Good Morning,
Yeasturday the good people at the Airplane Factory made a stop in Central Wisconsin so that I could demo their Sling 2 LSA. For those of you that know me, I have been bouncing around on which LSA to build. The decision has been a tough one, but I think the Sling 2 is the winner. For those unfamilier with the Sling 2, it was designed by Mike Blyth in 2006 and was designed to be both robust and a strong performer. It features a stessed skin semi-monocoque, low wing, and slider canopy. It is powered by a Rotax 912 ULS and burns between 3-5 GPH while cruising at 105-110 knots. The cockpit is very roomy at 44" wide and it has an ample rear baggage area with a 77 pound capacity.
So... really not that different from the other aluminum LSA's.... until you see and fly it. First, the Sling Looks and feels like a real airplane. The empty weight is a bit higher then the rest at 800 lbs. It also has a larger fuel capacity at 150 liters (39.6 Gallons). For most people, this is probably not a good combination. However for my wife and I who both weigh under 140 lbs, it is a great thing.
I can fly the plane solo, with full tanks, 77 lbs of gear in the back and 65 lbs in the passenger seat. Doing that I have an endurance of over 7 hours. In addition, flying with my wife with 22 gallons of fuel (4 hr endurance... much longer then my wifes bladder), plenty of useful load left over for gear.....
Okay, so how does it fly? From my perspective it flies AWSOME. (I have 10 hours of 172 time and the rest is in a 162.) The sling is VERY Responsive. On a Wisconsin HOT summer day, we were loaded up at 1320 lbs and still managed to climb out at 900 FPM. Granted we did not climb much higher then 3500 feet and I would anticipate the performance to decline as you get above 5000. The Sling 2 is very easy to fly, using anymore than your fingertips is silly. The center mounted lever style throttle is very comfortable and feels natural.
The steerable nosewheel means taxi and takeoff are uneventful. It does not have toe brakes, which I thought would be odd, but after using the center mounted brake lever, it really did feel natrual. That said, I would build mine with toe brakes. Landings are where this airplane shines. They are very easy. The airplane basically lands itself if you hold 75 knots base to final. When the field is made, full flaps and idle, it slows down and kisses the runway. The landing gear is composite and was designed to handle the abuse flight schools can dish out.
In my case, if 3rd class medical reform goes thru, I will build my Sling 2 as an EAB and will probobaly put the Rotax 914 turbo on it with a constant speed prop and up the gross weight to 1500 pounds. At that point, this becomes the ultimate cross country cruising machine.
It is also worth mentioning they also have a very nice looking Sling 4. I did not fly the 4 but found the seating to be very comfortable.
Daniel
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