Welcome! This channel is dedicated primarily to aviation interests. Starting in January of 2024, on the build bench is a Sling TSi from Sling, aka The Airplane Factory. This is a 160 hp, Rotax powered, 4 seat aircraft, cruising comfortably at 153 ktas and 890nm range.
Stay tuned as we make special trips through the year and continue the build process, highlighting what we've done to be successful.
Please note - the video's I share are not step by step directions on building an aircraft. They contain my choices on what I've done. Build planes at your own risk. Do not follow build instructions or tips without verifying them for yourself, this is your responsibility. Instructions or parts can change over time.
Nice progress. The best part of building the tanks is when they're done and successfully tested. 🤪 One hint. I see you have you're garage door open so you are getting ventilation. But the mfg does recommend a respirator. Can't hurt. Some not nice chemicals in that stuff.
The bolts, spacers, and eyebolts for the ailerons are easy to install into the completed assembly. There's a hole in the end rib to put the bolt in with an extension. Don't need to reach the other side since there are nut plates. I did mine that way and it was no big deal. I agree it's confusing they reference those parts in the wing KAI. But they are in the finishing kit and very straightforward. I'm a little surprised Sling didn't explain that when you ordered the parts. I'd recommend finishing the ailerons so you can get the entire wing assembly wrapped up. Two other things: Highly recommend gluing those strips to the underside of the wing spar before assembly. I used dots of JB Weld. Enough to hold them in place before the rivets are set. Makes life a lot easier putting that together. Finally, I've had zero issues with my Milwaukee gun pulling the large rivets, including 4.8 and SS. In fact I like it better than the air tool for the large rivets. I leave the 3.2 nozzle in my air riveter since those are the high volume ones. Agree it's faster although I don't know about 4x. 😀
Its basically recommended practice. If one of those rivnuts slips loose and starts to spin while you're loosening or tightning a screw, you're in a bad spot. Some people do swap them for anchor nuts, which are rivetted in place and this is what you'd see more in vans builds as well.
Thanks for posting progress - I am far from starting a build, but gathering info on how to. I also run into this video recently posted - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hcgxCII6JpA.html - and I am in between if to use prime painting inside or not.
Welcome to the great debate. I’d probably say this. You’re not priming for you, you’re priming for your grand children. I do it because you have the best opportunity when it’s all exposed. I believe it adds value and it does protect. This plane will fly, it will take me to places, I may spill a drink or two that could cause problems, it will spend time outdoors when it’s at destination airports and it will see coastal locations. This is a great metal, but I think it’s worth the extra hours, it’s also, at least to me fairly enjoyable and I like the color. ;)
Nice videos. Thank you for putting then together. I see your internal parts are primed. What are you using for the primer? Is it rust-oleum rattle can self-etching or something else? Also, how is the finish holding up to the “build beating”?
So far so good. I've had 2 inside edges flake and honestly its because I missed scuffing those spots before I primed. A touch up application solved it. I'm using Transtar 6183, and it came out to be 7 cans to completely paint the empennage.
I’ve noticed in a few other sling tsi builders videos, they use 4 rectangular tables/ workbenches to work on. Do you have a recommended size for the tables or is there a forum that speaks about them? Just looking to get more info as I prepare for my kit to arrive. Also do you park Tesla out side the garage and then run the charging cable under the door?
The build tables are "EAA Build Tables" I did add the outdoor carpet to the tables and added more support to the shelf. I highly recommend some adjustable feet, just because garage floors are not level. Some pics of the build under my workshop entry - eaabuilderslog.org/?s=Sling Yes to the Tesla as well. It got kicked out with the kit arrival. It has a chance to go back in the garage once I fully uncrate the wing kit.
Lower quality aluminum???? They use mostly 2024-T3 with Alclad, which is a much higher quality aircraft aluminum than is used on some other manufactures' models -- and is far LESS likely to corrode without any additional protection. Where did you get your misinformation from?
There's quite a bit of references with a search for 2024-t3 vs 6061, however, callouts you'll note 2024 is stronger, but more prone to.... cladding helps mitigate... however, you're also drilling holes all over it. The builders in my area all tend to prime it. We have all seen plenty of examples of production aircraft where its fine bare 30-40 years, some add on corrosion-x, whatever. Both are good metals when treated appropriately, Sling builders have a higher level of confidence, by some percentage points on topic, I'll leave it at that.
In my case, Sling contacts you and welcomes you as a builder once the first kit order is received. That usually includes an invite to the portal to track crates and order parts when needed.
yes, as part of my steps when i remove the plastic and initially tool the parts as needed. Slings parts have been pretty good on burs. I have had a few that I've spent more time with and some that I've only had to touch a few seconds. You get to a point pretty quickly when you run your hands along the parts and feel it and theres an obvious way the light reflects off a hole that needs to get a few spins of the debur tool. 99% of the time as well, 1 side of the peice is perfect and the other side is what needs just a bit of attention.
I've been enjoying watching your build videos. In my experience, I use a fresh red scotch brite and isopropyl alcohol BEFORE dimpling to clean and achieve the mechanical etch. 320 sandpaper might be too aggressive, especially on a power wheel. Using the scotch brite before dimpling allows the area around the rivet to also get etched. Otherwise you are skipping the entire dimple and it will have no etch. Just my 2 cents... Keep up the good work!
