EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015: Exhibitors - The Airplane Factory and Arion Aircraft

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 exhibitors continues with a double-feature - The Airplane Factory and Arion Aircraft - two Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) manufacturers gaining favorable attention for their aircraft in the U.S. The Sling and Lightning models illustrate the increase in quality and style found on the current LSA market.

The Airplane Factory, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, produces the Sling 2 and Sling 4 aircraft models and has distributors around the world, including in Torrance, CA for North America.  The Sling 2 is a LSA class aircraft of aluminum construction available in kit or finished form.  It offers a variety of cockpit instrumentation and color options, and optional ballistic emergency parachute for aircraft recovery.  The Sling 4 is a four-seat model based on the Sling design, with upgraded engine and additional configuration options.  We visited the exhibit and viewed a Sling 4 taxiing:

Arion Aircraft, based in Shelbyville, TN manufactures the Lightning series of welded steel and fiberglass LSAs featuring three different models.  The Lightning Classic kit comes with a firewall forward kit that includes a Jabiru 3300 engine.  The Lightning XS kit offers more options, including Jabiru, UL and Lycoming engines and airframe improvements.  The Lightning LS-1 factory-built model is similar to the Classic but comes complete and ready to fly.