Aircraft model
SLING AIRCRAFT (PTY) LTD SLING LSA
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Sling is a South African all-metal light sport two-seater with a Rotax 912 and an unusually large 40-gallon fuel capacity, which gives it a 750-nautical-mile range — far more than any other LSA here. The company demonstrated the point by flying a prototype around the world in 2009.
That range is the distinguishing feature and it makes the Sling genuinely usable for travel in a way most light sport aircraft are not, though at 115 knots a long leg is a long day. The airframe is metal rather than composite, which simplifies repair. It is also sold as a kit, so the American fleet includes both factory-built S-LSA and amateur-built examples with different maintenance privileges and resale — establish which before buying. The Rotax needs a trained mechanic with calendar-based maintenance intervals.
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Put SLING AIRCRAFT (PTY) LTD SLING LSA side by side with up to two other models.
- SLING AIRCRAFT (PTY) LTD SLING LSA
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Rotax 912ULS |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | mogas-approved |
| Certification basis | LSA |
| Production start | 2009 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 115 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 750 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 900 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 39 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,000 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 900 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 310 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Empty weight | 770 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $110,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $280,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $18,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $28,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 105 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 105 |
| Median year built | 2024.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 28.571 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.052 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 41 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 39.053 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 105 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 105 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 105 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 7.2 of 103 |
| Support | 7.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.4 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.