Sport Pilot Talk

The Airplane Factory is increasing prices 10 percent on March 1. They are also offering a "Valentine's Day Special" of $2,000 off if you sign before March 1, 2018. This is enough to get me off the fence. I am thinking of going EAB, with Midwest Sky Sports help. That gets me 1540 gross, IFR capability, and maybe the ability to do an aileron roll "legally". I have flown the Sling 2 and it has superb control feel and is too much fun!

Also, if interested in EAB check out Midwest Sky Sports home page and click on "Financing", scroll down and check out the 4.5 percent interest rates. I talked to the credit union they use and they offered 3.5 percent after 90 days of membership...pretty good for 51% EAB I think.

I have been doing a lot of homework on the TAF USA and TAF South Africa and my results are all good. I even talked to Tom Haines of AOPA and he gave the company a big thumbs up.

YOLO!

Cam

I assume you still have a valid FAA medical or qualify for Basic Med.

Yes. Current airline pilot.

Bahamas here we come! Any timeline on the build Cam? Good Luck, chat soon...

That’s great.
The more Slings in the US the better. For some reason the airplane factory never really became a player in this market in the US despite Slings being one of the best light sport planes.

TAF has gotten a slow start in the US outside California, but is increasing their footprint quite steadily here. It truly is a remarkable Light Sport A/C. I’ve demo’d a majority of LSA and found the Sling2 the best of the bunch, with the RV-12 second. It’s true what they say after flying the Sling2, “It’s a Real Airplane” compared to most other light sports on the market.

Sling 2 Pilot wrote:Bahamas here we come! Any timeline on the build Cam? Good Luck, chat soon...

Yes bey! Ha it go?

In talks with Midwest Sky Sports...

Let me know how it goes and keep us up to date. I was looking at their Sling4 with a few partners, very affordable for a 4 place modern aircraft. If your experience is good it might help me "sell" the others...

Wilco!

The Sling 4 is tied with the Tecnam P2008 as two of the best handling aircraft I’ve ever flown. I’m sure the Sling 2 handles similary.

All this banter about the Sling 2 has me stoked. I plan to visit Carson City NV in mid March, and plan to drop in on Paul Hamilton's operation there. He advertises a Sling 2 available for training/rent, so I'll try to get a ride and see if it's really all everyone says it is. BTW, I like that sliding canopy, ala "fighter plane" style. Is it possible to fly with canopy open?

HAPPYDAN wrote:All this banter about the Sling 2 has me stoked. I plan to visit Carson City NV in mid March, and plan to drop in on Paul Hamilton's operation there. He advertises a Sling 2 available for training/rent, so I'll try to get a ride and see if it's really all everyone says it is. BTW, I like that sliding canopy, ala "fighter plane" style. Is it possible to fly with canopy open?

HD: You can fly with the canopy open! I did it on my test flight and it was great...no wind in the cockpit at all. The only minor issue is that the canopy slides shut due to aerodynamic lift above the canopy, so I am going to put a latch or figure out a way to keep canopy open. Might be handy for photography. I think the POH has a limit on max airspeed and amount of distance canopy may be opened.

My USAF flying was F-15C. I felt like I was back in the Eagle...but less thrust-to-weight.

I am sure Paul would be great. I can't say enough about how great Jean was on our test flights at TAF USA in California! He knows how to sell an airplane...especially if you need a wife to approve of your Sling. We did test flights last August 2017 and my wife is still on cloud 9. Jean had her fly the entire flight except taxi and landing...she had never flown an airplane and she just loved it..."I couldn't believe I was flying it", "I felt so safe", "write the check".

Cam

When I had my Tiger, I, like many who flew Grumman’s carried a piece of PVC pipe. You would cut a slit in the PVC and place it on the rail, preventing the canopy from closing during an emergency, like having to ditch. Unlike the Sling, the Grumman canopy didn’t automatically close due to aerodynamic lift. You were restricted to maneuvering speed with it open and although placarded to only open it to a point, flying with it wide open was not an issue. Just make sure everything in the cabin is secured.

Great idea...maybe a foam pool noodle?

Yes Cam, the 21st Century solution!