.

 Locate the center mark of the undercarriage's groove and drill two holes. Each hole

should be approximately 3 cm from the center mark.

 Dremel the opening in the side of the aircraft for the brake lines to run from the pedals to

the wheels. The position is already marked in marker pen by the factory.

 Be careful not to go to deep or you can go through the outer shell of the aircraft, then

clean up with a drill and sandpaper

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Firewall setup

The fuselage comes already marked with hole locations and diameters. It is recommended, that you drill the holes on an as-per basis, and not all at once. Futhermore, check the cabin heating valve position to ensure that it doesn't interfere with the electrical panel, that mounts on the aft side of the firewall. Lastly, be sure to mount encapsulated nutserts into the firewall to hold items like the electrical assembly in place. NOTE: Additional diagrams with all necessary hole dimensions can be found in Appendix 8, 9 and 10.

 The oil tank bracket is rotated clockwise, as viewed from the cockpit, a few degrees. It's

to be mounted with four M5x16 hex bolts

 The lower left electrical panel mounting cap screw is intended to protrude through the

firewall and to be used as a hose clamp mount for the fuel return line. Therefore, the cap screw for that location is longer (M5 x 24) than the other three mounting screws (M5 x

16).

 The bottom hole for the engine mount should be approximately 42mm from the bottom

surface of the fuselage. You can use this hole as a reference and then use the mount to find the other hole locations.

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Mounting the engine to the firewall

 First cut away the firewall material where the engine mount goes. These are hardened

points in the firewall. Carefully cut with a sharp knife and peel the fireproof material away. You need to do this to mount the engine against a hard surface. If you go over the top of the fireproof material it will compress over time and allow the engines to shift and move.

 Then put the mount up against the firewall and align the mounting points with the

hardened points in the firewall. The bottom engine bolt should lie approximately 32mm above the fuselage's inner rim. The other two mounting points need to be aligned, so that the engine mount is in the middle of the firewall and level. Once you find the appropriate position for the engine mount, mark the hole locations.

 Drill three Ø8mm holes (upper right, upper left and bottom center) and two Ø6mm holes

(lower left, lower right)

 Insert the bottom engine bolt through the small hole in the cabin floor. It will need to be

secured from behind and pushed forward using a socket and extender, so that you'll be able to the tighten the nut in the front.

 Mount the final bolts to hold the engine mount to the airframe.

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Sound dampening material

 Mount the noise deadening carpet to the inside of the firewall using spray glue on both

surfaces. Be sure to mask the cockpit with tape and plastic to protect it from getting sprayed.

 Also cover the steering yoke on the nose wheel with tape to protect it from getting

sprayed.

 Now spray the carpet with spray glue and allow it to dry.

 With a helper, carefully position the carpet against the front wall, starting at the bottom and

working to the top, pushing and making sure there is good contact.

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 Now just heat a soldering iron tip to cherry red and burn holes through the carpet to

correspond to the openings in the firewall.

Painting the fuselage interior (part 1)

This step involves painting all parts of the interior that ARE NOT made of grey shiny Kevlar. It does NOT include, however, the roof. The cockpits roof will be painted at later stage when the cockpit is actually flipped upside down.

 First cover the front of the cockpit with plastic sheets. Spray the back of windscreen with

special bumper bar black paint from a distance of around 500mm to get the best coverage and a slightly rough finish that doesn’t reflect. Use 2 coats, allowing a few minutes to dry between each. It’s best to use two normal layers of paint rather than one thick layer which can run

 Now mask the inside of the fuselage for painting. Paint with a brush using nitro black

paint. Pay special attention to the door lip and clean up with thinners if you have any spillage.

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 When the paint dries, remove the masking tape. Paint the dash area and the main

vertical support tubes which run down the sides of the windscreen

General touch ups and painting the fuselage interior (Part 2)

 Rotate the fuselage upside down and support the rudder on foam padding. Set the wing

roots on a frame or saw horses with sponge foam to prevent damage

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 Use two part epoxy body filler and go around the openings of the windscreen and the

skylight in the roof, filling in the small defects from manufacture. When the filler has hardened overnight it can be sanded and finished.

 Note this is only for cosmetics and provides no other use. Be careful as the fiberglass is

very thin on the canopy lip - do not sand too hard and don’t use mechanical sanders.



 Clean the sanded area down with thinners and clean it with compressed air. Paint the rest

of the fuselage with nitro paint to finish off the painting. Using a brush is recommended.

 Once you have masked around the canopy and skylight lip, paint the sanded and filled

area with bumper paint. Use bumper paint as it has a good sheenless colour and the finish fills in small imperfections in the body filler.

