Sling 2 | At The Airplane Factory in Johannesburg, South Africa

Features

The Sling was designed with the aim of creating the most practical and desirable light sport aircraft available. Some of the features which make the Sling such a fine aircraft include:

Her flying characteristics - perfectly coordinated, highly responsive controls (she feels like a fighter jet without being over-sensitive);
Her performance - close to the best across the full range of qualities;
Her aluminum construction - for ease and consistency of construction and proven strength and lifespan;
Her airframe strength and durability – she won’t break easily and if you treat her right, she’ll last you for the rest of your life;
Her excellent instrumentation options;
Her wide cockpit, excellent all around view and substantial luggage capacity;
The incorporation, by design, of a ballistic parachute for safety;
The use of high quality components throughout;

No single aircraft can fulfill the special needs of every pilot. Nevertheless, The Airplane Factory believes that the Sling enjoys a set of qualities that will fulfill the needs, at the highest level, of many pilots and flight training schools.

The Sling comprises a stressed skin semi-monocoque structure, precision punched from sheet aluminium by CNC punch. Punching is so precise that no drilling-out or de-burring is required. Parts go together much as with a child’s "Mechano" toy. The entire build is light, precise and simple, even for beginners to manage.

Specs And Performance

The Sling can be flown either as a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) or as a Very Light Aircraft (VLA).

As an LSA the Sling is flown subject to a MAUW restriction of 600kg. In this configuration the Sling complies with all the requirements of ASTM F2245 – "Standard Specification for the Design and Performance of a Light Sport Aircraft".

As a VLA the Sling is flown subject to a MAUW restriction of 700kg. In this configuration the Sling complies with all the requirements of the "Certification Specifications for Very Light Aeroplanes, CS-VLA". The aircraft specifications, save for fuel capacity and weights, however, are the same in each category.

The performances are different and are provided for both of the categories.