Belite Aircraft, known for simple, relatively inexpensive, single-seat airplanes, just received the airworthiness certificate for its first side-by-side, two-seat design—the “Pipper.” A “clean-sheet” conventional design, the plane boasts very quick build time, taildragger or tricycle gear options, and a 380-pound empty weight (with 2-stroke engine and normal instrumentation).
Engine options include the two-stroke Rotax 582 (available for under $6200), the HKS700e four-stroke, Hirth 3502 or 3503 water-cooled two-stroke, 4-cylinder VW, and Polini Thor 250 engines. Builders can buy five subassemblies separately or the entire set at a slight discount. Completion options include the taildragger or tricycle packages and two 5-gallon wing tanks. Pricing of $8995 for the five sub-assemblies is offered through April 30th or the first 24 kit orders.
Much more information, including over 500 photos documenting building and testing activities on the Pipper, can be explored at http://www.beliteaircraftstore.com/pipper.
UPDATE March 31, 2017: Belite has renamed the two-place aircraft from “Pipper” to “Chipper.”