Thank you! This is something I'll adjust on on the wing skins. I plan to do those skins soon as the table is cleared up. On the sand paper, the 320 isn't that much more agressive than the scotchbrite. To compare the maroon scotchbrite 7447 pad is in the 320-400 grit range. The painters will likely use as rough as 240, depends a bit on the painter. 6444 (brown) is in the 240 range, and 6448 (green) is in the 600 range.
@@gregbuildsplanes Good information. On my previous build, I used the red scotch brite exclusively for the chemical and mechanical etch as instructed by Stewarts Systems (paint). The primer and paint went down perfectly for me with no scratch through. I only used a lower grit (320) lightly during between the prime and top coats.
I'm curious to know the difference between the aluminum you speak of between the two and how you got this information. Mostly Kaiser 2024-T3 aluminum in both kit types. Why is one better than the other? Corrosion is usually an issue in bonding different types of material together. Such as aluminum against steel. It's not the quality of aluminum.
As stated in the linked video, the aluminum used in the Sling is 6061-T6. Higher corrosion resistance that 2024. There are a handful of steel parts in the Sling kit and they come finished. Paint or powder coat. Not sure. SS rivets are used in a number of places, there they show using a corrosion coating. I'm using ECK corrosion control.
@@paulborror2544 So you depict the quality of aluminum by corrosion resistance?? 2024 is far superior over 6061 in tensile and shear strength. About 40% stronger. That is why 95% of Alum aircraft are built from it. The only benefit to 6061 is the price (it's cheap). Marine grade 5052 is the most corrosion resistant if that's what you guys think matters. Use it.
@ro838 I'm not going to get into a social media contest. You said Slings were made from 2024. They're not. You brought up some galvanic corrosion concerns with dissimilar metals and I responded with what Sling has in their build manuals. One of the big discussions with these builds is whether to prime, alodyne, whatever, the aluminum. That was the subject of the provided link and what I referenced. I'm not a metallurgist and can't speak to the technical differences between 2024 and 6061. I am a customer and trusting the experts at Sling designed their airplane taking 6061 characteristics into account. You have every right not to be a customer and suspect you won't. I'm out.
@@paulborror2544 Okay, Over and out! You referenced the link in which (another guy on the internet) states 6061 is superior over 2024. Well, It is not. Also, I'm not against the Sling, I think it's a cool plane. In the video he states the same mis-information about the material. That is why I made the first comment in the first place. It will be just fine.
Nice job! I considered making a comparison video like this, but didn't want to get bogged down in arguments with RV owners in the comments. 😆 Bottom line, they're both fine airplanes, as you say. Here's a few points I might add, for anyone else deciding between these two planes: Build and cost: While it's true (or at least WAS true) that the basic Vans kit is cheaper, it takes more hours to complete. If one wanted to compare apples-to-apples, the Vans "quick build" kit takes the same number of build hours to complete as the Sling "slow build" kit. So, if you compared the Vans quick build kit price to the Sling slow build kit price, their cost advantage disappears. And for those going with build-assist, those extra hours the RV-10 build takes will translate into extra dollars. Plus, as you mentioned, the Sling kit is more complete. Once you buy popular third-party interior kits (seats, sidewall upholstery, center throttle quadrant, overhead, etc.) and other options that most RV-10 builders buy to modernize the look of their plane (wing tips, cowling, etc.), you're spending far more on the Vans. And finally, with their recent 30% increase of kit prices, there's no longer any way anyone can say an RV-10 will be cheaper, even without the third-party options. Performance: RV-10 owners will remind you that they can decrease their fuel burn down to 10 - 11gph by running LOP. That's true, but then their cruise speed will be more in the 155 KTAS range, pretty close to the Sling TSi at ECO power. Conversely, a Sling TSi pilot can run at max continuous power and cruise at 165 - 170 KTAS (in the high teens) while still burning only 10.5 - 11gph . So, pretty darn close in terms of cruise performance. Also, while the RV-10 shows a higher initial ROC on a SL standard day, the Sling TSi's turbo means we'll do better in hot & high conditions, and will retain our ROC better as we go up in altitude. So again, in real-world, pretty much a wash. At the end of the day, you'll end up with an awesome airplane whichever way you go. Happy building!
Looking good! I noticed by the time you did the main wing box, you were wearing gloves. Good call - that metal around the crates gets to be very sharp!
I can see that the hand squeezer is WAY easier to line up the holes, and therefore quicker. Any chance you could normalize the music volume with your voice volume on future videos? You speak pretty softly, but then the music comes in and blows out my ears.
You can dimple without pulling the plastic film away. Works fine and the rivets fit OK after pulling the film off later. I have my empannage and wings done doing them all that way. Evan talks about this in his videos. Hopefully you are reviewing those during your build. I've found them a gold mine. You're more patient than me only pulling part of the film like that. Wait until you get into the size of the wing skins. I agree the film may provide a little bit of protection for scratches or whatever. But I've found the skins are easy to dent. That's the main thing you need to guard against and the plastic won't help.
Congratulations! Great job for just you, one person to get all boxes to your garage! You must be excited and ready to start building! More vedios coming? My quick build kit is coming in May.
