AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2020 - 55

SPEC SHEET
Extra NG

"It's freaky how fast this thing goes
fast," Vayda said. "Its rate of acceleration
going downhill is mind bending."

PRICE: ABOUT $450,000

NO STEEL FRAME
SPECIFICATIONS

Powerplant | Lycoming AEIO-580
(315 hp at 2,700 rpm)
Propeller | MT Propeller MTV-9,
three-blade, constant-speed
Length | 23.33 ft
Height | 8.27 ft
Wingspan | 27.33 ft
Wing area | 117.76 sq ft
Wing loading | 18.15 lb/sq ft
Empty weight | 1,400 lb
Max takeoff weight | 2,095 lb
Useful load | 695 lb
Usable fuel | 51 gal
PERFORMANCE

Max demonstrated crosswind | 15 knots
Max inverted ﬂight | 4 minutes
LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS

VX (best angle of climb) | 80 KIAS
VY (best rate of climb) | 105 KIAS
VA (maneuvering speed) | 161 KIAS
VNE (never exceed) | 221 KIAS
Max full aileron deﬂection | 187 KIAS
Max snap roll | 140 KIAS
Stall | 63 KIAS
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact
southeastaero.com, extraaircraft.com
All speciﬁcations are based on
manufacturer's calculations. All
performance ﬁgures are based on
standard day, standard atmosphere, sea
level, gross weight conditions unless
otherwise noted.

A STYLIZED METAL GRID covers the

engine air intake (facing page,
clockwise from top left). Extra
NG owners can choose between
three- or four-blade MT constantspeed propeller. Control surfaces
are mass balanced to resist aerodynamic ﬂutter at high speeds.
Aileron spades act as an aerodynamic form of power steering and
lighten roll forces in ﬂight.

The NG (for "Next Generation") represents a technology turning point for Extra
Aircraft.
For more than 30 years, the German
ﬁrm founded and led by Walter Extra, an
engineer and former aerobatic competition pilot, has designed and produced
incredibly strong, exquisitely crafted, and
exceedingly durable aerobatic aircraft with
one trait in common: all were built around
steel-tube frames.
Steel frames gave them strength, rigidity, and crash survivability-but they also
limited interior space and added weight.
Modern rivals such as Game Composites
with its GB1 and MX Aircraft with its
MXS and MX2 avoided steel in favor of
all-carbon-ﬁber construction, and their
unlimited aerobatic airplanes deliver jawdropping performance.
Extra had long contemplated doing
away with the steel structure but the
founder wasn't willing to make that leap
until he was sure it wouldn't compromise
safety. About three years ago, he found
a way to enhance crashworthiness, or
"residual strength," in carbon ﬁber.
"When I found a method of introducing residual strength, even in very thin
[carbon fiber] shells as they are used in
fuselage structures, I started thinking seriously about a new airplane," Extra said.
That concept became the NG, which was
unveiled in 2019.
Extra said he hasn't decided whether
to seek a patent.
"I might make my idea publicly available to boost safety," he said.
Once liberated from steel frames,
Extra could make improvements he'd long
sought: more interior space, a far larger
front cockpit, a removable ﬂoor for ease of
maintenance, fewer parts, and smoother
surfaces with more aerodynamically efficient intersections.
The Lycoming AEIO -580 engine
and MT propeller on the NG have been
proven on previous aircraft, and the
wing shape is nearly identical to Extra
LX models. But almost everything else
about the NG is different.

The exterior walkaround shows a
dazzling ﬁt and ﬁnish. Carbon ﬁber is a
difficult material to paint, yet the surfaces
are mirror smooth and lustrous. The canopy is optically perfect despite its complex
shape, and it closes as tight as a door on a
Mercedes coupe.
The NG holds 51 gallons of fuel in a
main tank in the fuselage and a pair of
wing tanks. Two "whiskers" on the cowl
openings are mini wings meant to improve
engine cooling at high angles of attack. The
steerable rubber tailwheel connects to the
rudder with a pair of tension springs.
Climbing into the cockpit requires
stepping onto the stitched leather seat and
lowering yourself down. The seatback angle
is adjusted with a single button. Push the
button, move upright or recline as desired,
then release the button and an air piston
keeps the angle exactly where you set it.
The rudder pedals also move fore and aft.
The shape of the seat is designed to
accommodate a pilot wearing a backpack parachute, and the sides conform to
prevent the pilot from shifting from side
to side. A five-point ratcheting harness
cinches the occupant ﬁrmly in place.
The ergonomics of seat position, interior
space, physical support, control placement
and travel, and switch position make the
NG astoundingly comfortable-and that's
unusual because comfort is typically an
afterthought in hard-core aerobatic airplanes. Here, Extra makes it a priority.
The Garmin panel contains an IFRcapable G3X primary flight display/
multifunction display, G5 standby instrument, GNX 375 GPS, com radio, and a
digital autopilot. The NG is certified by
EASA in Europe and awaiting FAA certiﬁcation. Meanwhile, the few NGs imported
to the United States so far are being ﬂown
under experimental exhibition rules.
Start is normal for a fuel-injected
engine, and the nose-up deck angle
requires S-turns during taxi. The pretakeoff checklist is short with fuel selector,
canopy latch, and elevator trim among the
critical items.
Takeoff is an enveloping roar of engine
noise and brisk acceleration. There's surprisingly little left turning tendency despite
the powerful engine/propeller combination,
and light forward stick raises the tailwheel
off the runway surface at about 40 KIAS.
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 55
http://www.southeastaero.com http://www.extraaircraft.com http://www.aopa.org/pilot
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2020
