Company

Pipistrel

Slovenian electric aircraft pioneer and global leader in electric aviation, headquartered in Ajdovščina.

Track Pipistrel

Founded: 1989
HQ: Ajdovščina, Slovenia

The verified answer

As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Pipistrel: 1 model, 1 active incident. 2 sources back the record.

CategoryDrones

Models

Overview

Slovenian electric aircraft pioneer and global leader in electric aviation, headquartered in Ajdovščina. Founded in 1989 by Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel achieved the world's first EASA type-certification for a fully electric aircraft with the Velis Electro in 2020. The company was acquired by Textron in 2022 for 42M and now operates as part of Textron eAviation, maintaining its brand, HQ, and R&D in Slovenia.

Verified record

Verified deployments: None on file
Active incidents: 1 incident on file

Key facts

Founded

1989

Certification

Velis Electro — world's first EASA type-certified electric aircraft

Operations

Certified for pilot training in 30+ countries

Parent company

Textron (acquired 2022)

Expertise

15+ years in electric flight

Noise

60 dBA — ultra-quiet operation

Products

Velis Electro, Alpha Trainer, Explorer, Voyager

Founder

Ivo Boscarol

President & MD

Gabriel Massey

Key milestone

World's first EASA type-certified electric aircraft (Velis Electro, June 2020)

Units delivered

2,500+ light aircraft since 1989 (company-reported)

Certified engine

Pipistrel E-811 (EASA-certified May 2020)

Data & sources

News coverage

Web sources

2 sources backing this record.View all →

Models (1)

View all models →

Current platform

Velis Electro

World's first EASA type-certified electric aircraft. Two-seat trainer producing zero emissions with 60 dBA noise levels. Approved for Day VFR pilot training in 30+ countries. The benchmark for certified electric aviation.

aerialView model →

Pipistrel on the deployment map

View the global map

Pipistrel has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

No verified deployments for Pipistrel on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Pipistrel to know the moment the first one is verified.

Relationships

TTextronInvestor UUnited States Air ForceCustomer

Current leadership (2)

Ivo Boscarol Chairman Emeritussecondary-verified
Gabriel Massey President & Managing Directorsecondary-verified

Former / Previously (1)

Ivo Boscarol Founder & CEOsecondary-verified

Safety record

1 incident on record (1 critical). Most recent: Oct 2018.

critical: 1

Most recent: Oct 2018

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →

Incidents affecting Pipistrel (1)

Fatal loss of control accident with Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Stadskanaal airfield, Netherlands2018-10-13 · Fatality

Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Operator customers (1)

United States Air Force1 deployment

Recent coverage

Pipistrel in third-party press

Epic Flight Academy Agrees to Purchase up to 50 Pipistrel Voyager Aircraft

Jul 20, 2026

Pipistrel Velis Electro Serial Number 100 Enters Service

Nov 20, 2024

Pipistrel Velis Electro takes flight with United States Air Force

Sep 12, 2024

Financial state

Reporting basis: private_disclosed
Lifecycle stage: acquired
Counterparty risk class: low

Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Funding rounds (1)

Acquisition2022-03-17
$242M
Investors: Textron (lead)

See the full valuations ranking →

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Record createdAug 17, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Deployment recordedSep 12, 2024
Velis Electro at Dayton, Ohio, USA
Incident recordedOct 13, 2018
Fatal loss of control accident with Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Stadskanaal airfield,...

Full change history →

Sources (2)

Common questions

What is Pipistrel?

What does Pipistrel make?

Pipistrel has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Velis Electro (Pipistrel builds physical robots).

Is Pipistrel publicly traded?

Pipistrel is not an independent public company; it has been acquired, per the DEPLOY registry.

Who is the CEO of Pipistrel?

Gabriel Massey is the president of Pipistrel, per the DEPLOY registry.

How can I invest in Pipistrel?

Pipistrel has no separately traded stock; it has been acquired.

Who owns Pipistrel?

Pipistrel has been acquired and is no longer independently owned.

Where does Pipistrel operate robots?

Pipistrel is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.

When was Pipistrel founded?

Pipistrel was founded in 1989.

Are there any incidents involving Pipistrel?

1 active incident involving Pipistrel is on the DEPLOY registry. Each is a sourced, append-only record; retracted incidents are suppressed from this view.

Is Pipistrel safe?

Pipistrel has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 critical). Most recent: Oct 2018. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.

Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-17

Verification posture

Verified

Medium confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-17

Sources by quality tier

1: secondary-established-publication; Established publication
1: knowledge-base; Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.