This all-composite high-winged beauty was Extra Aircraft’s entry into the market pioneered by the Piper Malibu. With the genes of an aerobatic aircraft, and some elegant engineering, the Extra 400’s appearance and performance are nothing short of spectacular. To understand this incredible plane, it helps to start with Walter Extra himself. 

Walter Extra’s roots are in aerobatic flying and competition. Working his way up through the aerobatic ranks, Extra built and flew his own Pitts special, competed in the 1982 world aerobatic championships, and designed his first scratch-built airplane, the Extra 230. Its success led to the iconic Extra 300, a two-seat steel tube and composite wing aerobatic competition aircraft that revolutionized the industry and earned countless aerobatic titles along the way. 

Walter Extra’s experimentation with high-strength composite airframes set the stage for the development of a revolutionary single-engine transportation machine. From the start, it would be a technological tour de force. Truly a clean-sheet design, the EA 400 resembles no existing airplane. Sporting a high wing, steeply sloped widescreen and T tail, the airframe is a lesson in efficient design. The high wing, a rarity in this class of aircraft, allowed for the wing spar to be placed above the cabin for increased cabin volume.

Keen observers will note the lack of traditional cooling air intakes. To handle the stresses of flight-level cruise altitudes and steep descents, Extra chose the water-cooled Continental TSIOL-550-C Voyager engine. The liquid-cooled Voyager series was developed for the rear engine on Burt Rutan’s radical ultra-long-range Voyager that carried Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager around the world non-stop. Engine cooling was provided by a single radiator mounted in a scoop under the nose, and the Voyager engine was virtually impervious to shock cooling due to steep idle descents from the flight levels. 

The exquisite landing gear looks more at home on an F-16 than a general aviation single. However, its compact dimensions add to aerodynamic efficiency and provide increased interior space. The Extra 400 looks fast simply sitting on the ramp. Significant attention was paid to every aspect of aerodynamic efficiency. 

For example, unlike so many piston singles, the vertical tail is not offset to compensate for P factor. Rather, the airfoil is designed to provide differential side force as speed increases. Once again, the focus on speed through clean airframe design comes through loud and clear. 

So, with the looks of a fighter jet, a short wing, and a 350-horsepower water-cooled engine, is the Extra 400 an unforgiving airplane in the traffic pattern? It’s not. The sophisticated wing, designed with assistance from Delphi University, features fully recessed fowler flaps that reduce the stall speed from 79 to 58 knots at maximum gross weight. As you would expect from the designer of aerobatic championship aircraft, control response is crisp and precise, if a bit on the heavy side. 

The result of all this effort is an aircraft that will climb at nearly 1,400 feet per minute and cruise at nearly 250 knots at 25,000 feet for over 1,300 nautical miles while the pilot and up to five passengers ride in shirtsleeve comfort. Today, the idea of a nearly million-dollar Cirrus SR 22 has come to be accepted. However, when the Extra 400 debuted in 1998, the world of general aviation was not ready for its steep price tag and unique design. Word is that the aircraft required nearly 16,000 production hours to construct. Divide those hours into the million-dollar price tag, and the problem becomes clear. 

However, for pro shoppers, very low-hour Extra 400s can be found for considerably less today. While only 27 Extra 400s were completed, a recent look at the online aircraft sales websites yielded two for sale, both with under 1,000 hours and price tags right around $400,000. Thus, for the price of a new Cessna 172, transcontinental range, flight-level performance and cabin-class comfort can be yours. 

“Truly a clean-sheet design, the EA 400 resembles no existing airplane. Sporting a high wing, steeply sloped widescreen and T tail, the airframe is a lesson in efficient design. The high wing, a rarity in this class of aircraft, allowed for the wing spar to be placed above the cabin for increased cabin volume.“

Just like the Piper Malibu, the Extra 400 cried out for turboprop power. Extra Aircraft looked for a light and powerful turboprop to substitute for the heavy Continental and found it in the compact Rolls-Royce-Allison 250. Dubbed the Extra EA 500, the efficient little turbine slipped easily into the 400’s cowling. It weighed just 200 pounds and measured a meager 45 by 19 inches. The addition of the turboprop created an aircraft that did everything its predecessor could, but with turbine smoothness and simplicity. While the service ceiling and rate of climb remained the same, the Extra 500 boasted a 30-knot increase in cruise speed. Due to the thrifty Rolls-Royce turbine, the 500 featured a range of nearly 1,800 nautical miles and an endurance of over seven hours, all of this while retaining that modest 58-knot stall speed. 

