Overview
Sling Aircraft, the brand of the South African manufacturer The Airplane Factory, builds the Sling line of two- and four-seat Rotax-powered kit aircraft in Johannesburg. Founded in 2006 and best known for affordable, glass-panel amateur-built tourers and for early long-distance proof flights including a 2009 round-the-world circumnavigation, the company remains independent and in active production, selling kits and builder-assist programmes worldwide through a distributor network.
Heritage
The company grew out of the microlight world. Mike Blyth, an early pioneer of South African microlight flying who had already designed and built several aircraft, formed The Airplane Factory in 2006 to build a stronger, full-sized aeroplane, and partnered with Johannesburg corporate lawyer James Pitman to develop it. The first Sling 2 prototype flew on 18 November 2008, and in 2009 a modified second prototype completed a westerly circumnavigation of the globe in roughly 40 days, the first aircraft of its class to do so. The line widened from there: the two-seat Sling 2 (2008), the four-seat Sling 4 (2011), the turbocharged Sling TSi (2018) that replaced the Sling 4, and the Sling High Wing (2020). The business is still led by its founders, with Mike Blyth and James and Andrew Pitman among the principals, and remains headquartered at Tedderfield Airpark south of Johannesburg.
Design Signature
Sling builds light, riveted aluminium airframes with composite fairings around Rotax four-cylinder engines, pairing a relatively simple structure with modern Garmin glass avionics to put IFR-capable, four-seat cross-country performance within reach of a homebuilder’s budget. The turbocharged Sling TSi and the Sling High Wing share the same cantilever wing and the 141 to 160 horsepower Rotax 915 iS and 916 iS engines, differing mainly in wing position and cabin access. The house style favours benign handling, long range from a modest fuel burn, and a kit engineered for matched-hole, build-from-plans assembly rather than outright speed.
For Owners
Sling is in active production, and the factory is the direct source for kits, quickbuild sub-assemblies, and builder-assistance programmes, with regional distributors including The Airplane Factory USA handling sales and support in North America. Because the aircraft are Experimental Amateur-Built, the qualified builder typically holds the repairman certificate and may perform maintenance directly, and the widely serviced Rotax engine line keeps parts and trained mechanics accessible in most regions. The main ownership considerations are the ones common to any current kit type: a build or buy-completed decision, a still-maturing used market for the newest models, and verifying local Rotax support before purchase.
