Mid-Michigan Sling 4 TSi Quickbuild
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 3:41 am
I live in mid-Michigan and am in my late 50's. I am a low hour (less than 200) pilot who got my private in 2018. I am 6'7" tall and did all my training in a Cessna 172 (which I fit in) I don't fit in a Cirrus or a Diamond. I think I don't really even fit in a Bonanza. From my reading, I was impressed with the Slings. I am looking for a four place plane partly for its payload as I am a larger person and want to be able to bring at least a passenger, fuel and gear (camping, skiing, biking, etc.) Looked at the Sling 4 at OSH in 2017. Liked the handing, safety, efficiency, and ability to use newer technology. Also, my son is training for the airline track (CFI, Multi) and this is something we can build together. In 2017, TAF announced the TSi and EFI and Turbo seemed to be a good combo for altitude flying cross-country, especially for the airfields in the western US.
The Sling 4 was a pretty tight fit from a height perspective. I did get to sit in a TSi in 2018 OSH and did a short test flight. It seemed a little better height-wise, but still marginal. It seemed possible to modify the seat rails to make them a little lower. TAF agreed and also agreed to engineer the modification. As this is my first build - and it is an airplane - I thought that the better plan was to do a quick build - primarily so that the most experienced builders might be doing the most crucial work and reducing the error potential on my part.
The kit should arrive late-Jan, early-Feb 2020. I will be building it in a EAA chapter build hanger.
I already want to thank those who set up this site as well as all those who are willing to share their experiences and lessons-learned. THANKS!
The Sling 4 was a pretty tight fit from a height perspective. I did get to sit in a TSi in 2018 OSH and did a short test flight. It seemed a little better height-wise, but still marginal. It seemed possible to modify the seat rails to make them a little lower. TAF agreed and also agreed to engineer the modification. As this is my first build - and it is an airplane - I thought that the better plan was to do a quick build - primarily so that the most experienced builders might be doing the most crucial work and reducing the error potential on my part.
The kit should arrive late-Jan, early-Feb 2020. I will be building it in a EAA chapter build hanger.
I already want to thank those who set up this site as well as all those who are willing to share their experiences and lessons-learned. THANKS!