Slovenian ultralight aircraft wins national award

Pipistrel, an ultralight aircraft manufacturer in Slovenia, received the Golden Order for Services, the highest civil award in the country on Thursday. Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk, while bestowing the award, hailed Slovenia as "one of the technological superpowers." "Pipistrel's success is the result of the work of top experts, who...successfully transfer the newest findings to practice and enrich it with their innovations, create new knowledge and make breakthroughs," the President's Office said in a statement. Established in 1987, Pipistrel was the first private aircraft producer in former Yugoslavia. After having won the renowned NASA Personal Air Vehicle in 2007 and NASA General Aviation Technology in 2008, it is again the winner of the 2011 Paris-Madrid Green Air Challenge. The Golden Order for Services is conferred for exceptional services accomplished for Slovenia in the civil, diplomatic and international and military or security fields.