The Best Personal Plane - RV-10 or Sling TSi In-depth Comparison 

If you just gave me one? I'd take the RV-10. Sale it and buy an RV-8 and use the extra 60k to buy a lot of 100LL...Then fly cross country upside down...

Another thing to consider as a builder is how much help you are expecting. A sling uses pull rivets which you can do yourself. A rv uses buck rivets which require 2 people at many times. Customization wise, an rv has way more options. Those options also cause you a lot of pain because the finish kit doesn’t finish the interior. You have to go hunt down stuff unlike the sling that has an interior finish kit. With customization you can ask vans to remove parts from the kit if for example you’re going to use different wing tips or wheels, but you also gotta figure out what parts to take out. On build tools. $3,500 - 4,000 worth of tools needed for both. The rv and sling use a different grade of aluminum. The sling uses a more pure grade which can result in less corrosion risk. Either aircraft you want to think about that and the toxicity of those chemicals in your garage as you build. I do wish there was a slightly more powerful sling with a cabin that is all around 6 inches taller and wider with a more gull like door to ease entry and exit. For me, slings build instructions and the ability to build independently make it a more realistic option to build but the rv a better finished product.

I own an RV10, and absolutely love it!!! The Sling is also a good airplane. I'd call it an "almost RV10". Depends on what your mission is. I recently flew with my wife and another couple, full fuel, and bags to the Keys. Even with four people, PLENTY of cabin space. Wonderful flight!! My buddy was amazed at how the RV10 jumped off the runway and climbed straight up to 9500'. I actually cruise at 70% power getting 170kts @ 13.8 gph running ROP. Best airplane I've ever owned in 38 yrs of flying. A better performance comparison with the RV10 is the Cirru$.

No matter how much you plan to fly with friends and family. It's just you 🤣 so true

Very nice comparison. Can't wait to see a part 2 of the flight tests soon. Hope u had a safe & blessed weekend. #salute my gud brotha!!!!!

Nice thorough comparison/review

Very good effort to maintain and present an unbiased opinion. Full disclosure, I am biased too because I chose the RV-10. In the end I think you did a great job highlighting both aircraft so anyone looking for more information can make a more informed decision. I stand by my decision to build the 10 and would do it again, but your Sling is gorgeous and just as awesome.

Thanks Mike for the detail compare 👍

Thank you sir for doing these vids... I appreciate your candour and honesty . As a Builder/Pilot of a Vans RV4 , I have a biased opinion heavily toward the -10....! That being said... your numbers approach comparison is compelling..... Again, thank you for your efforts in producing/editing these posts. It is appreciated, and very much contributes toward Aviation Safety to those that view.. Cheers...!

Hey Mike great video! I was wondering if we maybe could get a update on the Revelaero Voodoo?

You’re making a great case for just flying my Navion 😂. But I love both of these planes.

I love them both and would be very happy with either. But the RV is more spacious but the Sling is more beautiful and more economical to operate. I choose Sling because like Mike said I do most of my flying alone or with one other passenger.

Time for a Sling HW vs RV-15 comparison now!! 😁👍

I saw an RV-10 up close for the first time at the Zenith homecoming and it was an absolutely beautiful airplane to see in person. I haven't seen a Sling in person yet.

I didn't notice any comments on the Engine TBO time.. that can make a difference in cost too.

The closest sling tsi to us was in South Africa. We had a look, we're all about 6'4, so it wasn't conducive to us. I wish this review came out much earlier it would have saved us the trip. Great content and thanks 👍🏾

I sincerely appreciate the vid. It really helped my thoughts. If I may offer up a slight mindset shift in shooting something like this... You moved the camera back and forth a ton and it gets frustrating. If I were you, next time I'd pick a side talk about things and then swap. That way there is way less video movement. Thank you for your time.

The RV 10 now has full size matched holes so the build time is reduced some.

Love your discussions, very through!

When calculating the fuel consumption on a trip, a great way to compare one plane to another is to calculate down to the price per mile. Depending on the type or grade of the gas the place uses, you will know what the cost is for the trip. Also for future trips, you can multiply the cost per mile to the number of miles you'll be traveling, to know the cost for a trip based on the distance. Of course, plus or minus for head or tail winds.

Please take a good look at the Aeroprakt vixxen 32. Less than 30 kph stall and a max cruise of 120!

Two gorgeous planes, would be happy with either but of I had to choose I would take the Sling. But if I had the dosh I would prefer a Cessna 195 🤣

I have owned a plane with a Rotax 912ULS for 5 years. Good luck finding anyone to work on the Rotax here in the states. If I were choosing between the planes today I think I would choose the RV just because every A&P knows Lycoming engines.

