 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Kit aircraft Sling Aircraft Sling 2 Sling Aircraft Sling 4 Sling Aircraft Sling TSi Sling Aircraft Sling HW |
| Owner | Mike Blyth, James Pitman, Andrew Pitman |
Number of employees | 485 |
| Website | slingaircraft |
Sling Aircraft (Pty) Ltd, formerly calledThe Airplane Factory (Pty) Ltd., is a South Africanaircraft manufacturer based atTedderfield Airpark,Eikenhof,Johannesburg South. The company specializes in the design and manufacture oflight aircraft in the form of kits foramateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft for theFédération Aéronautique Internationalemicrolight and the Americanlight-sport aircraft categories.[1][2][3][4]
The enterprise is aproprietary company under South African law.[3]
The company has three shareholders: Mike Blyth, Director; James Pitman, Co-Ceo;[5] Andrew Pitman, Co-CEO.[5]
Sling Aircraft utilizesnumerical control manufacturing andcomputer-aided design in its aircraftdesign and production processes.[1][2][6]
The company produces the two-seatSling 2, which was first flown in 2008 and the four-seatSling 4, introduced in 2011, which although is still fully supported by the factory, is now in limited production,[2][7] andSling TSi which was first released in 2018, and has since replaced the Sling 4.[8] Their latest model is the high-wing called theSling HW that made its first flight in 2020.[9]
In July 2013, a Sling 4 was flown by Mike Blyth and his son from South Africa toAirVenture inOshkosh, Wisconsin,United States. The flight included a 14-hour over-water leg using the modified Sling 4's 20 hours of fuel endurance.[10]
In July 2022, three Sling High Wings (one tail dragger, two with tricycle gear) were flown from South Africa toAirVenture inOshkosh, Wisconsin,United States.[11]
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| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sling Aircraft Sling 2 | 2008 | 328 (2020).[12] | Two-seat, low wing microlight aircraft |
| Sling Aircraft Sling 4 | 2011 | 281 (2020)[12] | Four-seat, low wing aircraft |
| Sling Aircraft Sling TSi | 2018 | 281 (2020, combined with Sling 4 sales)[12] | Four-seat, low wing aircraft |
| Sling Aircraft Sling HW | 2020 | 30 (2025) | Four-seat, high wing aircraft |
Companies based inGreater Johannesburg | |||
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