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Lining the fuselage interior with carpet and mounting the fuel taps

 Fit carpet to the roof and sides of the cabin using contact adhesive, which is applied to

both the fuselage sides and the carpet. Use the “paint on” type of contact adhesive for the fuselage and “spray” type of contact adhesive on the carpet. If this is not done, the carpet soaks up a lot of weight with excess glue. Allow both to dry until they are not sticky and then mount the carpet

 Fit the carpet on the roof first, starting at the rear and working forwards. Make sure the

carpet is centered and does not run up the sides of the fuselage otherwise it will interfere with the carpet on the sides of the wing root and also interfere when fitting the wings to the aircraft.

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 Glue the carpet to the sides of the fuselage on the wing roots. Place the carpet

temporarily in the right location and trace it before gluing to know where to apply adhesive. When marked, apply glue to both the carpet and the fuselage, allow to dry and position in place. This time start at the front and work to the rear. Push down firmly for the best bond.

 Use the metal roof supports as a guide and stretch the carpet back as you go. Make sure

not to cover the rear hole where the ailerons poke through.

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 Finally, make a small cut for the brackets which hold the fuel lines in place and push

down firmly to complete the process

 Cut the holes for the wing spars, the fuel sight gauges and the other connectors using a

gas operated soldering iron with a sharpened point. You must use a soldering iron to both cut and seal the carpet in one go. If the carpet is not sealed it will start to fray after its first flight.

 Fit the fuel taps using Loctite number 243 which is made for fuel and pressure fittings.

Use a washer and position in the bracket as shown in the photograph.

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 If you notice that the fuselage fiberglass is built up a little too thick in the area where you

are mounting the fuel tap, be sure to grind down the fiberglass a little and/or enlarge the hole.

Fitting the cockpit carpet

Four pieces of carpet are to placed on the cockpit's front wall (behind the motor).

 The two identical side pieces should be placed first, then the thin upper piece and then

the main piece.

 Before placing the thin upper piece, cut a small triangle out of the upper edge to make

room for the windscreen's placement clip.

 Using the adhesive spray, coat the insulation material and spray the carpet which goes on

the inside of the firewall, allow to dry then position and mount the carpet.

 When dry using the soldering iron with a knife blade cut the openings in the carpet for the

additional holes.

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Installation of the heat duct, oil tank bracket and wire bundle fittings

 Push the carbon heat duct in place with the flange on top of the carpet.  If need be, open the holes in the insulation blanket and carpet at the remaining holes to

allow for the bolts fit through the firewall

 Use blue Loctite 243 on the bolts.

 Now mount the oil tank bracket using blue Loctite 243 on the bolt threads.

 Next install the through-firewall plastic threaded wire bundle fittings. If you find that

they are not long enough to extend beyond the carpet remove enough carpet material around the hole to permit installation of the nut on the end of the fitting on the back side of the firewall.

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Cutting the slots for the fuel gauge

 Drill holes for fuel sight gauge in the fuselage wing root. Start with a smaller hole and

open up with the step drill - holes are 12mm diameter. Join the holes using a Dremel and then file, sandpaper them clean

Step Drill – A useful purchase from most good electrical or larger hardware stores

Fitting the throttle assembly and the flap handle

 Position the throttle-choke assembly and mark holes needed for the throttle and choke

cables. See Appendix 4 for a diagram of the hole locations.

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 Cut the holes with the Dremel tool and make the hole where the cable runs through about

1mm bigger than marked so you don’t see the hole when the assembly is finally in place.

 Mount the throttle assembly using the 4 screws provided and secure with red Loctite 262.

 Mount the flap handle and check that it is aligned properly. This can be done by stepping

in front of the aircraft and lining it up with the windscreens support bar. First push the assembly down and then backwards. The cutout in the cockpit support beam can be grinded a little bigger in order to make the flap handle assembly fit nicely. See Appendix 2 for a diagram of the cabin floor cutout

 Be sure to mount the flap handle so that the angle brackets point towards the engine and

not towards the rudder, as shown in the diagram and pictures below.

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 Drill the 4 holes in the base and then drill and bolt the 4 holes on the seat back using red

Loctite 262. Note that on some aircraft, especially virus, you will have to grind some material from the middle floor tunnel, or from the middle support beam to get it all to fit, as it sometimes get made too thick. Remember to drill carefully, so that you don't hit the elevator pushrods.

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Fitting the ballistic chute (part 1)

If you have ordered a chute with your kit, the factory will have marked the position and shape of the hole with marker pen on the top of your aircraft.

 Mask over the area with packaging tape to stop the surface getting damaged when you

cut the chute opening with a jig saw.

 Drill 4 small holes and a slot to start the cut with a jigsaw. Be sure to measure the

jigsaw blade width first and use a drill with the same drill piece thickness as the jigsaw

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blade to start the cut. Make sure the jigsaw has the finest blade teeth you can get and use blades made for cutting metals.

 Make sure to use lots of masking tape for padding on the bottom of the jigsaw and hold it

securely with downwards pressure, so you don’t get lots of marks on the aircraft.