As with so many outstanding aircraft, the Extra 400/500 were significantly ahead of their times and financially challenged. Throughout the early 2000s, Walter Extra and his magnificent airplanes looked for financial supporters to share the vision. Stories emerged of possible production facilities in Colorado or Arizona. Eventually, bankruptcy gave the company some financial relief. However, production of the 500 ended in 2015 and never restarted. 

For the right buyer, the Extra 400 is a truly remarkable cross-country cabin class aircraft at a relatively modest purchase price. Its small but loyal owner base has kept these remarkable aircraft up to date with modern avionics and meticulous maintenance. The Extra 400 remains ahead of its time, elegant to the eye and accomplished in the air. It truly is an incredible plane! 

Do you love Incredible Planes? Learn about The McDonnell 119/220 here.

The post The Extra EA 400: A Pressurized Composite, Transportation Beauty appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Arguably the most advanced civil one- and two-seat airplanes ever, the Extra series of unlimited class aerobatic airplanes just got better and cooler. And a few other superlatives to boot.

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Extra announced the new plane at the International Aerobatics Club building at AirVenture 2019 in front of a throng of journalists and acro nuts, and company founder and president Walter Extra made it worth their while.

The new plane is everything you’d expect an Extra to be, but it’s got a new secret ingredient!comfort. How they pulled that off is just about the entire story, though part of it is still top secret. Oh, come on, Walter, the world wants to know!

In any case, the trick was to eliminate the steel-tube skeleton of the plane in favor of all carbon-fiber construction. Now, if you think that this sounds basic, well, you’re right and you’re wrong. Because Extras can do about anything humanly imaginable, they pull more Gs than Sesame Street dishes out when “G” is the letter of the day. They are tested to enormous G levels, more than the human body can endure without passing out, so that steel tube infrastructure was a huge safety backup.

But, as Walter Extra explained at the unveiling, he was able to come up with a new composite construction technique that made the plane very strong and very light—it’s awaiting EASA approval. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t disclose the secret to what he says is a patentable process. Oh, man.

Enjoy this slideshow of photos from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019 from photography Jim Koepnick!

Because of the new structure, the plane isn’t only lighter than the previous top dog in the Extra lineup but it’s faster, too. Perhaps most importantly, it’s way more comfortable, making the NG a great airplane to not only do crazy things in but perhaps to go crazy places.

The cost of the NG is around $450,000, which is less than its current top model. We can’t wait to fly it!

The post EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019: Something Extra From Aerobatic Plane Maker Extra appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Extra 330LT
Engine Make & Model:	Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A
Horsepower:	315
Fuel Type (avgas):	100 LL
TBO (hrs.): :	2,000
Propeller:	Three-Blade Muehlbauer, MTV 9-B-C/C198-25
Propeller Speed (rpm):):	2,700
Typical Empty Weight:	1,455
Wingspan (ft.):	26.3
Overall Length (ft.):	23.0
Height (ft.):	8.5
Wing Area (ft.):	116.7
Max Wing Loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	18.0
Max Power Loading (lbs./hp):	6.7
Seating Capacity As Tested:	2
Baggage Compartment Capacity (lbs.):	22
Total Fuel (gals.):	58.4
Total Useable Fuel (gals.):	55.2
Acro Tank Useable Fuel (gals.):	17.7
Full Fuel Payload:	289.6
MTOW Normal Category (+6/-3g/ lbs.):	2,095
MTOW Two-Pilot Akro (+8/-8g/lbs.):	1,918
MTOW Single-Pilot Akro (+10/-10g/lbs.):	1,808
PERFORMANCE
Maximum Roll Rate (degs./sec.):	270
Range (nm—with VFR reserves):	580
Max Cruise Speed (kts.):	205
Vx (kts.):	87
Vy (kts.):	96
Va (kts.):	158
Vne (kts.):	220
Vso (kts.):	60
Base Price:	$447,500
Source:	Extra Aircraft

