First Production Extra 330SX Purchased

The aerobatic airplane manufacturer has expanded to accommodate the growing product line.

Marcus Extra (right) congratulates Bob Freeman purchased the first Extra 330SX, rolling down the production line now. [Credit: Stephen Yeates]

The first production Extra 330SX may not be taking to the skies til next year, but the new single-canopy aerobatic airplane is already spoken for. At a presentation at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this week, company president Marcus Extra introduced Freeman as the first customer.

The Extra 330SX features high performance ailerons, with 60 percent larger horns and modified wing tips, along with a reduced fuselage length. The combination leads to its stunning roll rate—which the company measures by mounting a GoPro in the airplane, taking it out for a series of rolls, then returning that video to the engineering team who analyze it and calculate the rate.

Other improvements in the cockpit are proposed to deliver greater pilot comfort, including a taller stick with reduced side-to-side travel to better accommodate larger pilots—like Extra, who flew the airplane earlier this summer in a competition in Germany for the first time. 

The company has doubled its footprint in DeLand, Florida (KDED) to make room for the production of more models.

Based in Maryland, Julie is an editor, aviation educator, and author. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate with Douglas DC-3 and CE510 (Citation Mustang) type ratings. She's a CFI/CFII since 1993, specializing in advanced aircraft and flight instructor development. Follow Julie on Twitter @julieinthesky.

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