 Be sure to cut on the outside of the marked line. When using the jigsaw use safety

glasses and hearing protection

 When cutting with the jigsaw, support the chute opening, especially when the cut is

almost completed, so it won't flop around and get damaged

 Sand the chute opening and the piece you have cut out to ensure good adhesion to the

silicone when you mount the chute into the aircraft and close up the opening.

Now that you have prepared the parachute hole in the fuselage, you can begin installing the parachute container.

 First you need to protect the surface of the fuselage around the parachute hole. Using

black electrical tape, create a nice clean rim around the hole. Then place a large sheet of plastic around the hole and tape it down using masking tape.

 Sand and clean the upper surface of the container where it will be fixed to the fuselage.

Do the same for the surface around the hole on the inside of the fuselage.

 Place three strips of duct tape around the rim of both the container and the hole. Try to

align them nicely.

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 Now prepare both both the upper surface of the container and the inner surface of the

fuselage around the hole for mounting. Mix up a small volume of epoxy resin (without cotton flock) and nicely cover both surfaces with it.

 Mix up to batches of epoxy resin; one normal mix with cotton flock and one rapid-dry

polyester mix. Make sure that they're fairly thick mixes. Remove the strips of tape you placed on the containers rim earlier and apply the epoxy resin as shown in the photos below. The rapid-dry epoxy resin is to be applied to those areas where the duct tape was before.

 Also place a “handful” of rapid-dry epoxy resin to the bottom of the container. This will

serve as the second fixation point between the container and the fuselage.

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 The container is now prepared to be installed. Place the container into the fuselage and

and align its upper surface with the the hole in the fuselage. Be sure to do this quick after pasting the epoxy resin on the parts because the rapid-dry will harden within 5 minutes.

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 Now begin removing the extra epoxy resin that has been squeezed out from between the

container and fuselage (on both sides!). Once it has all been removed, use it again to touch up the fixation room between the fuselage and container. This will make the fixation a little stronger and prevent any cracks or airbubbles from building up.

 Stuff a little of the leftover normal epoxy resin around the containers base for extra

holding strength.

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 Spread a little epoxy resin (without cotton flock) around both fixation point rims to close

all pores and make it look nice. Leave the container for 24 hours and let the epoxy resin cure.

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 Using a Dremel, grind the holes in the roof which will be used to fit the rescue parachute

slings. The outlines are already marked on the roof by the factory.

 Carefully cut off excess epoxy around opening of the chute container top cap with a very

sharp knife. Use cutting polish to take off any remaining epoxy and then clean the surface with cleaning alcholol.

Fitting the ballistic chute (part 2)

Mounting the rocket assembly:

 Locate the 4 holes already drilled between the main parachute holder and the rocket

assembly blast tube.

 Apply Loctite 243 to the treads of the rocket assembly's mounting plate.  Mount the rocket assembly; the launching handle must be run downwards through the

bottom of the rocket assembly blast tube, while the connecting strap should be pulled through the top of the rocket assembly blast tube.

 Cover screws and holes with electrical tape.

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 Run the launching handle around the back of the rocket assembly blast tube to the metal

roofing brace above the passenger seat

 Fix the handle to the roofing brace as shown in the pictures below.

Mounting the parachute support straps to the fuselage:

 Wrap the support straps around the metal roof braces  The support strap has a loop at each end. Pass one loop through the other and then feed

it through the roof of the cockpit

 Be sure the seam on the bridles is down, this is important to keep the water out of the

bridles.

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Parachute placement:

 Place the parachute in the parachute holder as shown in the picture below. The

parachute's release straps (brown with plastic sheaths) should also be aligned appropriately (as shown)

 Use a carabiner to connect both of the parachute's release straps with the rocket

assembly's connecting strap. Apply Loctite 243 before closing the carabiner.

 Slide the thin rubber sleeve over the carabiner and temp it with a heat iron so that it fixes

itself to the carabiner/strap junction.

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Connecting parachute support straps to parachute:

 First connect the support straps to the parachute's black nylon loop using a carabiner.

Apply Loctite 243 to the carabiner's

 Tug on the support straps and lay them out as shown in the picture below.  Drill 3 pairs of holes beside the support straps and fix them to the fuselage's roof using

plastic ties.

Preparing the parachute system's cover straps:

 Coil the rocket assembly's connecting strap into the parachute's main holder, above the

actual parachute.

 Using a reamer drill (4mm), make two 30 mm-long slots in the parachute's main holder,

just above the coiled connecting strap, on on each side of the holder.

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 Place both cover straps through the holes in the parachute's main holder and determine

how long each strap needs to be, so that the loop and hole meet in the middle

 Mark the cover straps with white pen at the point where the meet the parachute's main

holder.

 Then take the straps out, roll the end up to the white line, place it in a vice and apply

Loctite 406, so that the roll holds.

 Using a hot pin, singe both sides of the roll, puncture two holes into the roll and then add

two plastic ties.

