Company also launches the Sling Safety Network, a standardization and safety ecosystem for Sling NGT fleet operators

OSHKOSH, Wis., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sling Aircraft North America today announced the Sling 2M, a MOSAIC-compliant version of the Sling NGT trainer, with factory production ready to ship immediately and customer deliveries beginning August 2026.

The announcement follows the FAA's acceptance of the new ASTM consensus standards ahead of the MOSAIC rule, which takes effect today. Sling Aircraft extends its sincere thanks to the FAA and to the members of ASTM International Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft for the extraordinary volume of work completed — and completed on time — to make the new framework operational from day one. The result is that the industry can move forward without a gap between the rule's effective date and the availability of compliant aircraft.

Built alongside the standards, not after them

Sling has served on the F37 committee throughout the development of the MOSAIC standards over the past several years. Over that period, the engineering team in Johannesburg made a series of small, deliberate design and structural refinements to the current NGT in anticipation of where the standards were heading. With the standards now accepted, no redesign period is required: the factory is tooled, the aircraft is finished, and production airplanes are ready to ship.

"We didn't wait for the standards to be published and then start engineering," said Andrew Pitman, Co-CEO of Sling Aircraft, the manufacturer. "We sat in the room while they were being written, and every few months we made another incremental change to the NGT — structure, systems, weights, documentation — so that the airplane would already be there when the rule arrived. It's been a long, patient process, and the payoff is that we can ship a compliant airplane on day one rather than in eighteen months."

What changes — and why it matters

The Sling 2M is essentially the same airplane operators know today. The changes are few, but their operational consequences are significant:

• Maximum gross weight increases to 1,540 lb., yielding a useful load of more than 600 lb.
• That useful load allows a whole-airframe parachute system on every airplane, two large adults, and enough fuel for more than eight hours of flying without refueling.
• Under MOSAIC, these aircraft may be operated under IFR, including in IMC, when appropriately equipped and flown by a suitably rated pilot.
• Every aircraft comes standard with the new Garmin AXIS Flight System, the state of the art in IFR avionics.

For flight schools, the practical effects are immediate. A higher useful load means a larger addressable student pool, since instructor-and-student combinations previously excluded by weight are now comfortably within limits. It means industry-leading safety equipment as standard rather than as a trade-off against payload. And it means the operational efficiency of fueling once per day instead of between lessons — recovering aircraft availability, dispatch reliability, and line-staff hours across an entire fleet. IFR capability further extends the airplane's role deeper into the training syllabus.

Introducing the Sling Safety Network

Sling Aircraft North America also announced the Sling Safety Network (SSN), an ecosystem enabling Sling NGT fleet operators to maintain a shared level of standardization and operational excellence. Membership benefits include safety management tools, standardized training documentation, access to Navi AI Debriefs, and access to a growing roster of Sling-qualified personnel and resources.

Approximately 20 flight schools across North America have selected the Sling NGT as their training platform. The Safety Network is designed to strengthen that group as a community — raising the floor on standardization while giving new schools a proven operational framework from the day they take delivery.

"We're excited to support flight schools as they grow, and to give the Sling NGT community something no individual school could build on its own," said Matt Liknaitzky, Co-CEO of Sling Aircraft North America. "The Safety Network turns a group of operators flying the same airplane into a network that shares standards, tools, and people. Combined with an airplane that now carries more, flies longer, and flies IFR, this is a genuine step change for the training market. We also offer both financing and leasing options for schools acquiring fleets, so that the right fleet decision isn't limited by the capital structure behind it."

Availability

The Sling 2M is available to order now, with deliveries commencing August 2026. Schools evaluating fleet decisions are invited to contact Sling Aircraft North America for specifications, delivery positions, and financing or leasing terms.

Sling Aircraft is at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this week at Sling Island (booth 648-650), where the Sling NGT is on display and company representatives are available to media and to schools evaluating fleet options.

About Sling Aircraft North America

Sling Aircraft North America is the North American distributor for aircraft manufactured by Sling Aircraft in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sling aircraft are flown worldwide in training, personal, and touring roles, and the Sling NGT is the training platform of choice for flight schools across North America.

Visit www.slingaircraftnorthamerica.com

And www.slingsafetynetwork.com 

Media Contact

Jay Price
Sling Aircraft North America
jay.price@slingpilotacademy.com
424.203.4795
www.slingaircraftnorthamerica.com

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SOURCE Sling Aircraft North America