The Sling Squawk – June 2026
7 Jun 2026
“At 3 o’clock in the afternoon the next day, Whitman Field was declared open. The drenching rain and blasting wind of the day before were but a memory now, as we negotiated the arrival process, landing on the yellow dot on runway 36.
At long last, We were going to have fun, lots of double stuffed, max blast, over-the-top ice-cream sundae turbocharged fun! We were absolutely NOT going to build an airplane. No Siree. That would not change… And then there was the Sling TSi…
Pulled rivets. Aggressive styling. Slick-backed tail. A gas-sipping Rotax 915 iS engine. We should absolutely build a Sling TSi!”
Connecticut-based Sling owner, Justin Allison, is currently in the process of building his very own Sling TSi and as a result, he has created a blog to not only update fellow builders on his progress, experience and suggestions but to detail how he first came across the Sling TSi and what ultimately made him decide to build a plane!
After reaching Cape Town in Part 2, Josh Flowers and Chelsea Smith of Aviation101, along with Chris Lammert and Keelyn Costello, reunite with friends and fly their Sling aircraft north from Stellenbosch through the Tankwa Karoo, before crossing into Namibia and exploring the spectacular Fish River Canyon. From formation flying and the Tanqua Kuru Bicycle Race to fireside celebrations and an off-airport landing in the desert, the journey becomes less about following a plan and more about embracing whatever comes next—because sometimes the most memorable part of flying happens after the engine shuts down.