Closing the parachute system:

 Lay out the parachute's support straps so that they cross just inside the parachute's main

holder. Apply strong adhesive tape, so that they are held down well.

 Coil the support straps into the main holder, install the covers traps and slide the rocket

assembly's pin through the loop.

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 When finished refit the lid we cut out earlier and fill the gaps around the lid and the chute

entry points with black silicone. Clean up and polish the surfaces.

Making the exhaust hole and concluding touch-ups:

 Make a hole in the fuselage directly below the rocket assmbly blast tube. The hole's

diameter should be equal to that of the blast tube.

 When drilling use a vacuum cleaner to catch debris.  Cover with the special vinyl sticker and mark with the warning sticker ‘rocket exhaust’.  Finally, apply silicone under the parachute's support straps to ensure that they are fixed

to the fuselage's roof.

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Fitting the lower fuel system

Preparing the firewall:

 Cut 2 holes, 22 mm in diameter, side by side into the firewall as shown in the photo

below. Use a Dremel to grind the center section so you end up with a slot.

 There are three components that you need to complete this step. The first part has a T

piece with 2 silicone tubes and a rubber hose. The second piece is rubber and silicone tube, which is used for the fuel return line. The third is a smaller junction, which connects the gasculator and fuel filler/drain.

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 Slide the component with the T piece from the rear of the cabin forwards. The end of this

component will be pulled through the left hole in the firewall (when looking at the motor from the rudder) and connected to the smaller T junction in the engine bay. Examine the component and quickly determine which of the two silicon tubes is longer. Place the component so that the longer piece is on the right side of the cabin and the shorter piece is on the left (when looking at the motor from the rudder).

 The fuel return line can then be pulled under the cabin floor and through the right hand

hole in the firewall. It then follows the already-placed fuel line towards the left wing. Be sure to cover the ends of all fuel hoses with masking tape to protect them from dust when going through the fuselage. Furthermore make sure they are clear of all controls and the trimmer cables. Feed them towards the left side of the aircraft, in the back the blue hose goes beneath all the other cables and control lines.

T piece and fuel return line, behind the cabin

 Check to make sure that there is no excessive freeplay in the lines and they do not cross

any control cables where they may get worn.

Preparing the engine bay:

 Grind the surface of the fuselage lip a little to ensure it is flat and then drill a hole in the

fuselage lip as shown in the photo below. Fix the fuel filler/drain valve to the lip and be sure to apply Loctite 577 to both sets of threads on either end of the fuel filler/drain valve. The valve should open and close to the left and, if need be, slightly grind the

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fuselage lip to ensure that the handle moves freely. The tubes should be firmly tightened as well with two cable ties at each junction. The tube ends should also be heated a little before being connected to a junction to provide for a tighter fit.

 Prepare the protective fire sleeves and ensure that they are the correct length. The

protective fire sleeve for the fuel return line should be long enough to reach the top of the firewall. Slide them over their respective fuel lines and feed them through the slot in the firewall as shown in the photo below. The fire sleeves should be pulled forward a good 2 cm from the firewall under the cabin floor. Close the slot up around the fire sleeves using black silicone.

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 Put a couple of cable ties around the fuel hose under the floor to keep them together  Stick some placement pegs on the floor of the cabin and fix the fuel lines to them using

cable ties.

Preparing the fuel lines to be connected to the fuel tanks in the wing:

 The fuel lines going to the wings are secured with plastic straps, a washer and a rivet.

The first rivet is placed 200 mm from the cabin's ceiling, followed by another 200 mm down, then another 200 mm down and the last one 170 mm down, as shown in the picture below. They are all spaced about 30 mm from the edge of the cockpit and mount into the bulkhead straight the pilot's shoulders.

 Use a 4mm rivet size and drill a 4.2 mm drill. The structure has a Kevlar base and if you

drill say a 4mm hole it closes slightly after you remove the drill. This makes it harder to get the rivet in, so that’s why we drill 4.2mm.

 Lastly, fix a fuel valve to the installed bracket just as done before. The valve handle

should open downwards. Use Loctite 577, heat the tube ends and tighten with cable ties.

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Preparing the pitot and static tubes:

 The two clear tubes run from under the cabin floor to the right wing are used by the pitot

tube. They should be secured along side the fuel lines on the right hand side of the aircraft behind the cabin. Then feed them under the pilot's seat on the right hand side of the aircraft (when looking at the motor from the rudder) and through the right hand hole under the instrument panel as shown in the picture below.

 Leave the tube ends for the time being. They will be appropriately connected later on

when the wings and instrument panel are installed.

Fitting the Velcro for the seats

This step involves mounting the Velcro onto the seat bases where they are to hold the pre-made seats.

 First clean the area with spirits and let it dry.  Then mark where Velcro is to be mounted and use 3M scotch mount adhesive primer on

the surface to ensure good adhesion. Allow to dry for about 5 minutes and apply Velcro.

