Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

Single/two-seat high-performance aerobatic monoplane

Power Plant:

One 224 kw (300 hp) Textron-Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5D six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

In 1982 Walter Extra of Dinslaken, Germany, participated in the World Aerobatic Championships in a Pitts biplane and decided to build his own aircraft, setting up Extra Flugezugbau GmbH in 1983 and constructing the Extra 230, the first flight of which took place on 14 July 1983. This was designed to obtain maximum strength and minimum weight, providing good performance and handling characteristics. Three more Extra 230s were built but had significant differences and they have become known as the Model 320. The Model 230 had a wooden wing with Dacron covering and a small number were supplied to the Swiss National Aerobatic Team.

The Model 230 was followed by the Extra 260 (N618PW), a one-off design which was flown by United States National Aerobatic Champion, Patty Wagstaff, and which has now been retired to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. The Extra 260 was put into limited production in the early 1990s, being similar but smaller than the Extra 300 and seating the pilot only, being powered by a 195 kw (260 hp) Lycoming IO-540 engine. Six were built but, as they were never certificated, they flew under special permits.

Design work on the Extra 300 began in 1987, the prototype (D-EAEW) flying on 6 May 1988, production commencing in October 1988 and certification being received in May 1990. The Model 300s was a two-seater. Although generally similar to the earlier model, it was larger and more powerful. The fuselage was constructed of steel tube with aluminium alloy and fabric covering, the wings having carbon fibre box spars, caps, webs and honeycomb sandwich skins. Tail surfaces were mostly fibreglass. The Lycoming engine drove a three-blade Muhlbauer constant-speed propeller, and fuel capacity was 120 litres (26.4 Imp gals) in wing tanks and a 38 litre (8.4 Imp gal) fuselage tank. G limits were plus and minus 10 for solo aerobatics.

Built by Extra Flugzeugbau GmbH at Hunxe in Germany, one of the first operators was the Chilean Air Force, which purchased six for the Halcones High Aerobatic team. Further development of the series led to the Extra 300S, this flying on 4 March 1992 and differing from the Extra 300 in having a single-seat, shorter span wings and more powerful ailerons but retaining the same engine. The Extra 300L first flew in January 1998 and had a low-mounted wing. The Model 330 was strengthened and had a 245 kw (330 hp) Lycoming AEIO-580 engine and larger control surfaces.

The manufacturer stated ‘the EA-300LP was designed with the competitive and performance pilot in mind. We have created a package that gives the pilot a distinct advantage by re-designing a number of aerodynamic features and weight-saving production processes’. These included a new cowling optimised for improved engine airflow, light-weight carbon fibre honeycomb composite in the cowling, new light-weight carbon honeycomb fuselage shells, carbon fairings, wheel and brake fairings, and a titanium firewall. Other changes included a light-weight oil-cooling system, carbon fibre instrument panel, light-weight avionics package and Teflon hose kit.

Further variants have been built to meet customer demand, including the 300SHP built for the United States aerobatic champion with a 261 kw (350 hp) Lycoming Thunderbolt engine.

First of the type seen in this region D-EFEA arrived in late 1991, being demonstrated at a number of aviation events still carrying its German markings, followed by D-EJEA. These became VH-XTR (c/n 27 – ex N3300K) and VH-OOE (c/n 30 – ex D-EJEA) respectively. In early 1993 a single-seat 300S model arrived, becoming VH-XTR² (c/n 07 – ex D-ETXE), this model having the wing shortened by 50 cm (19½ in) and more powerful ailerons. In 1994 VH-XTR was exported to the United States and was replaced by the Model 300S which became VH-XTR² (c/n 07) on 1 November 1995.

In March 1995 an Extra 300S (N9J) was imported to perform aerobatic displays during the Australian International Air Show at Avalon, VIC. A further Model 300S became VH-NIS (c/n 011) on 27 October 1999 to Flight Unlimited. Since then further Extra 300Ls have been imported, the first becoming VH-KCF (c/n 1182) on 26 November 2004 to Australian Mineral Economics; VH-IOG (c/n 100 – ex G-IICM) to Richard Wiltshire of Hoxton Park, NSW on 15 June 2005; and VH-RXB (c/n 021) for Freestyle Aviation of Bankstown, NSW in 2007. During the years a number of Extras have been temporarily imported to take part in the Red Bull air race events which were held in Perth, WA each year. A further Model EA-300 became VH-EXR (c/n 010).

Further examples have included EA-300/L VH-WFX (c/n 1276 – ex N4123V); EA-300L VH-NBX4 (c/n 082) in Fremantle, WA, this aircraft being cancelled on 12 January 2018 and exported to the United States; VH-SCK, a 300SC (c/n SC-062) registered on 26 May 2016; and VH-NBV (c/n 082) on 15 October 2012 to Oliver Dunkell of Roleystone, WA. An EA-300L VH-HQK³ (c/n 1191 – ex N269SG, N191EX) was registered on 7 March 2011 but was de-registered on 28 August 2014 and exported to Japan as JA-111E. In December 2014 a further example was imported to Western Australia, this being an EA-300SC which became VH-YXN (c/n SC-052) to Awesome Asset Securities of Perth.

VH-LXV (c/n LC-013) was an Extra 300/LC330LX and was registered on 20 September 2012 but was exported to South Africa as ZS-EXE after being de-registered on 9 September 2014. The Extra 330 series had the 235 kw (315 hp) Lycoming IO-580 engine.

In early 2009 an Model EA-300L was imported to New Zealand, becoming ZK-XRA (c/n 085 – ex N848TS) on 2 December 2008 to X-Flight of Half Moon Bay, Auckland but was cancelled from the register and exported in January 2018.

Research and development of the series has continued in Germany but production has been moved to Lancaster in Pennsylvania in the United States following the injection of funds to the Company by an American investor. Aerobatic teams have operated the type, including ‘The Blades’ in the United Kingdom, the ‘Halcones’ team of the Chilean Air Force, and the ‘Krisakti’, a display team based in Malaysia.

The Extra series has been very popular around the world, moving in design and construction from the original steel tube empennage and wooden wing to carbon fibre composite structure, which was stronger, lighter and provided better aerodynamics. They have sold very well in their limited field and more than 700 examples have been completed over the years, most being registered in the United States where they havw operated as fast two-seaters.

In 2020 a new model of the series was released, being known as the EA-330LT, the prototype of this model D-EXLT (c/n LT-001) owned by HP Automotive trading as US Diesel being imported to the Australian Gold Coast, QLD in the middle of that year.