Spirit of adventure fuels round-the-world flight

July 29, 2009 – Oshkosh, Wisconsin — Just 40 hours on a new airplane design and it’s ready to fly around the world. Not every pilot would agree, but for Mike Blyth, 55, and James Pitman, 40, of Johannesburg, South Africa, that’s just part of the adventure. The pair left Johannesburg en route to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 in the Sling, a light-sport aircraft (LSA) they designed and modified for the trip. Blyth and Pitman started the Airplane Factory about three-and-a-half years ago. After modifying and testing their first prototype, Blyth and Pitman built “production prototype number two” in two months, with higher capacity fuel tanks (118.5 gallons total) and beefed-up landing gear. With 92 hours of flying time to Oshkosh covering about 10,540 miles, the aircraft now has 132 hours. How is it performing? “It’s held up brilliantly, performed immaculately,” Pitman said. “The Rotax 912S idles a little rough, which is a bit nerve-racking when taking off to fly across the ocean, but it’s perfect when we open it up.” The entrepreneurs said they have received a lot of support for the aircraft’s design from the aviation community. The Airplane Factory is ready to take orders for its Sling LSA; about $100,000 is the ready-to-fly price tag. It’s also available in kit form at about $25,000. However, Blyth, with an engineering background, and Pitman, a lawyer, insist the flight is not a Sling publicity tour. Instead, the flight is “number one about the spirit of adventure.” They have flown much of the flight to Oshkosh in nighttime hours, avoiding takeoffs and landings in the dark at unknown airfields. The darkness is disconcerting. “We focus on the instruments…they are our life,” Pitman said. In Oshkosh, they’re not quite halfway around the world; that milestone will come when they reach Los Angeles, California. From LA, they’ll be off for Hawaii; a leg they both admit has them feeling a bit nervous. “There’s nothing between LA and Hawaii,” Blyth said. They are already looking at forecast winds for that leg and watching their fuel burn, which is about 5 gallons per hour. “We can’t make it without a tail wind from LA,” Pitman said. Still, they appear confident and they’re having fun and enjoying their six days at AirVenture. “It’s hard work, but it’s been an amazing, amazing experience,” Blyth said. “We love airplanes,” Pitman said. “It’s a natural to come to Oshkosh.”

James Pitman and Mike Blyth designed the Sling LSA and flew it to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. A large crowd of friends and fans provided a warm welcome when they arrived at about 7 p.m. on July 28. Photo credit: Tim Paronson Mike Blyth, left, and James Pitman designed and built this Rotax 912-powered D6 Sling airplane just before flying it from Johannesburg South Africa to Oshkosh. Photo credit: Tim Gaffney A map on each wing shows the route Mike Blyth and James Pitman are taking in their round-the-world trip. Photo credit: Tim Gaffney

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