 There are 4 pieces under the seat base, one for the carpet near the pedals and three

pieces hold on the headrests. Finally cover the Velcro with tape to keep it clean for the rest of the construction

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Rudder pedal preparation

 The holes for the pedals and rudder cables should be already marked on your fuselage.

When drilling the cables for the rudder it is necessary to have the drill laying on the floor of the cockpit to ensure the holes are drilled in the right direction. If they are on an angle it will cause unnecessary friction to the rudder cables. If the holes are the right direction there will be no binding in the cables. All the holes have a diameter of 6mm.

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 Drill the holes in the firewall for the rudder pedals. These must also go through on the

same angle as the cockpit floor. Note that these holes must go through two layers of fiberglass thus, if they are done at the wrong angle they will come out the floor of the fuselage and not in the correct position

Seat belt preparation

 The seat belts have outer anchoring positions which have metal inserts embedded in the

fiberglass. Prepare them by tapping metric 8mm. Be sure not to tap he holes too deep or you will go through the outer layer of the plane and cause major damage. The factory uses an electric drill for the tapping, but they recommend that the kit builder should do this procedure by hand.

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 Drill the center seat belt mounts in the center of the aircraft and position them centrally

in the prepared pad. Drill 8mm on both sides. Be aware, however, that if you drill too far you will damage the elevator pushrod so don’t push too hard.

 Now drill the rear seat belt mounts just below the rivet installed by the manufacturer,

hole size 8mm

Leave the fitting of the seat belts to much later in the process – its one of the last jobs and they will be protected from damage while fitting other items.

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Drilling the rudder cable holes

 Drill the holes for the rudder cables in the rear bulkhead. Each hole has a diameter of

6mm hole. Also drill the bulkhead underneath the seats in the marked locations.

Running the rudder cable outers

The rudder cable outers run from the cockpit (just in front of the pedal adjustment knob) to just beyond the first rear bulkhead.

 Mount the rudder cable outers using the supplied pressure hose  Feed them under the seats towards the rear bulkhead as shown below

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 Next drill two holes into the pushrod base area as shown in the picture below. One hole

should be just below the pushrod on the left hand side and the other just below the first one, but on the right hand side. Your fuselage should already be marked with the proper locations.

 The driver's left pedal rudder outer and the passenger's right pedal rudder outer should

cross here.

 The material is soft foam, so be careful when drilling. Use a vacuum to keep debris out of

the bearings.

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 Put cable ties over the rudder cables where they come out of the floor and apply Loctite

406 or superglue to keep them firmly in place and stop the cable ties from coming off.

 When the glue has dried, pull the rudder cable outers firmly from the rear to remove any

slack, trim off the excess cable outer in the cockpit leaving about 1 cm exposed and in the rear cut off the tubes to about 75mm long behind the first bulkhead.

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Mounting the adjustable pedals

The pedals come assembled with the brake pump and you can mount them following two steps: mounting the pedal assembly and mounting the pedal adjustment knob.

Mounting the pedal assembly:

• First you need to drill the middle lower hole for the pedal's front mounting plate. Hole

positions come already marked on the cabin floor. Drill a hole 8mm diameter hole and fit it with a nutsert. Place the pedals and bolt them in with the one lower middle screw in the front mounting plate. Use a spirit level to make sure the pedals are level.

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Make sure pedals remain level when drilling

• Now mark the other two holes in the front mounting plate and drill through the inner

layer. Do not drill into the firewall. Use a 6mm drill piece first and make sure the pedals remain level.

• After the 6mm hole is drilled, open it up to 8mm and insert a nutsert in each hole. Before

tightening all the way, check that the pedals have remained level

• Tighten up all three bolts.

 Now you must center the pedals, push down on the assembly so that the rear mounting

plate sits flush on the cabin floor. Drill one 6mm hole and insert a bolt.

 Check the alignment of everything and, when satisfied, drill the remaining 3 holes and

insert the washers, nyloc nuts from behind.

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 Fit the co-pilots pedals using the same methods.

Mounting the pedal adjustment knob:

For this step, the goal is to run a cable from the black adjustment knob, which sits just behind the pedals, to the adjustment pin in the pedal assembly. A spring is to be attached to the part of the cable, which runs under the cabin floor.

 Remove the pedal assemblies and drill two 6mm holes in the cabin's floor

in the spots indicated in the photo below. The lower hole should be drilled parallel to the cabin floor, while the upper hole should be drilled normal (at a 90o) to the surface.

 Let's focus on the upper hole, where the knob will eventually be located.

Fix it with an insert and feed a short length of cabel outer through it.

 Fix the cable outer to the insert using a little Loctite 406. Trim the cable

outer, so that approx. 30 mm of outer remains under the cabin floor and none remains in the cabin. See picture below.

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 Now lets prepare the lower hole. Begin by bending a cable outer as shown

in the photo below. Hold a lighter to the cable outer so that the bend will hold.

