Commercial pilot and sport pilot instructor Shannon Russell reached 32,059 feet in a Sling TSi late last month, setting a women’s altitude record in her class of aircraft. The California flight used a turbocharged FADEC Rotax 916iS engine with Swift unleaded avgas.
“This flight was about expanding the performance envelope of the airplane and showing what’s possible for women in aviation,” Russell said.
Russell conducted the attempt with safety pilot Jean d’Assonville, using multiple oxygen systems and a coordinated IFR profile to manage the unpressurized climb. The flight followed months of preparation with medical and engine specialists and came just one day after Russell earned her sport pilot instructor certificate.
A longtime member of the Sling community, Russell trained with Rotax technicians in South Africa, later moving to the U.S. through a Sling Pilot Academy scholarship. She carried some of her late father’s ashes during the record climb, a personal tribute to the former Sling Aircraft South Africa chief test pilot.
“I hope young girls see this and realize that the sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning,” she said.
Check out our full interview with Shannon Russell, below:
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