Extra Aircraft has received approval form the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the Avidyne Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck in the German-built Extra EA-500 single-engine turboprop. The certification allows IFR day and night operations in EA-500s fitted with the Entegra Release 9 upgrade.
The EA-500 is a turboprop version of the Extra 400 six-seat single built at Extra’s 64,000-square-foot production facility at Dinslaken Airport near Dusseldorf. The EA-500 is powered by the Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2, flat-rated to 450 horsepower. With full fuel and at 75 percent power, the airplane has an initial rate of climb of 2,000 feet per minute and a takeoff roll of under 1,000 feet. The optimum cruise level is FL 180 where, with a true airspeed of 230 to 240 knots, operators are seeing 23 gallons per hour fuel flow. The range with 45-minute reserve is close to 1,700 nm.
