Extra Class

Walter Extra of Germany has issued a direct challenge for dominance of the aerobatic trainer market with his new composite-and-fabric Extra 200, a less costly, lower-powered variant of his famous 300-series aerobatic aircraft. He hopes to establish a factory in this country to build the 200 — perhaps as early as this year. Extra and the United States distributor, Jim Moser of Aero Sport in St. Augustine, Florida, are completing plans to jointly establish an Extra 200 factory this summer at the St. Augustine Airport.

Moser is confident that he can sell 48 a year, and he seems to be off to a good start: There are currently 18 aircraft on order. The first production 200 will be delivered this month to Mid-Island Air Service at Brookhaven Airport in Shirley, New York. "The primary reason we bought it was a safety issue, the ease with which lower-time pilots can transition to it, compared to other high-performance aerobatic aircraft," said school owner Michael Mancuso.

Soon there will be two classes of aerobatic and emergency maneuver training students: those who fly the Extra 200 (200 horsepower), and those who wish that they did. It's that good. Because the 200 is capable of performing at the highest level of aerobatic competition (it can handle plus or minus 10 Gs), it is also selling to aerobatic competitors who are looking for an affordable but competitive aircraft.

A year ago it was hoped that the tandem-seat trainer could sell for a base price of $150,000, but with variations in international exchange rates and the decision to offer some options as standard equipment, the current base price is $170,000. Among those options are three-blade propellers and manually adjustable rudder pedals. It is still competitive with the ubiquitous Pitts S-2B trainer, which costs about $130,000. Craig Fordem, a check pilot for Aero Sport, believes that the composite construction will result in lower maintenance costs for operators.

Extra unveiled the Extra 300L (L for low wing) in 1995, a 300-hp tandem-seat aircraft that made its way onto the U.S. Aerobatic Team last year (see " Extra Extras," August 1995 Pilot). But if the 200 is a less-expensive version of the 300, with 100 fewer horses, what does that mean in terms of the 200's performance?

In fact, there are few compromises. The 200 is so similar to the 300 series that its official designation is EA300/200. The 200 has the same wings and tail as the 300S, another Extra model that has served on the U.S. Aerobatic Team for several years. The fuselage is slightly shorter, meaning that the pilot must pay greater attention to rudder control on takeoff and landing.

Except for horsepower, the differences between the 300L and the 200 are few. Applying full power for takeoff in either aircraft is like firing a rocket. Afterwards, the 300L can climb at more than 3,000 feet per minute, while the 200 loafs along at only half that. The 300 climbs at 120 knots, 20 knots faster than the 200, which means that on a typical training flight it will arrive in the practice area sooner. But the two aircraft seem like equals when doing aerobatics. The 300 can rocket straight up for 2,500 feet, while the 200 runs out of steam after 1,500 feet, but that is more than adequate for Advanced and even Unlimited category aerobatic competition.

Both aircraft have the same feature that is the primary advantage of owning an Extra anything, no matter what the model: control harmony. An Extra is flown best when the controls appear not to be moving at all — when pressure is applied with little apparent physical movement. It is hard to describe the control harmony Walter Extra has achieved, but Madison Avenue terms invented in the 1950s and 60s for cars come close: Powerglide and Fluid Drive. Or, as a Saturday Night Live comedian used to say, "It's like buttah." Effortless stick movement frees the pilot to think about other things, such as whether the loop is perfectly round and whether the pull on the control stick is straight.

Trainers that require more work are said by purists to be better for the student. Such trainers, the argument goes, force greater concentration on p-factor, gyroscopic effect, torque, and adverse yaw — and better teach the student to compensate for them. But they have their downside as well. To get an idea of what performing the slow roll is like in lower-performance trainers, imagine yourself wildly stomping grapes (the rudder pedals) while churning frozen molasses with the control stick. Smaller control inputs are required in the Extra 200, and because the maneuver is over more quickly than in a slower trainer, errors have less time in which to accumulate before they become obvious.

Some instructors object to less-experienced aerobatic students' flying a thoroughbred airplane like an Extra or a Pitts S-2B, because the aircraft give students an exaggerated sense of confidence. During a demonstration flight in the 200, however, it was clear that as long as students stay within their skill limits, they will have no problem controlling the aircraft. And the lower horsepower keeps the maneuvers from getting too fast, as Walter Extra pointed out in an interview last year. Yet the 200 rolls at 360 degrees per second — and that is plenty for Advanced category competition.

The prototype 200 had a tendency to float during the landing if airspeed was not controlled precisely, and it offered limited forward visibility during final approach. By comparison, the 300L pilot can enter the pattern at 160 knots and expect aerodynamic braking by the propeller after a reduction in manifold pressure. It can be used in lieu of flaps, which neither the 300 nor the 200 has, to allow a steep descent angle for improved forward visibility while maintaining the airspeed at 90 knots.

Not so with the prototype 200 I flew. The three-bladed propeller had narrow blades compared to those on the 300, and it offered less drag when at high rpm settings. Bring that 200 onto final at 90 knots and you might float most of the length of the runway. The aircraft had to be slowed to 75 knots. Forewarned by Fordem, I began working on slowing the aircraft 10 miles out and never once had a problem with floating during several flights. The production 200, however, now has a redesigned propeller blade that is said to improve aerodynamic braking.

The pitch attitude required at 75 knots was close to a climb attitude, meaning limited forward visibility in the pattern and especially on final approach. It was no problem on St. Augustine's 150-foot-wide Runway 31, but the 75-foot-wide Runway 24 virtually disappeared at 100 feet agl on final. Unless the approach was at exactly the right descent angle, I had to use peripheral vision, exact airspeed, and correct aircraft attitude to land. That problem has now also been addressed in the production model, Moser said. The seat can be raised; and, of course, improved aerodynamic braking allows the nose to be lowered on final.

I was able to solo the 300L after four flights but decided not to solo the 200, given the fact that I was sometimes landing on the centerline and other times off to one side. Fordem would point out that I needed to move left or right during short final, but since I sometimes saw no runway after turning final, I was hard pressed to make corrections. An obvious answer is to perform a forward slip to a landing, something I did not try. The 200 requires no more attention than any other conventional-gear aircraft during crosswind landings.

While the visibility during approach and landing took some getting used to, there was no problem with ground handling. The tailwheel is interconnected to the rudders while on the ground, allowing the 200 to taxi as easily as a grocery cart.

Another area in which the 200 has no problem is its ability to teach. My current level of aerobatic expertise places me at the experienced beginner category. I felt that the 200 helped me to make significant progress on the slow roll, the most difficult of all maneuvers for beginners, and on the aileron roll and barrel roll. The barrel roll, as Fordem teaches it, requires the pilot only to pitch up and then maintain constant pressure on the stick and rudder throughout the roll. All the student has to do is maintain the pitch angle and roll rate, let the confidence build, and enjoy the ride. That's what a trainer is supposed to do.

Flight schools have signaled their approval of the new trainer with their dollars. Look for new Extra 200s at a half-dozen aerobatic schools over the next few months. Students are not likely to be late when these classes are in session.