Slingsby Aviation T67m260 Firefly

Single Piston

The Slingsby T67 Firefly is a British two-seat aerobatic trainer that carved out a niche as one of the few purpose-built civilian aircraft equally at home teaching basic flight maneuvers and competition-level aerobatics. Developed by Slingsby Aviation in the 1980s from the earlier T67M, the Firefly variant features a 260-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-540 engine—an inverted-oil-system powerplant that allows sustained negative-G flight—and a strengthened airframe stressed to +6/-5G. Unlike most trainers optimized solely for docile handling, the Firefly was certified for unlimited aerobatics, making it a favorite among flying schools offering aerobatic endorsements and private owners seeking a forgiving yet capable platform for competition flying. Its side-by-side seating and excellent visibility made it particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand, where several examples remain active in flight training roles decades after production ended in the 1990s. The type never achieved the commercial success of mass-market trainers like the Cessna 172, but it earned a loyal following for its honest handling, robust construction, and the rare ability to teach both primary students and advanced aerobatic maneuvers in the same airframe. With a cruise speed around 130 knots and a service ceiling near 15,000 feet, the Firefly offered respectable cross-country performance for a trainer, though its real appeal lay in the +6G envelope and spin characteristics that let instructors demonstrate the full flight envelope safely. SkyMeter has tracked 11 flights across 4 airframes and 3 operators, with MATTHEWSON BENJAMIN J the largest observed operator.