Oshkosh Diary: Let’s Fly!

The funny thing about a fly-in the size of AirVenture – once you arrive and park, you don’t generally get any flying in! It’s not like the old days in Rockford (I hear – I’m not THAT old!) when you’d go up and do fly-bys to show off your new homebuilt. But, if you’re an aviation journalist who is known for doing aircraft evaluations, well, you might just get to fly something new! Today my treat was TWO new airplanes – and when I say new, I mean NEW… the two Sling four-seaters that came into town from Torrance, California had just 21 and 22 hours on their respective hobbs meters.

It was only a few days ago when Sling’s US facility completed a new High Wing with a 916is, and their first Tsi with the same engine. Certified in the Experimental-Exhibition category, they only had five-hour Phase 1 test periods, and were flown in less than twenty-four hours – and then set off together for Wisconsin. We met them in Wautoma, a lovely country airport thirty miles east of the chaos that is the AirVenture arrival, and I took them both up to see just how much fun they were with an additional 20 horsepower for takeoff.

The answer? The High Wing now has the engine it always should have had – and the Tsi now has the extra horsepower to not only make the takeoff even more spritely than before, but power an air conditioner as well – a nice upgrade in a Lexus-level cockpit. I spent an hour and a half with the Sling folks in the relaxed atmosphere of Y50 while they got themselves ready for the Fiske arrival – and I enjoyed every minute. Want to know more? Read a full review in an upcoming issue of Kitplanes.

The other nice thing about a flying day like this? Believe it or not, I enjoyed the pleasant country drive to and from Wautoma, killing an hour and a half alone with my thoughts and no other people.

Then it was back to the AirVenture scrum, with some time in the HBC pavilion to catch up, and finishing off with a meeting to talk about how to help experimental airplane owners think about their readiness to use upcoming new fuels. Once an EAA HQ volunteer, always an EAA HQ volunteer.

The final act of the day? Moving from our temporary tent and into the rental house near the field. I love camping, I love camping with a bunch of other aviators….but honestly, it’s a lot easier to write in an air-conditioned house after a nice shower.