Aspiring Sling TSi Builder - Washington, DC

[mags591]

Greetings!

My name is Ryan, and I am here because I am hoping to order my first kit in the coming few months. I have an interesting backstory as I had initially planned on building an RV14 (2 seater aircraft, since that is all I really need). As I was finalizing some things, I saw a youtube video about sling and started researching sling a bit more. Previously I looked at sling but honestly had trouble finding information about the kits in the US, and I didn't realize it was a different website to order from.

Anyways, I am deciding to build the Sling TSi over the RV for several reasons:

Mission - My aviation mission is to go up and fly around local ($100 cheeseburgers) with occasional x-country trips consisting of approximately 250nm. I am currently doing this in a cessna 172 and it just doesn't ave enough speed and the trips can take some time when I really want to get there to spend time with family. I don't really have a desire to do aerobatics which the RV is rated for.

Engine - I have always had my eye on the Rotax engine since first learning about the 912is. I originally was looking at the RV12, but decided it was just too slow for what I was looking for. I love the fact that the Rotax engines SIP fuel instead of guzzle it. I also like the fact that you can use auto gas in them. This will help me turn my $100 cheeseburger into a $40 cheeseburger. Additionally from my research, it seems like the Rotax is a much smoother engine with a lot less vibration than the Lycoming, so it will hopefully translate to less fatigue in the aircraft. Finally, I love the fact that Rotax utilizes the newest technology in the engine. I am not sure why Lycoming or Continental dont desire to change up their engines to utilize new technology.

Ease of Build - I have no experience building an aircraft or really much sheet metal experience at all. I have done some fine woodworking, but that is the extent of my knowledge in the shop, so I wanted something with easy to follow plans, and something where if I had a question, I could get help. I am not going to lie, I feel like there are many many more builders in the RV world, but I have been able to connect recently with a couple people who built a Sling TSi who have been very open to allowing me to check out their aircraft, and I am sure that if I came across a question or issue during my build, I would be able to ask for some assistance.

Price - Many people in the aviation community don't want to talk about price, as if it's almost taboo, but it is an important factor for someone my age (30), who works full time still. Many builders tend to build their aircraft in retirement, but I wanted to build it well before retirement so that I can experience life as I go along in an amazing aircraft. I contemplated purchasing a 1970's-1980's certified aircraft, but realized I would be spending roughly 80k-120k for those, and they have older technology and outdated panels. That is where I started to research kit planes because for relatively the same amount of money or slightly more, I could get the newest technology and most updated panels. My plan at the current time is to buy and build the kits with money that I have saved up over the next 3-4 years. Once the airframe is built, I will then take out a loan for the Engine and Avionics to finish the build and get it in the air!

All in all, I am excited to become part of the Sling community and to advocate their brand. Being younger, I want to try to revitalize and get more people involved in general aviation in the united states as it is almost becoming a dying breed because of cost and other regulations.

I look forward to being an active member here!

[ibgarrett]

Hi Mags - and welcome!

A few points/comments about the SlingTsi build. Much like yourself I'm tired of flying old airplanes that need a major upgrade here and there. I'd say maintenance, but even a new airplane requires that, experimental or certified.

Not sure if you've stumbled across Savvy Aviation's YouTube channel, but this presentation at has a really good overview of the state of aviation engines. Mike Busch who literally wrote the book on aviation engines does these presentations all the time. Don't let the length of the video dissuade you from watching it. Mike's presentations are usually 15 to 20 minutes and then there is a pretty extensive Q&A afterwards. It's well worth the watch as Mike talks about the state of the Lycoming/Continental engines vs. the Rotax.

I don't know if I would say the Rotax is "smoother" but I did start flying in a 912 and have flown Lycoming up to the TSIO550 which drinks the gas vs. sips. For me it was a balance between the greater than 150kts at 20gph and around 150kts at 7 or so gph.

As for the price part and building vs. buying an older certified aircraft. I did a video on this at in which I talked about buying new, used and building along with the thinking I had around it that you may enjoy.

I ordered my kit last September and actually got moved up on the delivery list due to someone needing to back out. Just yesterday I got notification of "something" being delivered. It's not the full kit, but I'm hoping it's the beginning of many deliveries.

I'm in the same boat (airplane?) when it comes to the building skills. I have no idea what I'm getting into with the metal work but have a pretty full shop for building things and have tackled some large projects - so this is just in a different area of discipline that I'm going to learn along the way.

Best of luck and welcome to the forum!

Brian

[PhilipRueker]

Welcome to the group

I had many similar consideration when I was thinking about my own plane and how I ended up deciding to build the TSi