The post Extra 330LT appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Single-engine turboprops are a relatively recent development in general aviation. The Cessna 208 Caravan was the first of the type and the most successful, with more than 2,000 built so far, but the 208 was a dedicated utility airplane, more often a cargo container than a luxury people-hauler.

If you’re considering cross-country machines, the first successful turbine single was the TBM-700, a plush six seater introduced in 1991 and reminiscent of the Piper Malibu. The Pilatus PC-12 premiered in 1995, and the Piper Meridian in 2001, bringing the current certified class to three models.

The price range of the three airplanes is as wide as their capabilities. The Meridian is the entry-level machine, a comfortable 260-knot six seater based on the Malibu, and currently base-priced at about $2.1 million. The TBM-700 has now evolved to become the TBM-850, another six-place airplane that clocks along at 300 knots in exchange for $3.3 million. Finally, the PC-12 tops the class in size and weight with up to 11 seats at 280 knots and a typical price tag of $4.4 million.

There have been several other aborted attempts along the way—Beech’s Lightning and the Interceptor 400 to name two—plus a number of conversions that replaced existing piston powerplants with turbine engines. The only one of the latter to meet with major success has been the Piper Malibu JetPROP. (JetPROP LLC of Spokane, Wash., has sold a remarkable 260 P&W PT6A turboprop conversions for the Piper Malibu and Mirage, nearly 25% of total Malibu production.)

Now comes the Extra 500, Walter Extra’s high-wing carbon-fiber take on what a turbine single should be. The airplane has been in development for almost a decade, though it’s regarded as a new design on this side of the Atlantic. Most pilots know Walter as the father of the famous Extra 230/260/300/330 series of sportplanes that have competed so successfully in the aerobatic arena for the last quarter century.

The 500 is a definite departure for Extra Aircraft of Dinslaken, Germany. The airframe and wing are essentially identical to those used on the Extra
400, a short-lived piston product that premiered in 2003. That first nonaerobatic Extra was a preliminary, toe-in-the-water experiment to see if there might be a market for a Malibu-like, high-speed cruiser. The 400 was a carbon-fiber design that used a water-cooled Continental TSIOL-550-C engine rated for 350 hp, a less-than-optimum choice, as it turned out.

I delivered N400EX, the first Extra 400 to be ferried across the Atlantic, from Germany to Arizona in 2004, and the trip was interesting, to say the least. (Other Extra 400s were shipped to the U.S. in pieces and reassembled at Extra’s American distributor, Aero Sport, in St. Augustine, Fla.) No one on the North Atlantic route had seen an Extra 400, so the airplane was a source of instant curiosity wherever I went.

Rolls Royce
Though the piston-powered Extra 400 wasn’t a success, it paved the way for the introduction of the current turbine-powered airplane. The Extra 500 employs a 450 shp Allison/Rolls Royce 250-B17F, coupled to a five-bladed, MT, composite propeller. This isn’t the first application of the Rolls Royce 250 to a fixed-wing airplane. O&E Aircraft of Factoryville, Penn., has been converting Cessna 210 Centurions to its RR B17F Silver Eagle configuration for years.

In production ranks, the Rolls Royce is essentially the same engine that has been used for decades on thousands of Bell 206 series helicopters, the Jet Ranger and Long Ranger, and also on the Hughes/MD 500.

In the Extra application, TBO will be 3,500 hours, with a “heavy maintenance inspection” at 1,750 hours. Aircraft Bluebook estimates an overhaul at $110,000 to $150,000.