Great comparison! I plan on building an experimental in a few years. If I had to buy either it would still be a difficult decision. There is one experimental I have not seen on your channel, BD4-C. Not the nicest looking plane but performance and size is amazing! I would love to see a video on it. Thanks Mike.

The sling looked somewhat cramped honestly. But what else is out there that's affordable and practical outside of these two? That multi engine on the right side looked tiny though!

I really wish both these were offered with a yoke or side stick controls. I am not a fan of the center stick. The Sling is great and I have flown one but the aft CG can be an issue.

Is it possible to install a larger engine in the Sling?

I was looking at a RV-10 then decided I didn't really need a 4 place.. so I started looking at the RV-14.. then the Sling HW came out and I decided I wanted a high-wing plus the option for seats and storage.. but my wife wants a BRS, so the Sling HW won and I'll be placing my order next year.

Great video Mike. 👍✈️

I’ll just get shorter friends and family 😂😂😂 great episode Mike 👍🏾👍🏾

prefer the van RV-10 ,have flown both aircraft ,the RV-10 is a lot more robust

Parachute over space for me.. unless the RV 10 could be fitted with one ?

Great video!

A review of ANYTHING is NOT a review when the reviewer/commenter uses theses two words: "I'm bias!" You shot yourself down here. That being said, other than both having four-seats, these are very different aircraft. First, the RV-10 is the superior aircraft in construction over the Sling. It is a very stout machine. Being that it is built with solid rivets, the skill level and time investment is well over that of a Sling. And, if you choose Build Assist for your -10, you'll be paying for more assist hours than the Sling. Comfort-wise? 100% of the aircraft I've flown over the years, I've flown from the inside. My passengers are riding inside. Ramp appeal is for others to enjoy. Interior comfort is for ME to enjoy. Discomfort and fatigue go hand-in-hand. Three-hours in a -10 versus three-hours in a Sling would be the proof. Then again, can you put four adults in a Sling and have enough fuel to fly it for three non-stop hours? I considered four-seat experimental aircraft, but could not get around hauling around two empty seats a majority of the time. I considered the Sling, but came down to seeing it as a three-seat aircraft, as far as fuel/passengers/baggage is concerned. I went with the RV-14 (two-seat) over the Sling. Far more room for two people than the Sling. And, enough performance to get out of and into shorter fields. Plus, I get to satisfy my 'need' for mild aerobatics.

First it was a great job, congratulations! I've been looking for a long time and would like to see a presentation of the RV-10AC with JRZ aerodynamic performance kit for 5 seats, 3-blade propeller (as offered in Brazil) and sidesticks (as in the SR22 also offered in Brazil) using a diesel engine HAWK V4 E330J/G-T using Jet-A or Turbaero.

How tall is Bill? What height fits comfortably in the backseat of the Sling? Thank you for the video!

Awesome video

When discussing the insurance, you left out some important info to understand the numbers. How many hours, ratings does the RV owner have versus your hours and ratings. It would have been better to get insurance rates based on same pilot info. Otherwise, great job on the comparison.

I remeber flying the RV-10 and the TSI back to back and not having any regrets going with the TSI. The RV-10 is larger, but in a sluggish way and the fit and finish left a lot to be desired. The RV-10 was faster and that was cool but then there was the increased fuel burn and the lack of fadec. No parachute, higher stall speeds and (the one I flew) an antiquated feel all made me realize the 10 was not for me. All in all, I think they fit different missions. You have to pick the one right for you.

The performance numbers elect rv-10 for me. 5 mins earlier arrival while carrying more weight and with more headroom and interior volume == comfort for passengers. Higher potential topspeed with rv-10. Mine would include a brs parachute though. I met an RV-9 owner that had shortened the wings for higher speed. Wonder how feasible it would be to shorten the wings on RV-10. Waiting to see if Veloce can deliver its 4 place and 6 place pressurized planes to the market.

Mike your review was certainly a bit biased toward the sling. I think the performance numbers that you quoted were a bit low for the RV 10 and a bit high for the sling. I think that you should do speed numbers at full power. The RV 10 will exceed 170 kit true airspeed. It is far more roomy and with smooth rivets it is a better build depending on the builder. Fancy wing tips are available for the RV 10. Overall in my opinion the sling is a great airplane and there is definitely a crowd that that fits perfectly but the RV 10 is a superior all around aircraft for the family that wants to travel.

