Hello aviators, Today’s journey towards learning more about the heroes of the skies brings us to
this beauty here; the Sling TSI, a curious answer to the desire for more speed, capability, power,
and capacity the Sling 4 generated. The maker of this beauty is not a household name in the U.S,
but it has certainly made a great impact on the aviation industry since its inception.
Sling Aircraft is a South African company that specializes in the design and manufacture of kits
for the construction of light and ultralight aircraft. The company's first model was the
Sling 2, an ultralight low-wing aircraft with a capacity for 2 occupants, that made its first
flight in 2008. By 2020 they had managed to sell 328 units of this model. Since then, the company
has been evolving and daring to design aircraft with better performance and larger size, until
reaching the Sling TSi, a fast and aerodynamic aircraft, that, as well as the other models of
the brand, offers outstanding performance, safety, comfort, and reliability at a reasonable price.
Looking at this plane from the outside, it doesn’t look like anything else on the market. It’s as
unique as uniqueness gets. From the outside, it looks like a big two-seater with a large
cargo section, but it’s a comfy four-seater. With its strong, sexy, and aggressive lines,
the ramp appeal is great. Not a lot of people will agree, but if "it looks as good as it
flies" was a plane, it would be the TSi. As it is produced as a complete kit for assembly,
it guarantees great versatility in terms of exterior design, allowing each user to customize
it to their liking. The Sling TSI measures 31 feet 3 inches in wingspan, 8 feet in height,
23 feet 6 inches in length, with a Wing area of 134.2 square feet. As an evolution of the Sling,
it appears to look very similar to its predecessor, but they only have
20% of all components in common. The TSi is a different aircraft, with a clear design goal,
to be much faster in the air. The wings of the TSi have a completely renewed design, with a
new aerodynamic profile and a shorter wingspan. It incorporates countersunk rivets on the third
leading edge of the wing, the lower surface, the forward fuselage area, and the empennage,
resulting in lower aerodynamic drag and higher cruise speed. Its structure was made of an
aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, specifically 6061-T6, which was tempered, heat-treated,
and aged to provide greater strength. It also uses traditional erratics in its construction and pull
rivets, meeting the standards of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. All aluminum parts are
alloyed against corrosion to extend the life of the aircraft. The engine mount, nose gear, and
pedals are made of 4130 steel, while the ailerons and elevators are controlled by thrust rods with
bearings. To complete the package, the aircraft uses LED lights for its exterior illumination,
which gives it a more elegant touch, in addition to allowing sharply defined light beams.
The interior is spacious, and access is via two gull-wing doors on each side of the aircraft.
Its spacious cabin gives it an excellent panoramic view, and the luggage capacity is relatively high,
a feature that users will appreciate. Although it is a small aircraft, this does not mean that
it lacks elegance or comfort. Its 4 seats are upholstered in genuine, lightweight leather.
Its carpets and the rest of the upholstery, made of composite material, transmit great quality.
Sling Aircraft offers four color palettes, with complementary colors for the stitching and piping
of the panels. The instrument panel and center throttle console are made of carbon fiber to
ensure strength and lightness. To complement the interior, it has heating and ventilation in the
standard cabin for all 4 seats. The TSi is truly one of very few planes with four seats and the
capability to use them. While not as fast as an RV-10 at lower altitudes, the turbocharged engine
evens the score at altitude. The baggage and load carrying capability won’t equal that of a Murphy
Moose, but it is more than sufficient for two or three people to take off on an extended trip—in
both distance and time. It is equipped with a whole-airframe ballistic parachute, and this took
up a chunk of the baggage area. But the space that was lost is supplemented by a luggage tube that
extends back into the tail cone and can easily be used for light and/or long items such as skis All
in all, the Sling TSi is an impressive machine and one to be considered if you want something
more than a traditional two-seat cruising machine. If you’re looking for adventure—from
the mountains to the deserts—from the plains to the sea, it’s worth adding to your list.
It is designed to be fast (if 141-knots is considered fast?), which is why it incorporates
a turbocharged Rotax 915 iS engine equipped with an intercooler and is fully controlled by FADEC,
being able to generate up to 40% more power than the engine installed in the Sling 4,
what translates into a better climb speed and cruising speed. The Rotax 915 iS was introduced
to the market in 2015, and is the brand's first engine to feature turbocharging and fully
electronic fuel injection, characterized by high revs and a small displacement. It is capable of
running on Avgas or 95 octane unleaded, reaching 141 horsepower as its maximum power for takeoff,
and maintaining a continuous flight power of 135 hp at 5800 revolutions per minute. Both its
starting, control, and fuel injection system are electronic, the 915iS is a four-cylinder,
four-stroke, water- and air-cooled engine with opposed cylinders. Its service ceiling is
23,000 feet and the time required between major inspections is 1,200
hours. It is equipped with an Airmaster 3 Blade constant speed and variable pitch propeller,
which automatically changes the pitch of its blades to maintain the chosen rotational speed.