 Fit the cable with an insert. The picture below shows how the insert-cable

outer is to be mounted.

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 Slide the insert and cable outer into the hole you drilled before. Now tilt

the insert downwards, so it points directly towards the firewall, parallel to the cabin floor. First fix it in place using some masking tape as shown above, and then apply epoxy resin around the insert on both sides of the cabin floor for a more solid fixation. This is done to provide for smooth cable movement.

Note: Previously, the insert was fixed directly to the cabin floor and the cable entered it at an angle, which hampered movement. With the insert facing forwards, the cable should move freely and without snags.

 Now trim the cable outer inside the cabin flush to the insert. Under the

cabin floor be sure to leave approximately 50mm of cable outer.

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 Mount the pedal assemblies and apply Loctite 243 to the bolt threads.

Slide the pedals all the way to the end of the guide, so that they rest as close to the firewall as possible. Feed the pedal adjustment chord through the lower hole, under the cabin floor and up through the hole above the pedal's rear mounting plate.

 Slide the rubber stopper and then the hollow hex bolt over the chord.

Hold the chord taut (not slack and not too tight) and measure the distance from the rivet to the end of the chord. It should measure approx. 35 mm.

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Then make a small loop at the end of the chord, fasten with a fastener and screw on the small knob.

Mounting the spring:

 First you must drill two holes; the first should be drilled in the right side of

the carbon support (when looking towards to the motor from the rudder) under the cabin floor. The other should be drilled in the fuselage just in front of the undercarriage on the left side of the fuselage.

 Fix the small L-profile bracket into the left hole and fasten with a bolt.  Now twist the ends of the spring into hooks and connect one end to the L-

profile bracket (or to the carbon support), and the other end to the pedal adjustment cord, just between the two cable outers.

 Do the same with another spring between the hole in the carbon support

and the other pedal adjustment cord.

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Fitting the rudder cables

 firstly lubricate the cables with WD-40 and also the cable outers.

 Feed the cables through from the firewall and into the cabin  Gently tap the end screws into the fuselage  Then find the hole that leads into the cabin and, being careful not to puncture/damage

the cabin interior wall, gently tap the end screw through.

 Then feed the cables through the pedal S-pipe, out the end and into the cable outers.

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Then take the cables through to the rear of the fuselage, check them all for free movement. Take care not to damage or crimp the cables. They will be attached to the rudder later.

Mounting the upper flaperon pushrod bracket

The upper flaperon pushrod bracket must be accurately positioned to ensure proper operation of the assembly.

 Center the bracket between the cutouts and then offset it by 1mm. The longer side must

be on the pilots (left) side of the fuselage. Remember, the fuselage is currently upside down, so think about it.

 Then position the part accurately and drill one 5mm hole only, insert the 5mm diameter

bolt and secure in place using the normal washer under the bolt head and the larger washer under the nut in the rear of the fuselage

 Recheck the measurements and, when satisfied that it has not moved, drill the remaining

three holes and insert the bolts. Use Loctite 262 on the 4 nuts.

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Mounting the electrical panel

Make sure the dash carpet is burnt through on the remaining holes, fit the plastic cable grommets to stop the cables getting cut through, mount the pre assembled electrical panel which includes the fuse box, regulator, battery and CDI unit, pull the electrical cables through the dash for connection to the instruments.

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Fitting the rudder assembly

 First cut the rudder cable outers to leave about 1cm showing in the rear of the plane.  Then peak inside the hole at the base of the rudder and check the tension of 5 bolts

which secure the bracket. These are put in during manufacture, but it is necessary to check and then mark them with paint.

 Now check the movement of the main pushrod for the aircraft. It goes through several

bearings and should move freely about 80 mm. Fit the bolt and nut in the rear where the pushrod joins the bracket. When fitting the rear bolt you must use the special 1mm thick

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washer as a spacer. There is a washer on each side of the pushrod. Attach the nut with Loctite 262.

 Then feed the pushrod for the elevator through the rudder section and down to the rear

bracket. Again fit the bolt with two washers as bearings and the nut with Loctite 262. Finally check the whole assembly for movement and mark the nuts with red paint.

 Depending on which aircraft you have, Sinus or Virus, you now have to insert the bolt to

secure the rudder wheel bolt or the rudder skid. Use the diagrams found in Appendix 5 and 5 to help with mounting the rudder wheel or skid.

 For this step, you may have to remove a little material from the fuselage bulkhead in

order to insert the bolt from the top. Use a rotary tool to do this and insert the rudder wheel or skid.

NOTE: If you fit the stainless lower rudder support bracket FIRST, you will not be able to fit the rudder skid or rudder wheel because it interferes with the part. Make sure to fit the skid or rudder wheel first THEN fit the metal bracket which supports the rudder.

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 The metal support bracket comes with 10 bolts. Secure each with Loctite 262.

