Sling Aircraft (Pty) Ltd, formerly called The Airplane Factory (Pty) Ltd., is a South African aircraft manufacturer based at Tedderfield Airpark, Eikenhof, Johannesburg South. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight and the American light-sport aircraft categories.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 80. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 83. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
Description The enterprise is a proprietary company under South African law.
The company has three shareholders: Mike Blyth, Director; James Pitman, Co-Ceo; Andrew Pitman, Co-CEO.
Sling Aircraft utilizes numerical control manufacturing and computer-aided design in its aircraft design and production processes.
The company produces the two-seat Sling 2, which was first flown in 2008 and the four-seat Sling 4, introduced in 2011, which although is still fully supported by the factory, is now in limited production, and Sling TSi which was first released in 2018, and has since replaced the Sling 4. Their latest model is the high-wing called the Sling HW that made its first flight in 2020.
In July 2013, a Sling 4 was flown by Mike Blyth and his son from South Africa to AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. The flight included a 14-hour over-water leg using the modified Sling 4's 20 hours of fuel endurance.
In July 2022, three Sling High Wings (one tail dragger, two with tricycle gear) were flown from South Africa to AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States.
Aircraft
Model name First flight Number built Type Sling Aircraft Sling 2 2008 328 (2020). Two-seat, low wing microlight aircraft Sling Aircraft Sling 4 2011 281 (2020) Four-seat, low wing aircraft Sling Aircraft Sling TSi 2018 281 (2020, combined with Sling 4 sales) Four-seat, low wing aircraft Sling Aircraft Sling HW 2020 30 (2025) Four-seat, high wing aircraft
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