my office—is a four-seater kit plane
from The Airplane Factory called the
Sling TSi. It’s a major financial com-
mitment—$200,000 to $250,000 if
you want all the bells and whistles—
but by building the plane yourself, you
save tons of cash. It takes about 1,500
man-hours to assemble the TSi. When
you build your own plane, you’re basi-
cally trading time for money.
The heart of any plane is its engine,
and the TSi comes with a great one. It’s
the Rotax 915 iS, a turbocharged 1.35-
liter four-cylinder unit that can provide
full takeoff power up to 15,000 feet. The
Rotax’s forced induction allows me to
get full power (141 horsepower) even at
altitude, where a standard engine might
see a significant reduction in how hard
it can push. The TSi is also strong on
fuel economy (7 to 8 gallons per hour of
standard automobile fuel) and comes
with all sorts of computer wizardry to
help me, the pilot. A Full Authority Dig-
ital Engine Control (FADEC) system
helps control fuel burn, blade angle, and
other aspects of engine performance,
which makes my life much easier. It has
room for four adults and can go 800 to
1,000 miles in one shot, and best of all
(depending on your point of view), you
get to assemble it yourself.
I looked at other kits, but the TSi
just felt right. I took a flight in one
with my wife, and afterwards she said,
“I can see you f lying that airplane.”
You don’t need a ton of skills to build
an airplane, but it’s a good idea to take
a class or two. There are aviation work-
shops in most big cities, and when you
find the right people, the community
can be incredibly welcoming to newcom-
ers. The aviation community is also very
small, and you’ll always be able to find
GARMIN G5 ELECTRONIC
FLIGHT INSTRUMENT
Pairing up with the touch-
screen, this instrument
provides the pilot a digital
attitude indicator essen-
tial for flying the aircraft. It
includes horizon-based pitch
and roll, airspeed, altitude,
and vertical speed.GARMIN GTN 650
This unit combines weather,
terrain data, flight traffic
updates and the all import-
ant radios on a single device.
You can plot waypoints and
glide paths, and plan takeoffs
and landings to keep your-
self safe, stay informed, and
remain on course.GARMIN GTX 45R
It’s important to communi-
cate where you are in the sky,
so this ADS-B transponder
talks to other aircraft and air
traffic controllers to establish
your location. It also provides
automatic traffic alerts and
weather updates to help your
situational awareness—crucial
to any safe flight.STRATOS 07 BALLISTIC
PARACHUTE
In case of a catastrophic
emergency such as total
engine failure, this failsafe
pops out of the back of the
aircraft and floats the plane
to the ground, keeping the
pilot and any passengers safe
and sound.1 PIPISTREL
PANTHERA
The Panthera has
retractable landing gear
and a sexy, aerodynamic
shape. A glass cockpit
and extra-comfy seats
make long journeys
feel luxurious.
panthera-aircraft.com2 SABERWING
The manufacturer notes
that this plane is such a
quick build, you’ll “be sit-
ting in the fuselage within
a few hours of opening the
kit.” For those who can’t
wait to play with their new
toy. azaleaaviation.com3 JUSTAIRCRAFT
SU P E R STOL
The SuperSTOL has low-
speed capabilities that
allow it to land on short
runways or small clearings.
It just needs 150 feet of
runway to take off.
justaircraft.com4 DARKAERO
Darkaero claims this is
the longest-range aircraft
you can build—1,700
statute (land) miles at 275
mph cruising speed. That
can fly you from Boston
to Houston. Production
begins in 2020.
darkaero.compeople who have been through the pro-
cess. I’m using a build-assist program,
which adds some cost but gives me a ded-
icated facility to build the plane (it takes
a lot of room!) as well as a lot of exper-
tise from experienced builders. There’s
no room for error in aviation, so having
someone who has built a plane before to
hold your hand is a great comfort.
With my build, we started with con-
structing the empennage—the tail—
and worked forward from there. You
have to run electrical wires through
every part of the plane, being careful to
route everything safely and avoid sharp
edges that could damage the wiring
down the line. You have to be particu-
larly cautious when working with the
f light control surfaces, such as the hor-
izontal and vertical stabilizers at the
back. Those are critical to safe f lying.
After the body is assembled, we’ll
wire up the avionics and electrical work,
mount the engine, and set up the com-
puters, radio, antennas, and everything
else. I’m most excited for the avionics. I
learned to f ly behind the Garmin G3X
system, and that’s what’s going in my
plane. I’ll be wiring it all up, hooking
up backup batteries, and connecting
the autopilot.
Then there’s the parachute. The
TSi’s parachute is not like a skydiver’s
chute: It’s a giant ballistic parachute
that can bring the entire aircraft safely
to the ground in case of a dire emer-
gency. It’s reliable, but there’s one
catch: I can’t test my parachute ahead
of time. I just have to hope it works.
So that’s one thing I absolutely have to
get right, because you literally only get
one shot.
The relationship between pilot and
plane is always4 KIT
PLANES
TO TACKLE
IN 2020
continued on page 80March/April 2020 35