Storied German Aerobatic Marque Expands Stateside

Established in 1980 by German aerobatic pilot Walter Extra as a means by which to design and develop his own airplanes, the EXTRA Aircraft company—EXTRA Flugzeugbau by its German moniker—has since grown into one of the world’s premier makers of aerobatic aircraft.

EXTRA’s aircraft line-up comprises the EXTRA 330 SC, a single seat, low-wing, conventional (taildragger) landing-gear, aerobatic monoplane possessed of the sort of aerobatic performance that won world championships in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017; the EXTRA 330 LX, a two-seat, tandem arrangement, low-wing, conventional landing-gear, aerobatic monoplane eminently suited to both aerobatic competition and dual instruction; the EXTRA 330, a slick, two-seat, glass-panel machine that EXTRA rightfully touts as The Aerobatic Tourer; the EXTRA 330 LP, a two-seat, tandem arrangement, low-wing aerobatic monoplane that’s slightly less aggressive than the LX; and the EXTRA NG, the company’s next generation aerobatic aircraft and heir-apparent to EXTRA’s legacy competition aircraft.

In autumn 2022, EXTRA founder and CEO Walter Extra announced the formation of EXTRA Aircraft USA LP. The facility will be based at the DeLand Airport (DED) in DeLand, Florida, and provide factory-authorized parts and maintenance support to all North American EXTRA aircraft owners. Additionally, the entirety of new EXTRA aircraft bound for North America will be received at DeLand and verified fit for delivery by factory-trained and authorized staff.

Mr. Extra remarks: “I am very pleased to continue our success in the USA and  announce this new EXTRA facility for our North American customers. We will provide AOG and complete spares support from DeLand backed up by the factory in Germany. We will also grow our service offerings for scheduled maintenance, such as annual inspections and the one-thousand-hour inspection, as well as unscheduled maintenance.”

Duncan Koerbel, a veteran aerospace executive who’s logged approximately one-thousand hours in EXTRA aircraft, will serve as the general manager of EXTRA Aircraft USA. Mr. Koerbel will work closely with Eric Extra, manager of maintenance; and Marcus Extra, manager of production, to establish the new factory-direct model and position it to support the North American EXTRA fleet well into the future.

Marcus Extra notes: “We have an excellent order backlog and continue to be pleased with the demand for our new NG as well as the 330SC, which was just flown to its eighth world championship in Poland. This arrangement will allow us to be even closer to our customers.”

Eric Extra added: “We have initially leased hangar facilities in DeLand but are exploring a purpose-built option for the long-term future. Marcus and I are excited to continue to grow the company our father founded forty-years ago.”

EXTRA’s USA facility will commence operations in late 2022.

FMI: www.extraaircraft.com