The TSi performs great compared to other aircraft in the same category. Thanks to
its Rotax 915 iS engine, it is capable of taking off with a maximum weight of 2,094 pounds and
supporting a maximum payload of 1,014 pounds. With a climb rate of 1,000 feet per minute,
it needs for take-off a runway of 590 feet and for landing a runway distance
of 492 feet. Its 141 horsepower allows it to reach a maximum speed of 155 knots,
and it reaches a cruising speed of 148 knots at 9,500 feet. It is capable of reaching an
altitude of up to 18,000 feet. Its fuel tank can hold a maximum of 45 gallons,
and it has a maximum range of 800 nautical miles and a fuel burn of 8 gallons per hour.
Sling Aircraft has not spared any expense when it comes to avionics. The TSi integrates the
most advanced Garmin technology for aircraft in its class to provide an optimal flight
experience with great integration between its different systems. Featuring Garmin's 10-inch
G3X touchscreen EFIS and G5 flight display, the TSi's standard avionics configuration
also includes the radio, autopilot system with easy-access control panel, transponder,
a Bluetooth audio panel, and an intuitive and user-friendly multifunction system interface.
The Garmin EFIS G3X Touch is the brand's most advanced and intelligent large-format flight
display, designed specifically for mounting on amateur-built aircraft. Because it is a
touchscreen, it offers greater versatility for pilots. The Garmin G5, functions as a backup
flight instrument and offers a high degree of reliability, but in a more traditional format,
combining visual and readout signals, allowing pilots to review and respond intuitively to any
situation. The radio setup is the Garmin GTR 200. Designed specifically for light sport aircraft,
with a compact design that allows maximum use of space, it combines advanced functions that reduce
workload with a powerful communication capacity thanks to its 10 W transmission. The GTX 35R ADS-B
transponder integrates with the Garmin G3X Touch and G5, providing a fast output capability for the
Automatic Dependent Surveillance System-Broadcast (ADS-B). Garmin GMC 507. It offers a fully
dedicated autopilot interface, allowing pilots to control advanced features as they see fit, and is
capable of managing airspeed hold, independent flight director, and three-axis yaw damper. The
autopilot also features an integrated control wheel that greatly facilitates vertical speed,
airspeed, and pitch adjustments, as well as rotary knobs for heading, trajectory,
and altitude control. For emergency cases, an Emergency Locator Transmitter equipped with a
standard 406 MHz frequency, can be incorporated as an optional extra, ideal for distress alerts,
as it is an internationally regulated radio communications service that assists in search and
rescue operations. The ELT can detect and locate aircraft in case of an unexpected situation.
This model includes an antenna with a range of 250 knots, a safety bonus that does not hurt.
In order to talk about its price, it is convenient to make an interesting exercise
of separating its parts and placing the value of each one to calculate the total estimated cost
of the aircraft. The assembly kit contemplates an approximate construction time of about 1400 hours,
something important to take into account. The cost of the parts for the assembly, excluding
the mechanical part, would ascend to 71,620 dollars. The tail will cost you about $5000,
the wings about $20,000 dollars, the fuselage is about another $20,000, the landing gear assembly
is about $12,000 dollars, and the canopy and some finishing touches will run you around
15 to $20,000. If you find that assembling the parts is not for you, you can always purchase the
quick build kit option, which saves you about 500 hours of time, but you will have to pay
$30,000 for it. For the engine, propeller, and avionics you would need to spend an additional
100,000 dollars. With this in mind, the price of acquiring a Sling TSi will vary depending on the
construction kit you choose. If you assemble everything on your own, the total estimated
price would be about 200 thousand dollars, if you opt for the quick assembly kit option,
the number increases to approximately 200 - 300 thousand dollars depending on how you equip it.
The Sling TSi is faster than the Sling 4, not one of the fastest in its class. With its
solid construction, it is capable of flying long distances reliably. It is also an exceptionally
safe aircraft to fly, and a ballistic parachute can be optionally incorporated. Likewise,
as it has high-quality components throughout its structure, it gives the feeling of a safe
investment that is worth making. The Sling TSi was built for international flights, it can go
far and fast. This aircraft is less than 10 years on the market, but that doesn't make it less safe.
Something unique about this aircraft that was designed for safety and that
you may not have seen in others is that it has an autonomous heat exchange system,
which means that the heating system is independent of the exhaust from the
engine. This aircraft is light, fast, and has everything you could need.
Considering the target for which it is intended, there are a few negative points of this aircraft,
perhaps the most outstanding could be its fuel consumption ratio with the capacity of the
fuel tank, which could be insufficient for some users. However, this is not a serious problem,
it is more an aspect that could be improved for future models since Sling
Aircraft has managed to do things very well to offer a product with great capabilities.
There is no doubt that the Sling TSi is a very versatile, reliable,
and fast aircraft that has earned its popularity among aviation enthusiasts.
Thanks to its systems and avionics, it is able to offer a high degree of confidence
and safety when flying, even if whoever is in charge is not an expert pilot, so it is great
for those who are looking to get started in this world. With a plane as well balanced as this one,
you will have it all; comfort, performance, speed, and you will save a bit of money when
compared to other planes in this class. If you're looking for a 4-seat aircraft, you'll definitely
have to take a look at this option. This is not a great aircraft; this is an exceptional aircraft.