South Africa's Sling Aircraft successfully tested the prototype of a high-wing four-seat aircraft in mid December.
The Sling 4 high-wing is a strutless four-place GA aircraft powered by a 141-hp Rotax 915 iS turbo-charged engine turning an Airmaster constant-speed propeller, available with either a tricycle undercart or as a taildragger. The manufacturer is predicting a cruise speed of 145 KTAS.
"The Sling 4 High Wing design sets a new standard for Sling Aircraft," said Sling director Mike Blyth. It is the culmination of many years’ experience in the design, manufacture and production of the successful range of Sling Aircraft.
"We have always used the best materials wherever possible in our aircraft and this is particularly true with the Sling 4 High Wing. For the first time we have a substantial portion of the aircraft, being the centre fuselage, produced in carbon fibre. This has allowed us to design an aerodynamic aircraft which is beautifully shaped, light and extremely strong.
"The Sling 4 High Wing is a modern aircraft with a perfect blend of practicality, performance and beauty. It has a large comfortable cabin with a high useable load, long range, excellent handling and built in active and passive safety features."
The cockpit will feature Garmin 10-inch G3X touch EFIS with a G5 back-up system and GMC 507 autopilot. A ballistic recovery system wll come standard, with the cabin featuring removable rear seats for operation in the utility category.
Sling expects the new high-wing will have a useful load of 480 kg and a range of 880 nm.
More information is on the Sling Aircraft website.