The Airplane Factory family is now fully settled in its new home at the Tedderfield Airpark, Johannesburg South. More importantly, the full Sling production process has been settled, the written Manual of Procedures for production is almost finalized and the four aircraft built in developing the most efficient production processes are about to fly. The only parts awaiting completion in ZU-TAF (the second!), ZU-NRC, ZU-MDK and ZU-FJF are the canopies. These are expected to be completed within the next 21 days, whereafter for the first time ever one Sling will be able to fly alongside another!
The Airplane Factory (“TAF”) employment complement has also been substantially strengthened as the company commences production proper, the team of full time employees now standing at 23 employees. TAF believes that it will be possible to ramp up production to 5 aircraft per month, if it wishes, by January 2011. Life on an airfield is far more pleasant than life in an industrial park, and TAF believes that Tedderfield is an ideal venue – close to the suppliers in and around Johannesburg, yet in the countryside, easily accessible by car or aircraft, close to its customers, in friendly airspace on an excellent uncontrolled tarred runway at a developing airfield to which the South African chapter of the EAA is due to move its headquarters shortly. We encourage everybody with an interest to visit us by road or air when the opportunity arises – see the “Contact Us” link for directions.
Finally, we will be arranging a hangar roof wetting party during mid-October to celebrate our arrival at Tedderfield. All supporters invited. Keep a lookout for more details.