The engine has a few advantages over the more common Pratt & Whitney PT6A. First, it’s an extremely small, lightweight powerplant, only 45 inches long by 19 inches wide. It weighs only 200 pounds, compared to the piston Extra 400’s over-500-pound Continental mill. The turbine airplane is longer than the piston model for that very reason. The 500’s nose had to be extended a foot forward to help maintain the airplane’s CG within normal tolerances.

The not-so-good news is that power is limited to 450 shp, the lowest power rating in the class and only 100 more than the Continental on the Extra 400 or the Lycoming on the Mirage. Additionally, the Rolls Royce turbine suffers a high lapse rate; i.e., it bleeds off power quickly as the airplane climbs to altitude. In the Extra 500 application, critical altitude (the height above which the engine can no longer deliver its maximum rating) is 16,000 feet.

A low critical altitude isn’t such a major consideration in a helicopter, as rotary-wing aircraft rarely need to operate more than a few thousand feet above ground. Fixed-wing, turbine, cabin-class airplanes need as much altitude as possible to generate maximum speed on minimum fuel burn. Turbines are reminiscent of some normally aspirated piston mills in that they can provide huge power reserves at low altitude and must be carefully managed down low to avoid abuse.

The result is the Rolls Royce 250 engine won’t deliver full power at high altitude. The Extra 500 is approved for a max altitude of 25,000 feet where cruise is promised at about 210 knots, but if speed is the goal, the airplane does its best work at heights slightly below 18,000 feet. At modest altitudes, the Extra 500 is capable of reaching 220 knots, but only if you’re willing to pour 200 pounds of fuel an hour through the engine (30 gph).

In fact, that’s not such bad economy for a turboprop, and the 500 will do even better at lower power settings. Extra pilot Red Berry, who flew a month-long demo tour around the U.S. last year, including a visit to the 2010 Oshkosh AirVenture, commented that he had seen typical cruise speeds of 200 knots at 18,000 feet, burning only 140 lbs./hr. (21 gph). That’s roughly the same performance as a Piper Mirage but with turbine reliability.

On a max-range mission with a full 172 gallons in the tanks, that translates to seven hours’ endurance for 1,400 nm range, depending upon altitude and temperature. Pull back the thrust a little more, and you can realize a range of 1,600 nm.

Design Decisions
Walter Extra selected a high-wing configuration for the Extra 400 and 500 despite the ever-present challenge of a high-wing retractable—where to hide the landing gear. As with the retractable Cessnas and the Swearingen SX-300, the wheels sleep in the belly. The main gear of the Extra 500 retracts forward, and the nosewheel folds aft.

The designer felt the trade-off in complexity was worth it to realize the operational and aerodynamic advantages of a high-wing airplane. There’s no wing spar to deal with in the cabin, fuel flow is expedited by gravity in the event of dual fuel-pump failures, and the wing/fuselage intersection drag problem is simpler to overcome in a high-wing design.

The airfoil designer Walter Extra chose for his 400 and 500 is an NLF (natural laminar flow) design that Extra claims retains attached flow over the forward 70% of the chord. In contrast to the Meridian, the Extra features a comparatively small, 153.5-square-foot wing. From the front view, the wing appears to manifest anhedral—a down-slanting profile—when, in fact, it has very slight dihedral. The wing features a cusp at the rear that slopes up and fully encloses the track of the Fowler flaps.

That’s unusual for Fowlers that most often have hinges hanging down. Though the flaps are relatively short chord, they span nearly two-thirds of the wing trailing edge and extend to 30 degrees. Walter Extra selected Frise ailerons for the remainder of the trailing edge. These help counter adverse yaw and improve roll response, if at a slight drag penalty.

The result is a wing that satisfies the FAA’s 61-knot, dirty-stall requirement, and flies very well at approach speeds down to 85 knots. I flew a one-hour photo mission in formation with a Cessna Skyhawk, and it was a total nonevent. One of the Skyhawk’s doors had been removed for photographer Jim Lawrence, and the resulting drag probably cost the Hawk a good 10 knots, so max speed was about 105 knots. The Extra nevertheless hung in with the little 172 at banks to 45 degrees or more with nary a nibble of a high-speed stall.

More normal takeoffs result in the kind of ascent you’d expect from 450 shp driving only 4,700 pounds of airplane. The book spec is 1,335 fpm, but my flights were all at reduced weight, so much bigger numbers were normal. Upward mobility of 1,500 fpm isn’t unusual with two or three aboard and reasonable fuel. Climbs to 20,000 feet require 20 minutes or less, and the airplane’s 5.5 psi pressurization system can maintain an 8,000-foot cabin altitude at the 25,000-foot max certified altitude.

Normal empty weight is 3,091 pounds; useful load works out to 1,605 pounds. While that’s not spectacular, the Rolls Royce turbine’s low fuel burn means you don’t need to carry much Jet A-1 in order to traverse the country. Unlike piston airplanes that typically operate with full tanks most of the time, turbine models more typically fly with fuel appropriate to the mission. In the Extra 500, pump in 650 pounds of jet fuel, and you have three hours’ range plus reserve at the 21 gph burn rate. That still leaves 860 pounds for people and stuff, just over five folks total or four plus baggage. I’d bet that will be a popular loading configuration in this airplane.

Entry to the Extra’s cabin is through a door below the left wing. Once inside, it’s immediately obvious this would be a very comfortable place to travel, 55 inches across by 49 inches tall, nearly the same as a Twin Commander. The front office is configured hard by the windshield, which has a fast taper on both sides, wrapping up and over the two pilots.

Extra opted for a T-configuration in the tail to lift the elevator up out of the prop wash and thereby minimize pitch excursions associated with power changes. Pitch control in the Extra is right now, regardless of airspeed or power setting.

Normal approaches work well at between 90 and 120 knots. With the benefit of turbine power, the airplane can use any smooth, unobstructed, 2,000-foot runway. The retraction mechanism looks fairly fragile, but Walter Extra insists it has been tested repeatedly on turf runways without problems.

Standard avionics on the Extra 500 will be the Avidyne Entegra R9, a fully integrated flat-panel display controlled by a qwerty keyboard. Like all single-engine turbines these days, the standard airplane will come equipped with everything you could reasonably ask.

Looking Forward
Company CEO Ken Keith is planning to build a production facility in the U.S. to facilitate domestic production. Keep in mind, this isn’t a conventional aluminum machine put together with rivets. In fact, it’s in some respects closer to many modern composite homebuilt designs than to conventional production airplanes.

The carbon-fiber airplane will demand exotic construction techniques, but Keith is confident the recent emphasis on composites in commercial and military aircraft construction should provide a strong labor base of technicians with reasonable expertise.

For the buyer, a piece of that expertise will cost you $1.75 million a copy plus options. That makes the Extra 500 the least expensive certified jetprop on the market. Walter Extra’s innovative turboprop has already earned EASA certification (in Europe). The airplane we flew had been delivered to its German owner who had leased it back to Extra for the U.S. tour. An American reciprocal production certificate probably won’t be long in coming.

Make no mistake, the Extra 500 is unlike any existing production, single-engine turboprop. The configuration is unique, and the operating cost is the lowest in the class. Ken Keith and Walter Extra are hoping their unusual single-engine prop jet will find favor on the world market.

The post An Extra For The High Road appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Extra 400
Base price:	$937,500
Engine make/model:	Continental TSIOL 550-C
Horsepower@rpm@takeoff:	325@2500
Horsepower for takeoff:	350
TBO hrs.:	800
Fuel type:	100LL
Propeller type/diameter:	CS, 4-blade, hydraulic actuated/76.77
Landing gear type:	Retr.
Max ramp weight (lbs.):	4409
Gross weight (lbs.):	4409
Landing weight (lbs.):	4409
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	2974
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	1347
Oil capacity (qts.):	12
Fuel capacity (gals.):	123.6
Overall height (ft.):	10.14
Overall length (ft.):	31.15
Wingspan (ft.):	37.73
Wing area (sq. ft.):	153.55
Wing loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	28.7
Power loading (lbs./hp.):	12.6
Wheel base (ft.):	8.25
Seating capacity:	6
Cabin doors:	1
Cabin width (in.):	4.56
Cabin height (in.):	4.07
PERFORMANCE
Max. cruise speed (kts.):	235
Max. cruise range (nm):	2100
Max. range economy (55%) (nm):	1160
Max. rate of climb (fpm):	1400
Service ceiling (ft.):	25,000
Takeoff runway length (ft.):	1475
Landing runway length (ft.):	1000

The post Extra 400 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Opportunity Knocks
There I sat as the consequence of a misunderstanding, watching the ground drop away at a satisfyingly rapid rate. I anticipated a high nose attitude, but still underestimated and had to keep pulling back on the stick—even while setting the throttle and prop to “25 squared” out of concern for the noise-sensitive airport neighbors. I tried to hold 90 knots and reached the end of the 5,000-foot-long runway passing through 1,100 AGL. And the plane wasn’t even trying!

So how does an underemployed acro instructor and airport rat wrangle a ride in one of the air show industry’s hottest birds? It goes something like this!

Patty Wagstaff is a long-time, dear friend. Jay Land and his son Alex are flying buddies of both Patty and me. They have an Extra 300L in their stable and had recently acquired a Sukhoi Su-26. Jay e-mailed pictures of the Sukhoi’s new paint. I’m a big Sukhoi fan, so I replied that if “it” needed to be exercised, I’d be happy to do what I could. I copied the e-mail to Patty, along with the pictures.

First I got a response from Jay, who assumed I meant that I’d exercise their Extra; Alex was going to have first dibs on the Sukhoi. The same day I got an e-mail from Patty; she thought I meant exercising her Extra.

I’ve teased Patty for years—being a Sukhoi snob—that the Extra is a girly airplane. Well, I may be a snob, but I’m not an idiot, so after the 2006 NAS Jacksonville Air Show in Florida concluded, Patty’s crew chief and ferry pilot, Gene Powers, delivered one slightly used Extra to our airport. It was safely tucked into the T-hangar with my Pitts S2A, and I had some time to think about what had just happened. A clear schedule and good weather presented themselves a few days later.

Flight One: Basic Introduction
Starting the new Lycoming IO-580 required prolonged priming that would have easily flooded most other injected engines. Even so, it took two tries to get enough fuel to the injectors. Once running, the engine settled into a nice, hefty idle.

The rudder pedals have stirrups, and the toe brakes were right under the balls of my feet. I made sure to butt my heels against the lower portions of the pedal assemblies to remain clear of the brakes. It would be good practice for later.

The run-up and takeoff were all standard, except that when this airplane is ready to go, it goes! The rudder had lots of authority from the start of the roll and remained light, powerful and immediately responsive throughout the entire flight.

The wing tanks still had between 20 and 25 gallons of fuel, so any acro had to be limited to just +6/-3 G’s. But this was only an introductory flight; hard G was unnecessary. I tried the ailerons on the way out of the pattern and found them delightfully responsive, even with the “burdensome” mass of wing fuel. Getting a 30-plus-degree bank took such little time that the stick didn’t even reach half-travel—just a split-second pulse, and the bank was there. The Extra reached 3,000 feet AGL less than 5 nm from liftoff and leveled off at “24 cubed” (24-inch MAP, 2,400 rpm and 24 gph fuel flow). Patty said the IO-580 was thirsty, but this was ridiculous. Fortunately, the mixture came way back without the EGT going above 1,200 degrees, and the fuel flow settled down to about 17 or 18 gph. The ASI sat firmly at the top of the green arc—158 knots—affirming that this was a fast, overpowered hot rod. The wing fuel had to be burned out, so little attention was spent trying to lean to an ideal mixture setting.

I started with some mild, smooth acro: aileron rolls, barrel rolls, a loop and a wingover. The ability to sustain G was phenomenal, and the G squeeze lasted much longer than in the S2A. The over-the-top maneuvers peaked at more than 1,000 feet above their entry altitudes and felt effortlessly liquid, especially compared to the Pitts. All this at a medium cruise setting of between 20 and 24 inches of MAP—and with wing fuel! Oh, my…

Because aerobatic pilots have to manipulate the angle of attack with finesse and accuracy, I thought a stall or two might be in order. So with the area cleared, power came to idle and I eased the stick back. The airplane is slick enough that the pitch rate was too fast, resulting in a climb. When it finally let go at less than 60 KIAS, the airflow was plainly audible as it detached from the canopy. It sounded like a breeze whispering through bedsheets on a clothesline. The wing behaved well enough that it maintained aileron control. I added power—10 inches MAP—and put it into a 40-degree left bank. It flew at 60 to 65 KIAS. Throttle was forward to 24 squared and the nose up to 40-plus degrees. When it stalled in this configuration, the airplane had more than enough rudder to maintain directional control. Easing the nose down slightly got the Extra flying again. The power-on stall had netted more than 1,500 feet.

More positive G maneuvers followed; loops, rolls, barrels, modified half-Cubans and reverse half-Cubans, and wingovers (90 and 180 degrees of bank) just kept flowing. The power remained between 20 and 24 inches and the prop at 2,400 rpm; still the airplane gained altitude. A full-deflection aileron roll was next flown in an effort to track the roll rate. After four or five linked rolls, I couldn’t trust my mental timing, but the roll rate was easily 300 to 360 degrees per second. Even with partial power and the heavy fuel load, we were soon at 5,000 feet.

ATC called us out as traffic to another aircraft. I held an orbit at first, then settled on a straight course roughly east-bound. I still couldn’t find the traffic, and the other airplane didn’t see me either. (Two-dimensional thinking wasn’t working.) Full power, pitch up for a climb and the Extra went from 5,000 to 6,000 feet in well under a minute. Just then, we spotted each other with more than adequate clearance.

After a few more maneuvers, it was time to head back for landing. Power was back to 16 to 17 inches for the descent and the traffic pattern. Upon reaching the abeam point on the downwind, the throttle came back even further, and a descending turn began. Between modulating the power and manipulating the turn, we arrived over the numbers and flared to the landing attitude. There was lots of control authority in all three axes. Some ratcheting showed in pitch and, to a lesser extent, in yaw—my problem, not the plane’s. But the touchdown was anticlimactic, just as in the Extras and Sukhois I’ve flown before. Aircraft in this class all seem to have great ground manners.

I did two more landings, and found that with the throttle at idle, the plane came down as steeply as the S2A—maybe more so. (There’s massive drag in that prop.) The nose was higher than the Pitts’ landing attitude, but without the top wing, there was the illusion of better visibility. The crosswind drifted us right of center, but that was again my fault and not the airplane’s.

Lots of information in only 42 minutes!

Flight Two: Subjective Handling Review
The second flight was less formal; its purpose was to get a subjective feel for the control, handling and authority of this bad girl. But first a baseline comparison was necessary, so it was off to fly the Pitts. I chose a simple sequence that was also familiar—the 2006 IAC Sportsman Knowns:

• Shark’s tooth
• Immelmann
• One-turn upright spin
• Reverse shark’s tooth
• Slow roll
• Half-Cuban eight
• Loop
• Hammerhead
• Two-point slow roll
• Aerobatic turn, 270

This sequence normally required around 1,000 feet to fly in the S2A, the big loser being the spin—no way to make up the altitude once the little biplane was through that. On the other hand, it didn’t cost more altitude after the spin, either.

Again flying at less than full throttle (25-squared, I believe), the Extra showed her “overpowered” side by gaining back the altitude lost in the spin and then gaining a bit more. The maneuvers felt easier and less rushed, even though the increased speed gobbled up the box faster than the S2A. Years ago, Patty told me about her first Extra 230. She said flying monoplanes after biplanes seemed like “moving through a fluid,” making things effortless and maintaining energy throughout figures. I certainly found that to be true of the 300S.

The time in the vertical was sublime. Not only did the airplane have much better vertical penetration than the Pitts, but it possessed a much superior “hang time” as well. The pitch control across the tops, even in the tight shark’s tooth, was more than adequate. The roll rate off the Immelmann was quick and crisp. The loop was large, the hammerhead delightful and the roll rates rapier-swift. All-in-all, there was excellent control that made the sequence seem much easier to fly.

Flight Three: In The Box
I wanted to fly two additional, familiar sequences to again compare the performance with my Pitts and to let me evaluate this airplane against some “known territory.”

I did some warm-up maneuvers first. The wing fuel was finally gone, so I got to quantify the vertical performance. From 185 knots at 6 G’s at the pull, the altimeter showed 2,000 feet of vertical. Increasing that to the 220-knot red line at 6.5 G’s yielded 2,500 feet AGL before a quick hammerhead.

The first sequence was the proposed 2007 Intermediate sequence, which includes such maneuvers as an Immelmann with a two-point roll on top, a snap roll, a hammerhead with a 1⁄4 roll on the upline and a shark’s tooth with a two-point roll on the 45-degree downline. (I found this routine fun to fly.)

My personal solo sequence usually includes eight minutes of 29 air show maneuvers. Rather than a list of figures, let me say that overall, I was impressed with how easy the routine was to fly in the monoplane. While it’s all I can do to squeeze this sequence out of the S2A, the 300S left me with enough surplus energy to spontaneously add rolls here and there. The “set time” between maneuvers, or between segments of the maneuvers themselves, was much longer. This, in turn, made the rhythm of the sequence less hectic and more deliberate. The contrast between the Pitts and the Extra was the difference between work and play.

Then, for fun, I flew spontaneous figures as the plane moved through the aerobatic box. If the altitude got low, I used a maneuver that gained it. If the speed was high, I was able to draw long up-lines or perform multiple snap rolls on top. With the capability of the 300S, it was easy to string a sequence together that utilized each and every corner of the box in an ebb and flow. All in all, it was a great way to end our brief time together. The landing even worked out well.

Is this 300S a bad girl? Yeah. But is she “girly”? Let’s see…electrically adjusted rudder pedals? Girly. Rudder pedal stirrups? Not girly. Autopilot turn coordinator—with no autopilot? Girly. Blinding control response? Not girly. Weather strike finder? Girly. All-attitude military-style mini-horizon gyro? Not girly.

If this plane were a woman, she’d wear black leather and ride a Harley. She could bench-press 250. If you’re nice to her, she might show you her tattoo; if you’re not nice, she might just punch you in the face.

So it would be worth your while to treat her well and learn her ways. She’ll respond to respectful handling and repay you in kind. She may be “bad,” she may be a “girl,” but she’s definitely not girly. She’s all woman, all business and worth every minute.

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Extra EA-500
Engine make/model:	Rolls Royce 250-B17F
Horsepower:	450
TBO (hrs.):	3500
Propellor:	5-blade/reversible/MT
Max takeoff weight (lbs.):	4696
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	3091
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	1605
Usable fuel, std. (gal./lbs.):	116/77
Payload, full std. fuel (lbs.):	357
Wingspan (ft.):	38.3
Overall length (ft.):	33.2
Height:	11 ft. 2 in.
Wing area (sq. ft.):	154
Pressure differential (lbs./sq. in.):	5.5
Wing loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	31
Power loading (lbs./hp):	10.4
Seating capacity:	6
Cabin width (in.):	55
Cabin height (in.):	49
Baggage (lbs.):	198
PERFORMANCE
Max cruise speed (kts.):	226
Fuel consumption, max cruise (gph):	31
Best rate of climb, SL (fpm):	1335
Max certified altitude (ft.):	25,000
Takeoff ground roll (ft.):	1250
Takeoff over 50 ft. (ft.):	2050
Landing ground roll (ft.):	917
Landing over 50 ft. (ft.):	2050

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