Remember to tighten these bolts after about 5 hours of flight because they tend to move a little when new.

 Fit the rudder stops and the nyloc securing nuts.  Then fit the rudder attachment bracket. Apply grease to the bushing for lubrication and

attach it to the aircraft, using Loctite 262 on the nuts.

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 Feed the rudder cables through from the middle of the aircraft, using a little WD-40 for

lubrication.

 Position the cable ends about ½ way between the bulkheads and mark the rear exit

points of the cable at the center of the holes as shown in the pictures

 Swage with the fittings supplied and a nicopress tool. Check that the swaged end is not

more than 5mm thick or it will not fit onto the bracket properly. If it is too thick it will need to be pressed down to be less than 5mm. Put grease on the cable ends and insert the small bush and position into the bracket. Fix the bolt and nut with Loctite 243.

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Must be less than 5mm or it wont fit properly – use lots of grease

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Make a brace to keep the rudder bracket in the proper rudder position and to stop it from

turning. A diagram of the one Pipistrel uses in production can be found in Appendix 7.

 In the cockpit, fix the rudder pedals into the same position to keep the pedals aligned.  Tape the pedals in place to stop them from moving.  Check the front firewall and make sure the ends of the rudder cables are seated properly.  Climb into the aircraft and pull all the cables tight, including the black outers which go

into the cockpit. Mark the correct position on the 4 front cables and create loops in the cables using a double swage.

 Connect the cables together using the bolts, sleeves and large washers. Fix them with

Loctite 243 on the nuts.

NOTE: The Sinus has two cables from the front and one cable to the rear. The Virus has an extra cable which leads to the front and is used to steer the nose wheel. If you need to adjust the freeplay in the pedals it can be done by adjusting the screws in the firewall.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Fit the top rudder support post. First find the location and mark with a pen, then sand

the back of the fitting and the area where it is going to mount and prepare a small

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

amount of epoxy. The bracket must be left in place for 1 day to allow the epoxy to cure before it can be drilled and bolted (this will probably be fitted at the factory for safety reasons)

 Wipe off the extra epoxy

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Horizontal stabilizer preparation

After manufacture, the seam, which separates the upper and lower halves of the horizontal stabilizer, is a little rough and needs to be cleaned up.

 Sand the leading edge with 1500 wet and dry to get a perfect finish. If there are any

little holes in the seam, fill them with white flexible polyester filler.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Use a small spray gun to cover the connection seam between the two halves. Prepare

the rudder or wings for spraying. Make sure the surface is immaculately clean/dry and mask the leading edges with tape and plastic to protect them from getting sprayed.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Mix the special paint with acetone to thin it for spraying and then add 2% to 5%

hardener.

 Fill a small spray bottle while filtering the solution through a stocking.  Be sure to use the required safety equipment including a respirator and gloves.  Carefully build up several thin coats of the pigment and allow a minute of curing before

going over the same spot twice. When dry, remove the tape and buff the joint.

Preparing the elevator / rudder

 First go along and remove any little bumps from the top of the elevators posts. Sand the

horizontal stabilizer in the middle lightly to allow mounting of the serial number. Use a Dremel again to tidy up the sides of the posts; they must be clean and unobstructed.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Now make shallow slots in the edge of the elevator in front of the hinges. This will provide clearance for the elevator. Use the following pictures as examples.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Then prepare the horizontal stabilizer mounting cap. First make a small mark about 1.5

mm down in the top mounting hole for securing the plastic cap in place, it only needs to be about 1mm deep.

 Now grease the chamber where the locking mechanism fits  Place the washer in the hole and then the spring, followed by the big bolt assembly. Note

that the ends of the locking circlip need to be ground down to fit properly

 Fit the circlip and check the operation of the bolt so it will lock when tightened.  Unscrew the main mounting bracket on the horizontal stabilizer and check both bolts.

Then secure them with Loctite 262 and reassemble, checking the position pin for tightness.

 Do not put tools on the pin side because if it becomes damaged you will not be able to fit

the elevator unit to the aircraft.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Now you have to fit the elevator hinge pins. There are 6 pins holding the elevator; 5 are

pins and one is the locking pin.

 When screwing them on it is important not to scratch the pin as it will bind when fitted.

Lubricate the pins with grease and position the elevator to the horizontal stabilizer, knock into place with a rubber hammer and check for free movement after each couple of hits. Move the elevator up and down about 50 times to free up the hinges and then remove the elevator.

 Clean the hinges with spirits, apply grease and refit to the stabilizer. Then repeat this

process several times to ‘work the hinges in’ and allow for free movement of the elevator. When finished mark the pins with red paint.

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Fitting the horizontal stabilizer

Preparing the rudder before mounting the elevator assembly:

 The first step is to trim the rudder, so that the elevator assembly can be properly

mounted. Use a Dremel to the grinding as shown in the photos below.