The RV10 is better built for rough strips , The spars are heavier built. the Rv flies better in turbulence and doesn’t react to as quickly to thermals. The Sling is a very good aircraft in still air and is very precise to its inputs , it’s fuel efficiency is legendary plus it’s comfort is up with the Cirrus even though the sling has smaller dimensions in the interior . Unfortunately i witnessed a Sling 4 having a landing incident and how it broke up. I have also helped build a Rv10 aircraft and it was a opportunity to compare both aircraft internals . It was also a opportunity to compare both aircraft to a Cirrus 20 that was in pieces in the hangar at the same time . All 3 aircraft had great points of design but it came down to what the owner of the aircraft of what he was going to use the aircraft for and it’s operational environment .

Both are nice, but for that money you can get Lanceair Columbia that is (1) certified, (2) utility category, (3) has cleaner airframe and faster than both.

I just like the design of the Sling, very good performance with justa small engine.

I think the sling nose and especially that nose wheel look rough. If I’m gonna spend 300k it needs to look better

For me it came down to actually flying both. Tsi is overall much lighter weight and gets blown around in the wind much more than the Rv10. The heavier plane is just more stable on those gusty approaches...

Mooney K Model from 130K hands down Best Buy for speed and efficiency! Oh did I mention faster than both of these.

Is the insurance the same been that the RV10 has a higher output engine? 😂 you just answered my question..

Technically, it pretty much evens out! The one thing I like is the parachute option for both aircraft, but the sling’s console is cleaner! I think the RV10 may win this one simply because of room, speed, door opening, luggage door, and capacity!

Very nice except the background very very annoying music I mean very annoying.

It'd be interesting to hear about resale value / buying a second hand version of either?

I think one of the biggest issues is IFR vs. VFR. From what I am reading, the RV-10 can not fly in true IMC. That is a deal breaker for me, as many times in Florida we are in IMC with summer and spring weather.

I prefer RV10 over TSI (I would say that sling looks better than RV10 for sure). However, RV10 build time is substantially longer than Sling… and that’s a huge con for me. On paper, RV10 is superior to Tsi when come to both price and performance (plus the large community support and aftermarket part)… but you gonna spend 50% more time building RV10 which sucks when you consider how many people abandon their builds due to time issue. PS: I’m really interested in the new high wing sling. Looking forward to see that against Tsi and RV10.

How do you "egress" the Aircraft if you're upside down (for whatever reason) with these Gullwing doors? Is there a provision for this?

RV-10 more practical. Great video

I know these are both experimental, but how do you think they stack up against a production plane like the M20?

I love the Sling TSI more

Mike, you expect your insurance to go down after your recent claim?

I love the Sling TSI! But the problem is my Mooney does everything these two planes do on way less money. 1000lb useful, 152KTAS on less than 10gph, all new Garmin avionics, etc. I’d maybe sell my E model for $100k. My wife asked the simple question at Oshkosh this last year, “what does it do better than our plane”? Only thing I came up with was two entry doors.

What about the comparison between the Sling TSi and the Sling High Wing?

Insurance might also go by age

Put the flaps down on the RV-10 before getting in or out. Then you won’t get your toe caught on the trailing edge. 10.5gph@160ktas. 2 yrs or 2000 hrs build time (SB). $10K/yr for rent, insur, maint, 50hrs/yr.

excellent comparison! much better than previously ;) i see it still hurts you a bit to remain neutral as we know you love your TSI.

Bill looks like he might have done the vw bug challenge with his college buddies in his youth. Eight to twelve guys inside the vw at one time.

im getting an rv10 any day of the week. no hate on the slings color though. if i had a rv10 the color of your sling. id milk a cows teet

RV10 all day long over sling.

I'm curious, is it possible to remove the rear seats for either plane? I am guessing no and I assume I can exclude them when building.

RV-10 all day long

Do you know the engine reserve difference between the two? The Rotax is significantly cheaper to overhaul, than the Licoming. I believe they have similar TBO. Do you know the overhaul cost for each?

both are sweet but I prefer the Sling!

MojoGrip@ The Sling has incredibly good performance compared to the Bristel B23 Turbo. Same engine, lighter and two-seater. But still, it's nowhere near as fast as Sling. Bristell has to go up to 10,000 feet and above to fly faster than a C172 🤣

I prefer the cirrus because I almost crashed in ice twice. No deicing it’s a toy. With my cirrus I’m not grounded. I got my ifr and didn’t realize ice would keep me on the ground so much. Crazy

Something is wrong with our society. I started to self censor when I was about to say I wanted to buy a sling just so I could give it a general Lee paint job. I know the Confederate battle flag should not be flown( pun intended), but even still I shouldn't be afraid to tell a joke. This is starting to feel like the USSA.

Dang! You could have had an RV-10 for the same money?

Is it crazy that i have recently picked up and interest in experimental aircraft and i dont even know if they are allowed in Nigeria. Thr beat part of the story i have only 1k dollars to my name

looks like the RV-10 has some paint issues, spinner, cowl, landing gear struts, wheel pants...

