Sling HW Radio Silence ?

[dparker]

There seems to be complete silence from the factory on the Sling HW - no updates or newsletters published for months. At Oshkosh the Sling USA guys said they would have their kit completed and flying in a few months. Today I heard some time mid next year. The only other kit in the USA was shipped from the owner back to Midwest and no work is being done on it. There is a rumor of a SB for the fuselage core to tail section connection.

There are no other posts about builders working on the Sling HW. So what is the real status, are kits really being shipped and at what rate. Are there issues that need addressing which have stopped shipping and building ?

If I put down a deposit is it held by the distributor or by Sling HQ - with Vans struggling this has made more aware of the challenges in the kit world.

Anyone have an update ?

David

[lutorm]

I have no updates, but I remember reading that since they already have several years' worth of orders for the HW, they were not going to be promoting the HW further at this time.

I had not heard about the problems at Vans, but they seem particular to their situation. I would not think it has any implication for Sling, although it's always good to be reminded that the margins for kit builders seem to be pretty slim and it's risky to expand because you suddenly got a large influx of orders.

As far as I understand, the deposits are kept by Sling in SA -- the point of the deposit is to build your kit after all.

[BG8473]

I agree. The lack of videos on the HW kits under construction seems suspicious. It takes very little for the Sling folks to provide simple updates. Now that Vans announced financial issues with their company, the RV-15 is probably delayed a few years at best. The Sling HW is now top of my list, but the lack of info makes me suspicious, so I'm not putting a deposit down.

I think there may be a grand total of two HW kits in the U.S: one in Torrance, and one in the video posted by Midwest Panel Builders. There is also at least one flying (Linda's Sling HW). I think the grand total of finished, flying HWs is the same three that flew to Air Venture. If there are issues with the design, I wonder if it affects the three flying ones. Be interesting to search for Linda's plane on Flight Aware to see if it's been flying.

As far as I know, the only technical issues with the Sling HW were excess weight, poor door sealing, and possible issues at the fuselage aluminum/fiberglass mating area. I know the newer Sling HW have thinner composite to save weight. This is an area of concern whenever they whittle material away because it could affect strength. The new Rotax 916 could also have some issues as well. Who knows. All speculation, but speculation is all we have for now.

[dparker]

@Sling Aircraft - is it possible to get an update on the Sling HW kits. My distributor tells me 4 or 5 kits are being shipped every month. But the reality the only 2 kits in the USA seem to be on hold and I can't find any other kits being built on line. I understand the factory may be building some completed planes.

Frustrating when you have a deposit down and no real information from the distributor.

David

[Rancho56K]

Definitely agree that it's annoying and a little disconcerting that there's not much transparency about what production looks like. I put my deposit down a few weeks ago and was told the following: "They shipped an empennage for kit 074, a wing for 046, and a complete QuickBuild kit for 036." I'm years away from my number being called but I'd still love to know how many years...

[STGove]

#slingsupport


Using the above hashtag will alert Sling in SA to this (or any) conversation.

[gmazzola]

I talked to The Airplane Factory today (January 2024) and was told the following:

• They just "took configuration" — assigned kits to a specific builder — for serial number 107.
• They'll take configuration for serial number 181 (my airplane) in October 2024.
• My kits should arrive in Torrance 6 months after that October date.

My interpretation of these projections: based upon the above numbers, it looks like Sling is processing 5 High-Wing kits per month. I entered the order queue in August 2022, so their lead time is currently 2.5 years. All of these numbers will improve as Sling scales up production of course.

[lutorm]

All of these numbers will improve as Sling scales up production of course.

IF they scale up production... I do hope they're being a bit conservative to avoid scaling up and then getting stuck with huge costs the next time kit demand drops, so they don't end up in the Vans situation.

[dparker]

I guess this video explains why we did not see any build pictures of Sling HW's last year. The Australian distributor says the 2 HW fuselages in their hangar can't be used due to the many changes needed. Come on Sling time to for an update.



On a positive note it seems like shipments were made at the end of the year judging by the social media pictures.

#slingsupport

[BG8473]

Whatever issues there were with the original HW fuselages must not be that bad. Linda Sollars' "first production high wing" is still flying per Flight Aware. Regardless, I'm glad Sling is willing to take serious action to ensure a quality product. I hope this doesn't cause a significant cost increase for future builders.

I see lots of flashy videos coming from Sling, but nothing of substance and nothing about the HW. I've got $$$ burning a hole in my pocket and I'll be putting a deposit down on something by Air Venture this year (Vans? Sling? Rands? Sonex? Sportsman?). The Sling High Wing is in the lead, but could get pushed aside for something rock solid with a shorter lead time.