Sling TSI or Vans RV-14? Need help!

[TWilli7523]

I am almost through building the Empennage of the Vans RV-14a. I have enjoyed the build so far with no problems. My concern is the current laser cut parts problem vans has. I might have to start over. That being said, quickbuild fuse and wing are still a long way out, and I’m afraid this laser cut problem will stall everything. I’m considering moving over and building the TSI with a quickbuild on the fuse and wing. Has anyone else built a Vans airplane that can compare their experiences? Are the manuals complete and thorough? Looks like a lot more pulled rivets that will speed up the process. Interested to see what others wait times have been post Covid? Thanks in advance to any replies. Tim

[ibgarrett]

I haven't built anything Vans but I have been watching some of the builds quite closely. I can tell you the difference between what I've observed in the RV builds and the Tsi builds are night and day.

I'm about 80% through my build. Very very few parts needed any deburring at all. I'm not exactly sure of the method Sling uses for making their holes, but they are all solid. The only "match drilling" I've needed to do was to remove a super tiny amount of material to get the rivets to fit - and even then that wasn't a common occurrence. The parts nearly go together without even using the manuals simply because if they don't fit, then you haven't put it together right.

Does it mean I don't have to follow the instructions? No - I still do that, but the manual is NOTHING like the RV manuals. The Tsi uses a LOT of pictures and only words when necessary. I showed the build manual to an RV builder and he was asking questions like "but where are the descriptions of the parts you have to put together (he was looking for the textual pages)... I showed him the pictures and the assembly. He just shook his head and walked away.

The manuals for the Tsi are really good up until around the engine goes on the airframe, then there is a little more guesswork, but it's nothing major.

The Tsi is 100% pulled rivets. There are no buck rivets at all.

As for wait times - you'd have to ask Sling in Torrence to get a bead on that.

[TWilli7523]

Thank you Brian for the helpful information.

[Stingy Pilot]

I would budget 10 months for each kit (empennage, wings, fuselage etc)

[TWilli7523]

Stingy Pilot, are you saying 10 months to build, or order time?

[ibgarrett]

I suspect 10 months is on par from order to kit delivery time.

I may have said it in another post, but Sling in SA is working hard to ramp things up, but 10 months is a pretty average industry delivery time these days. It definitely gives you time to get organized.

Once you have an idea of what it takes to build a Sling the build time comes down because there's way less head scratching. I'm just a little over 2 years into building very part time and hope to have things going here in the next few months. I think if I were to devote full time to building one I could build it in around 4 to 5 months after doing the first one.

[lutorm]

I placed the order for my TSi kit on March 20 and I've been told it just shipped from SA. So that's more like 4.5 months, faster than I expected. (I was told 6 months.)

[netaviator]

I can confirm the lead time being below 10 month. Ordered the fuselage and canopy, dash kit in may and it's ready to be shipped as of now.

[TWilli7523]

Thanks all for the advice. I am movning forward with the TSI. Picked up the Empennage Friday!

[BG8473]

Thanks all for the advice. I am movning forward with the TSI. Picked up the Empennage Friday!

How are you able to pick up the empennage so soon? I presume you are getting the kit from the Torrance, CA facility.