Outline Desired hole

Enlarging the hole in the upper rudder, as shown above, is done in order to make assembly of the upper rudder bracket easier.

 Next, we must grind the support lip that sits above the upper edge of the rudder,

between the vertical elevator drive pushrod and the rudder. This is done to ensure this lip doesn't hinder the elevator's movement. The lip should measure approx. 5mm above the rudder's upper edge after grinding.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Original lip – grinding outline Ground lip

 Then a small indent in the lip must be ground. This is to ensure that the lip will not

hinder the movement of the elevator horn's bracket. The indent should also be approx. 5 – 6 mm deep.

 Lastly, before mounting the upper rudder bracket, be sure to grind and clean the surface.

Mounting the top rudder post and the elevator assembly:

 Drill and attach the top rudder post. The nuts are difficult to fit and require patience, so

try not to drop anything. The actual post assembly is already epoxied in place in an earlier section.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Assemble the control horn and bracket  Fit the bracket to the horn with plenty of grease. Apply Loctite 243 and make sure the

hinge is free and easy to move with no binding.

 Now trial fit the horn. Sand the elavator's surface clean and remove any bumps to

ensure the horn fits nicely.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 If need be, bend the horn slightly to ensure the perfect fit.

 When you're satisfied with the horn's position and fit, drill the mounting holes.

 Then remove the rudder's top post and install the elavator's horn using the large washers

and nyloc nuts. Be sure to apply Loctite 243 to the bolts' threads.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Then attach the pushrod to the horn. Use lots of grease and apply Loctite 243. Also

cover nuts with red paint as shown in the photos below.

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Installation of the sliding elevator trim knob

 Fit the sliding elevator trim knob assembly into position under the floor. The shorter

cable must be directed towards the rear of the fuselage and the longer cable to the front where it does a 180 degree turn and then exits to the rear in the main center tunnel.

 It is important to make sure these cables are positioned properly and that they do not to

loop around or bother any other cables and/or fittings under the floor

 Secure the assembly with the supplied screws. When fitting the trim knob there are

several important steps. Firstly the cables which attach to the trim knob need to face downwards, towards the bottom of the aircraft. The washer needs to be positioned between the cockpit floor and the sliding knob, not on top of the cockpit floor.

 Finally, lubricate the whole knob area with clean multi purpose grease. Be sure to use lots

of it because the trim knob runs aluminum on aluminum and, without adequate lubrication, the mechanism will wear out quickly. Cover the area with tape to keep the dirt and debris from the greased slider.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Fitting the trim system

The assembly

 Begin by removing the masking tape covers from the trim adjusting handle in the cockpit.

Make sure the trim handle position is locked in the middle by turning the locking knob.

 Then position the trimmer assembly into the rear of the aircraft. It should sit approx. 1

cm to the right of the push rod (when looking towards the rudder) and on top of the two bulkheads.

 The link on the trimmer should be mounted on the right hand side to avoid hitting the

pushrod, this is important. Lastly, be sure that the link is mounted appropriately, so that the end with the bigger hole is facing upwards.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 Drill the rear mounting hole first and then the front hole when the trimmer is properly

positioned.

 Push the pushrod back to the rudder as far as it will go and mount the rubber clamp

around the pushrod with about 1cm clearance and at an angle of about 45 degrees to make it line up with the trim lever.

 Then push the pushrod to the front of the aircraft and mount another rubber clamp in a

similar fashion, but with a 1cm clearance to the front bulkhead.

 Connect the springs, but be careful because of the pressure. Be sure to use your whole

hand to push on the lever

 Then connect up the trim cables to the top of the trim lever, pull the cables as tight as

you can and also check they are still mounted securely in the trim unit in the cockpit.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

 When you're happy with the setup, secure the cables to the trimmer using Loctite 243

and cut off the extra cable

 Be sure to use a swage on the cable ends to prevent the cables from fraying. Do not over

tighten the locking screw or you can cut into the cable and possibly break it.

 Mark the bolts with red paint afterwards.  Put tape back over the trim handle in the cockpit to keep out the dust.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

The Control System

The control system under the floor is made up of several parts.

The fitting of the control column is quite complex, but hopefully the attached pictures will help with the assembly.

 The flap handle attaches as shown. There is no washers in this fitting, but it is fixed with

Locite 243.

 The pushrod attaches to the base of the control sticks. The front rod attaches to the left

handle and the rear rod connects to the right handle. The right pushrod has the larger spacer to the front and the left pushrod has the larger spacer to the left.

 The spacers are machined and one end is chamfered, the chamfered end faces towards

the rod end.

 The whole assembly is secured with blue Loctite 243 and marked with red paint. Do not

use red Loctite 262, as you may occasionally have to adjust the fittings during the life of the aircraft.

K i t M a n u a l f o r P i p i s t r e l S i n u s and Virus Aircraft

Pipistrel Sinus, Virus Build Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual