It’s been over 2 years since I built the first fuel tank. The right side fuel tank skin arrived with a big dent when I originally received my wing kit, and it took a few tries and a lot of waiting to get a replacement skin. But, with everything...

Last week I received the custom firewall kit I ordered to install the 915iS on my Sling 4. Shipping took a long time – almost 5 months – but I’ve read it’s a widespread issue in sea container shipping right now. Everything in the kit arrived just fine. I...

It’s been a little bit since I posted, but there are a few exciting developments to share. First, I got word that my firewall forward kit arrived in Torrance CA last week and is on its way to me! This is the long-awaiting custom kit that will allow me...

Another builder was looking for an electrical loads analysis, here is what I have so far. The 915iS engine has dual internal generators; the ‘A’ generator provides power to the Engine Management System (EMS) normally, and a second ‘B’ generator supplies power for everything else in the airframe, up...

Last week I finished the electronics design for the overhead console and sent off the PCB design for manufacture. I’ve already received the parts to stuff the boards, but the boards themselves will take another week. In the meantime, I decided to set up the canopy in my lab...

I’ve created yet another custom piece of cabin tech, this time it’s an overhead light console. The panel has a dome light, swivel adjustable map lights, and red ambient light projectors. I used RGBW LEDs to allow the lights to be set to any color and brightness, adjusted using...

By request, here’s a breakdown of the technical and cost differences to equip my Sling 4 with a Rotax 915iS engine instead of the Rotax 914UL engine. As a quick reminder of why I’m doing this: +26HP at takeoff power (5800 RPM), +35HP at max continuous power (5500 RPM),...

I’m waiting on the circuit cards to come back from the fab, likely slightly delayed due to the holidays. In the interim, I worked on honing the process for painting and etching the fascia panel. My second iteration is looking better than the first, but I still need to...

I shared the design concept for my custom flaps controller a few weeks ago, and I got some great feedback from other pilots & builders. I’ve taken that feedback and made a revision 1 of the hardware, to include: Stand-alone operation (no additional parts needed, connects directly to the...

My engine arrived today! This is the Rotax 915iS engine, and as I described in an earlier post, this particular engine is used with just 12 hours on the clock. Even though I bought it locally, it was inspected by Lockwood Aviation down in Florida, as they are currently...