The Airplane Factory (TAF) Set Out To Build A Sling 4 Aircraft In Just 4 Days Using 40 Workers, And They Did It.

As we reported last week, a company named The Airplane Factory set out to build the 4 place version of their Sling aircraft in only 4 days using skilled and unskilled help. The build was led by company co-founder and Sling designer, Mike Blyth, co-founder James Pitman and factory Director Andrew Pitman.

The Sling 4-4-40 challenge, in which a Sling 4 was built in 4 days by 40 workers, marked yet another milestone for the Sling’s manufacturer, The Airplane Factory. The build, which normally takes a kit builder 1,000 hours to complete, took place at the 2014 Africa Aerospace and Defense Expo at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa. The team consisted of highly skilled workers, and even some marketing, admin and catering staff.

The team worked around the clock, with the day and night being split into 10 and 14 hour shifts, respectively. Great progress was made on day 1 with the center and rear fuselage constructed and joined, the gear and undercarriage assembled, and the engine wired and made ready for installation. The handover to the night shift went seamlessly, with a half hour handover period that saw 32 people working on the plane at once. The night crew then worked tirelessly to get the fuselage on its wheels, engine and propeller mounted, and wings three quarters of the way complete.

The day shift returned for day 2 of the build and work continued on wiring the engine and panel, the ballistic recovery parachute was installed, and the wings and empennage were just about completed. At this point, the team was ahead of schedule.
 
With 45 minutes to go on day 3, Sling 4-4-40 was rolled out of its build area, both wings were attached, landing and strobe lights were connected and working, and the avionics were fired up.  As the plane was wheeled out for a celebratory team photo, James Pitman gave some words of encouragement and pointed out that it took he and Mike four years to build the first Sling.

On day 4 the team completed a dual inspection and filled in the final bits of paperwork. Support from the crowds was fantastic and from morning until the end of the day there were hordes of people crowded around the plane. Fire extinguisher at hand, final checks done, Mike Blyth turned the key and the Sling burst to life on the first try! With cheers and applause from the crowds. A Sling 4 was born in 4 days!

The Sling 4 took center stage at Africa’s Aerospace and Defense expo. James Pitman and ZU-TES, tail number assigned to the plane, took to the skies. The plane performed flawlessly and put on a great show for all those in attendance.

The Airplane Factory USA, located in Torrance, CA will have a Sling 4 available to demonstrate starting early next year.

(Images provided by TAF)

FMI: www.airplanefactory.com