RV10 260 hp Lycoming = I’ll take it Sling TSI 143 hp Rotax = No thank you. Both are nice aircraft but I wouldn’t feel comfortable at close to max gross in the Sling, not with 143hp. It would be nice to see both airplanes loaded up to max gross weight and depart side by side to see actual real world comparison under the same field conditions up to 10,000 msl.

Unusual for Mojogrip but that’s a very biased review. Performance of the RV10 significantly better in more than just cruise speed. Flush riveted construction looks considerably better and is more aerodynamic. The Sling is a great Aircraft I agree but it’s not as great overall as the RV10

I'd like to know the difference in fuel burn traveling the same speed. Pull the RV10 throttle back to the TSI's top speed and see how they compare. You can slow down the RV10, but you can't speed up the TSI.

That was a surprisingly unbiased comparison!

The 10 is a 10. The sling needs more HP. Nice airplane though.

I chose the Sling TSi over the RV-10 for two primary reasons: time and money. The RV-10 takes longer to build. Since I was doing build-assist, those extra labor hours translate into more money. I called multiple RV build centers across the country, and all quoted at least $75k higher to build a comparably-equipped RV-10 than I paid for my Sling TSi with build-assist. Not sure I agree with the comments about the RV-10 being more robust / better for rough fields. Sling has been flying their airplanes on rough, unpaved fields around Africa for many years. Plenty of videos out there showing that. As for interior space, the TSi has plenty of headroom in the front seats. As the seats slide back, they also go down, giving tall people more legroom and headroom at the same time. There's even an extended seat track option for very tall people. The back seats have plenty of legroom, but headroom can be an issue for tall people. I understand this has been improved in the Sling HW, since the roof doesn't slope down as much in the back. If you're really carrying tall adults in the back seat a lot, then an RV-10 or Sling HW might be better than the low wing TSi. But the back seats are fine for kids or average-height adults. All that said, they're both excellent airplanes, and much more cost effective than certified 4-seaters. I'm super-happy with my TSi, but I'm sure I'd be super-happy with an RV-10, too!

Nice hat but it seems it does not protect your eyes.

It would have been nice to pull the front seat back into a normal position when Bill was in the back seat. If done, I bet it would have shown that the Sling is really a two person airplane, while the RV10 is truly a 4 person plane. I'm talking adults here.

Yeah, my values put yours on top. I value.. well, value/efficiency. It's the bang for your buck plane. You sacrifice ease of grandma movements for everything else in the other one. Doesn't matter how long it can fly, grandma has to pee. (So do I btw)

Порівнювати RV-10 зі Sling, це як пеніс з пальцем....

Sling flew around the world twice crossing big oceans. Its engine runs on MoGas too. Sling is quieter tried and tested. She is good for very slow speed too and more beautiful. Who needs a fast woman? I don't know about RV 10 but Sling wins hands down.

Why would either one of these necessarily be "the best"? What are the criteria? Everybody with an opinion and a camera is a subject matter expert now, and knows what's "best".

Some like blonds, some like brunettes. They are both great planes. For real world IFR, I think the RV 10 is a better option.

Rich People Problems

RV10 looks better in every way , Sling has better cockpit, but nothing beats European planes 👊

My dear friend, translate your videos into Arabic, please

RV guys painter should be fired… anyways if the sling TSi was 5% bigger with a Rotax 918, 200 hp turbo that would be the ultimate ticket. All seriousness, though the sling is better looking burns, less gas. The RV is probably much more comfortable and a better utility Aircraft burning more gas. I sat in several TSI’s at Oshkosh and I will say they are much smaller in person than they appear in any of these videos. I am 6’3 with a proportionate torso to my legs and in all the TSi’s my hair tickled the glass canopy. Add a headset and its completely unacceptable. The high wing was better, but still tighter in person than I expected.

The sling is the more modern, also burns mogas which is a substantial additional advantage unless one is so complacent as to not ensure mogas at your airfield. both fuel burn and price might result in half the fuel price for the sling. No small margin advantage. However 300k base price is awful and 20k per year is awful. I have part ownership of a 912 LSA and we spend nothing like 20k$ a year. More like 2k insurance, 1k maintenance, bit over 1k fuel for 100 hours (US fuel prices, in Denmark it's more). The 300k price is simply a super non starter. Sling should change that with extreme prejudice. A full composite bird can facilitate that, much quicker to build and the simplicity must make it easy to certify. Which then has infinitely greater potential than 300k kit builds. Learn from Elon Musk's approach. Optimization is king. Cannot be garage build amateur hour because that can never take off. That will always be a super tiny market.