Four-Place Aircraft Powered By Rotax 914 Turbo

The Airplane Factory brought its new Sling TSi to AirVenture 2018. The Sling TSi is a four-place turbocharged kit aircraft from the South African company. The airplane that was on display was the first kit that the company sold. The Airplane Factory CTO Jean Dassonville told Aero-News that the plane was built in South Africa utilizing the company's factory assist program by launch customer Wayne Toddun and his son from a quick-build kit.

Under the TSi Builder Assist program, customers spend about two weeks in construction at the build facility, leave while detail work is performed on the aircraft, and then return for the final construction phase and flight testing.

The aircraft was made possible by Rotax’s introduction of its 135-hp 915 iS turbocharged and fuel-injected FADEC (full authority digital engine control) engine, in 2015.

The wing is optimized for the aircraft’s power and weight, and the leading edge is flush-riveted for low drag, as are the forward fuselage and empennage. The wheel-pants are low drag, the landing gear is airfoiled, and the cowling is also redesigned.

The TSi’s useful load, at 1,015 pounds, almost equals its empty weight of 1,080 pounds. The TSi climbs at 1,000 feet per minute at gross weight and reaches its max cruise of 145 KTAS at 9,500 feet MSL, where it burns just 8 gph. Maximum range is 800 nm.

Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced over 3500 aviation and feature programs, including well over 1000 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, hosted by Bri Cross, Laura Hutson, and Christopher C. Odom. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published over 360,000 news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.

©2018 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved

FMI: www.aero-news.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, www.airplanefactory.com