Sling world adventure

The just completed Sling 4 (the 2nd after the proto-type was built) is ready for a cross Africa and cross Atlantic adventure to Oshkosh, America, and possibly the world's biggest aviation showcase.

The journey to be undertaken by The Airplane Factory's Mike Blythe and his son Greg is due to start this afternoon and will be able to be tracked live by logging in at the website here, using the login email sling4@airplanefactory.co.za and password indigosat. The show starts on the 29th July barely a week from now and the challenge is to get there in time for the opening. You can follow more of the news on The Airplane Factory's news-site here.

 

Sob, Sob, ZDL in for makeover

So no sooner did I get back from our flight to Winterton in the Red Rocket, it was off to Tedderfield in Johannesburg to return ZDL to The Airplane Factory for anti-corrosion treatment - yes it's bad here by the coast and the factory have decided in the interests of the brand to give their airplanes maximum protection. This means taking ours apart and treating the innards to preserve it's lifespan.. it may even new skins and a complete respray of the plane. It's possible the Red Rocket may be no more and have looked at a new provisional name... Rainbow Warrier. The extent of the respray will depend on what the makers find when they take the skins off.

So it was a journey to Johannesburg for us and a look around the incredible Airplane Factory which is pumping out new Slings, having sold over 105 to date!!! WoW!

Andrew has promised us the plane back in time to fly home after the Sling 100 party mid-September. So it's 6 weeks without wings!!

Marc flies with me to check out progress on his Sling

Mountains en route to Johannesburg

Andrew and director Jean of Th e Airplane Factory with Sling 4

Daniel hard at work putting finishing touches on several Slings

Goodbye Red Rocket

In the back seat of Sling 4 on the way to Lanseria for a Kulula flight home

Sling Director and mad James Pitman waves us goodbye

Johannesburg city in the distance on the way to Lanseria in Sling 4

Sling 4-seater ready for around the World

The larger 4-seater prototype of our aeroplane has just taken to the air for the first time and is ready for it's Around-the-World promotional adventure.

Well done guys, this is an awesome achievement for a South African-based designa and construction. I look forward to following your trip around the world and to the delivery of our own Sling in August.

Sling 4-seater for Around-the-World

Working on the canopy assemply for the new Sling 4-seater, South Africa's Airplane Factory is under pressure to finish the prototype.

Due to be launched by the Director of Civil Aviation on Tuesday 19th July, the Sling will set off on it’s Around-the-World endurance adventure the next day. Due to time constraints and practical implications flying over Africa, the route has been amended to the following:

Tedderfield airfield in Johannesburg to Pilanesberg to clear customs then direct to Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo. This is a 15,5 hour flight. Then the flight to Dakar is a long one.. 4200km around the coast of Africa (to avoid politics) which, due to a massive fuel load, will take 24 hours flying. The 3 remaining legs to the Azores (in the Atlantic off Portugal), New Foundland (Canada), and Oshkosh (Wisconsin USA)  come in at 15 hours each, so that shouldn’t prove too much of a problem. A substantial benefit of this route is that it has four stops only en route. Few long legs is really the way to go.. Easy flying, cheaper landings,  sleeping in the plane. The Sling will return to South Africa heading west again completing a cicumnavigation.

You can catch the Google Earth route of the Sling 4-seater on the website here.

What a way to launch a product. Go Sling Go!!