Garfly Posted April 14, 2023 Share Posted April 14, 2023 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosi72 Posted April 15, 2023 Share Posted April 15, 2023 JP's flights around the world in a Cessna were also interesting.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 Bit like Russian roulette especially where you get involved with storms in a plane with no anti or de-icing. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 Yes, they were an exceptionally brave little trio wandering out into the Atlantic. One of the PICs involved was an American airline pilot who came over to Joburg to build her own Sling High Wing kit (in a hangar near the Sling company HQ) and, rather than have it shipped back, decided to join the others on their epic voyage to Oshkosh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgmwa Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 Those Slings are very capable aircraft. They've done quite a number of similar long distance flights now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 None are immune from icing. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgmwa Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 Yes, but lots of light planes have done similar trips going back to the biplane days without any anti or de-icing equipment. It's just another risk that has to be managed as best you can if you are game enough to tackle something like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 6 minutes ago, facthunter said: None are immune from icing. Nev No, indeed. As they were acutely aware, as we find out by way of the amazing dialogue scenes, cutting in (sort of) real-time between the 3-cockpits. I don't think there's ever been a video quite like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 Your first experience of it may well be your last though and don't even think about Hail. An experienced pilot friend of mine wrote off an Embraier in hail but survived. How would a fabric covered plane go? Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 This video explains how the Sling 4 TSi high wing (145 Kt TAS / 950 Kg AUW) was (re)designed around the 915 iS with its 141 available horses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippydiesel Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 They not only make very good aircraft, they are very good at promoting the same. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 Lindberg did that ages ago but he was pioneering aircraft in general for long distance and had one of the best aircraft purpose build (Ryan) built with an engine that was being test run at full power for 50Hours.. One could question the validity of such flights as suitable promos for the modern U/L. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
440032 Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 Astute viewers of that series with the slings may notice the stall warning beeping at takeoff many times. Me thinks overloaded to hell and rear CG? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 The elevator position didn't indicate tail heavy, as far as I can recall. Nose heavy and it would lift less weight. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 13 minutes ago, 440032 said: Astute viewers of that series with the slings may notice the stall warning beeping at takeoff many times. Me thinks overloaded to hell and rear CG? Hell, yeah ... as the tag line of the first film puts it: "Taking off with a 1000lbs of fuel is TERRIFYING" (cf. The Spirit of St Louis which was carrying 1000lbs more fuel than it had ever carried taking off from Roosevelt Field in 1927.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 A lot of the long distance attempts crashed on take off because they are way over normal take-off and structural weight limits. Nev. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) 18 hours ago, facthunter said: One could question the validity of such flights as suitable promos for the modern U/L. Nev How much more one could question when the U/L concerned is not a Sling but a Skyranger. Below is one of the videos about French aviator Thierry Barbier's round the world Skyranger adventures. Sadly, he did crash fatally, in the end but, ironically, not on one of his high risk legs but due an EFATO on a local flight in Kenya in 2016. [A rough english translation is available via YouTube's Auto-translate function. ] Edited April 17, 2023 by Garfly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 The Skyranger was approved by BCAR.. I don't see a lot of difference in principle. While the flight is a challenge I can't see what it proves when there is a lot of luck involved. . It's far removed from the general purpose and envelope they are expected to fly in. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) Well, the Sling 4 TSi is double the AUW and double the speed of the Ranger (and has a heater) just for starters. Anyway, either type can prove that the adventurous spirit is alive and well. That Ryan of Lindbergh was way out of its envelope, too. Edited April 17, 2023 by Garfly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 It was special built state of the art with the best and most reliable engine built at the time. Mail runs in single engined planes were par for the course in the USA at night and in all weathers. I think the Ryan was in the air for about 36 hours.. It was built for the purpose so the comparison is not valid. Nev. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 No, not valid at all. The 2022 Sling TSi is at least 10 times safer for such a trip. No need to count the reasons why. Anyway, I'm more interested in comparing the human spirit involved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 So far I don't know about the Vans R 5 it appears to make a Cessna 180 look terrific. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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