Ajdovščina, Slovenia, December 1, 2025 – Pipistrel, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced that Aerocivil, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, has issued the type certificate for the currently produced Pipistrel Explorer, Velis Club and the X-Eye, a variant of the 121A Explorer for aerial surveying.
This significant milestone marks a prestigious achievement for Pipistrel, as it becomes the first organization to receive Colombian Aeronautical Regulation-Very Light Aircraft (RAC-VLA) type-certification from Aerocivil.
This achievement underscores the integrity of multiple Pipistrel traditional combustion engine aircraft, opening new opportunities for Colombian customers to own and operate Pipistrel aircraft, strengthening the company’s position in Colombia and its global reach.
"Pipistrel’s successful type certification by Aerocivil marks a crucial step in demonstrating our commitment to meeting international aviation standards,” Gabriel Massey, President and Managing Director of Pipistrel, said. “This achievement not only opens up new opportunities in Colombia but also serves as a blueprint for our entry into other markets with similar regulatory frameworks.”
The Pipistrel Explorer offers superior performance with minimum power required, making it suitable for remote operations in varied temperatures and altitudes. The aircraft is approved for day and night visual flight rules (VFR) operation, intentional spins and comes with an instrument flight rule (IFR) ready avionics package. The Explorer (Virus SW 121A) achieved European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification in 2021.
The Velis Club, a variant based on the Virus SW 121 model, is designed for flight training and other applications. The X-Eye, a surveying aircraft system developed for X-Eye AG, offers advanced special mission capabilities and payload options, and is based upon the Explorer 121A variant. The vehicle serves as a mapping platform for remote sensing applications such as 3D modeling, pipeline inspections and environmental analysis.
To learn more about Pipistrel’s products, visit https://pipistrel-aircraft.com/.
About Pipistrel
Headquartered in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, Pipistrel, part of Textron Inc., is focused on electric, hybrid-electric and conventionally powered aircraft solutions. Pipistrel acts with agility to create innovative solutions for a multitude of demographics, including training, commercial and defense. The Velis Electro, the world’s first and currently only electric aircraft with full-type certification, and the Alpha Trainer are a foundation for flight schools and pilot training. Products such as the Surveyor and Nuuva V300 are multi-mission entities capable of commercial use cases such as search and rescue, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and more as well as potential defense applications. The Surveyor is configurable as a manned, unmanned or optionally piloted aircraft and the Nuuva V300 is a long-range, large-capacity hybrid-electric VTOL unmanned aircraft. Pipistrel is transforming aviation by pushing the boundaries of technology to create mobility solutions that positively impact the future of flight.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.