Pipistrel's four-seat Panthera has been voted Single-engine Aircraft of the Future in a poll conducted by a European GA magazine.
In doing so, the Panthera beat some very illustrious company including the Diamond DA-40 and Cirrus SR22T Gen 5.
Done during the AERO 2014 show at Friedrichshafen in early April, Aerokurier's poll had 2079 respondents, 16.2% of whom voted for the Panthera ahead of the more established models.
The DA-40 came second with 14.9% and the SR22 third with 13.9%
The awards were part of a successful week for Pipistrel in which 13 orders for all types were placed and the two-seat Alpha Trainer also won the Fliegermagazin award for best light aircraft.
The Panthera is a sleek, four-seat low wing that boasts a cruise speed of 200 KTAS and a range of 1000 nm.
Customers have the option to choose from one of four engines: a 210-hp Lycoming IO-390, a 260-hp IO-540V, a 200 kW hybrid engine or a 200 kW all-electric engine.