User Guide

The Fleet
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8
Extra Flugzeugbau
Walter Extra is well on his way towards being
added to the long list of legends that populate
German design and engineering circles. A
mechanical engineer whose avocation was
aerobatic competition, he won several German
National Championships and competed interna-
tionally. After flying a modified Pitts Special in the
1982 World Aerobatic Championship, Extra
decided to design his own high performance
monoplane. His Extra 230 was in the air the next
year.
In 1984, Walter flew the 230 in the World Aero-
batic Championship, which focused attention on
the new design and sparked orders from other
pilots: Extra Flugzeugbau (Aircraft Construction)
was born. Aerobatic champion Clint McHenry
purchased an Extra 230 and flew it to win the U.S.
National Aerobatic Championship in 1986 and
1987. Pete Anderson won the 1990 Championship
in his 230. A total of 19 Extra 230s were built, and
a number of U.S. Aerobatic Team members flew
them at World Aerobatic Championships.
The Extra 260 prototype flew in 1987 with a larger
engine than the 230 and a new three-bladed
prop. This model incorporated a larger wood wing
in addition to carbon-fiber composite tail surfaces
and landing gear. Patty Wagstaff won the World
Aerobatic Championship flying her 260 three
years in a row (’91, ’92, ‘93). Her Extra 260 now
resides in the National Air and Space Museum in
Washington, D.C.
The prototype 300 model was completed in 1988
and 300s were flown by three different competi-
tors at the World Aerobatic Championship that
year. The 300 horsepower Extra was taken
through full German and U.S. certification. The
FAA certified the 300 with an unprecedented
+/- 10G rating—more Gs than most humans can
withstand and remain conscious. More improve-
ments to the Unlimited class 300 were introduced
with the single-seat 300S.
Walter Extra builds his planes to be flown by
recreational as well as competitive pilots, and all
of the Extras have been designed with that vision.
With the introduction of the 300L in 1993, Extra
took a further step in that direction with a two-
place version of the 300 that is often equipped
with full IFR panels and autopilots. To date this is
Extra Flugzeugbau’s best seller. And it’s still a
stellar aerobatic performer, even with two souls on
board.
The slightly smaller and lower-powered Extra 200
is designed for the introductory aerobatic market.
It has lower initial acquisition costs and lower
operating costs and is a perfect choice for the
fixed-base operator (FBO) who wants to offer
basic aerobatic courses.
Extra Flugzeugbau entered into a new market in
1999 with the Extra 400. The model 400 is a six-
place, pressurized, cabin-class plane built for a
niche between the recreational and corporate
light-business aircraft markets. Over 90% of the
400 is constructed of carbon-fiber composites,
giving it exceptional strength and light weight.
The Extra experience can be summed up in the
following words: light weight, high thrust, and
performance, performance, performance. While
broadening the base of their product line, Extra
Flugzeugbau will remain one of the top competi-
tors in the construction of world-class aerobatic
aircraft.