Flight Training - March/April 2025 - 37

The Extra 300 series is among the
most successful aerobatic designs
ever created. With 300 horsepower
or more, it can manage a very long
vertical upline.
far the most popular choice of contestants in the 2024 World
Aerobatic Championships. With 300 horsepower, two-seat
Extras still put a lot more energy at your fingertips than any
Decathlon. If your goal is to fine-tune your aircraft control
skill, the downside of an Extra is that extra horsepower
can cover up a variety of mistakes. A little extra drag from
misplaced rudder or ailerons during a maneuver will not be
as obvious in an Extra, but it can sap enough energy out of
a Super Decathlon sequence to leave you short on the next
vertical upline-if competition is indeed your aim. If nothing
else, it can be inconvenient.
Flying a less powerful aircraft puts a premium on not
wasting any of the energy you have available. Over time, it
may also sharpen your perception of subtle motion and prepare
you to fly any airplane with more precision.
There's also the matter of cost, and any Decathlon will be
easier on the wallet than any Extra, or a certified Pitts S-2C,
for that matter.
I WHAT TO EXPECT
deally, you'll do most of the flying, right from the start.
Depending on your comfort level with tailwheel aircraft
(nearly all aerobatic airplanes share this configuration), you
might need a hand with takeoff and landing, but you should
be able to perform the maneuvers at altitude under your
instructor's direction. Having your own hands and feet on
the controls goes a long way toward curbing the anxiety that
many people have about rolling an airplane upside-down.
Starting slow is also typical. Expect to spend time on the
ground with your instructor, briefing the flight ahead including
emergency procedures such as the use of your parachute.
The FAA requires wearing such parachutes (FAR 91.307)
in order to intentionally exceed 60 degrees of bank or 30
degrees of pitch above or below the horizon, excluding spins
required for a certificate or rating (see " CFI to CFI: You Spin
Me Round, " p. 46). While emergency parachutes have been
used, they are rarely deployed, particularly in training. A
competent instructor should guide you well away from the
risks that can lead to parachute use.
Whether your goal is competition aerobatics or overcoming
a fear of stalls, aerobatic instruction starts with the
basics. My initial goal in tracking down aerobatic instructor
Bob Cipolli was spin training in a Super Decathlon.
In the air, the first order of business was a power-off stall
and a delayed recovery. Keep holding the stick back, and
the airplane will wallow its way earthward. Starting with
plenty of altitude (at least 3,000 feet agl), there was time to
get a feel for how the stalled airplane can still be steered,
at least to a degree, with rudder inputs that stop short of
causing a spin.
FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2025
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