Sling Aircraft North America has introduced the Sling 2M, a MOSAIC-compliant version of its NGT flight trainer that raises the maximum gross weight, adds IFR capability and comes standard with Garmin’s new AXIS flight deck.
The company announced the aircraft on July 24, 2026, at EAA AirVenture 2026, as the FAA’s new certification rules for light-sport category aircraft took effect. Sling said production aircraft are ready to ship, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin in August.
The Sling 2M has a maximum gross weight of 1,540 pounds and a useful load of more than 600 pounds. Sling said that allows the aircraft to carry two large adults, a whole-airframe parachute and enough fuel for more than eight hours of flying.
The added payload addresses one of the main limitations flight schools have faced with aircraft built under the previous light-sport rules. Instructor and student combinations that exceeded the available payload could force operators to reduce fuel or switch to a different aircraft.
Sling said the 2M’s added useful load should give added flexibility to carry a wider range of students while keeping the parachute installed and avoiding frequent refueling between lessons.
The aircraft can also operate in instrument meteorological conditions when properly equipped and flown by a suitably rated pilot.
The Sling 2M will come with Garmin’s AXIS Flight System as standard equipment. Garmin introduced AXIS earlier in July as a new integrated avionics family for certified, experimental and light-sport aircraft. Depending on its configuration, the system can combine flight displays, IFR GPS, navigation and communication radios and audio-panel functions.
The Sling 2M is based on the existing NGT trainer rather than an entirely new aircraft. It retains the NGT’s 100-horsepower Rotax 912 iS engine and three-blade, ground-adjustable DUC propeller.
Sling lists a typical cruise speed of 120 knots true airspeed, a clean stall speed of 45 knots indicated and a sea-level climb rate of 875 feet per minute for the aircraft. Fuel burn at economy cruise is about 3.7 gallons per hour.
The company also lists a service ceiling of 16,000 feet and a maximum range of about 850 nautical miles, although actual performance will depend on aircraft weight, configuration and operating conditions.
Sling did not announce pricing for the 2M. The current Sling LSA starts at $275,820 in the United States.
Sling said its engineers made a series of structural, systems and documentation changes during development of the FAA’s MOSAIC framework and the accompanying ASTM standards. That work allowed the company to prepare the airplane for production before the standards took effect.
“We didn’t wait for the standards to be published and then start engineering,” Sling Aircraft Co-CEO Andrew Pitman said. “We sat in the room while they were being written, and every few months we made another incremental change to the NGT.”
Pitman said the approach allowed Sling to begin shipping compliant aircraft without an additional redesign period.
The FAA accepted new ASTM consensus standards that manufacturers can use to show compliance with the Part 22 requirements for light-sport category aircraft certificated on or after July 24. The standards cover airplanes, gliders, powered-lift aircraft and gyroplanes.
The agency’s acceptance of the standards does not automatically approve a particular aircraft. Manufacturers must still show that their designs meet the applicable requirements, maintain an approved production system and submit a statement of compliance before the FAA issues an airworthiness certificate.
Sling also launched the Sling Safety Network, a program aimed at standardizing training and operating practices among flight schools using the NGT.
The network will provide safety-management tools, standardized training documents, access to Navi AI debriefing software and a pool of Sling-qualified personnel and other resources.
About 20 flight schools in North America have selected the NGT as a training aircraft, according to Sling.
“The Safety Network turns a group of operators flying the same airplane into a network that shares standards, tools and people,” Sling Aircraft North America Co-CEO Matt Liknaitzky said.
Sling is offering financing and leasing options to schools acquiring fleets of the new trainer.
The Sling 2M is available to order now. The company is displaying the NGT at its AirVenture exhibit in Oshkosh through July 26.