Extra Aircraft
Extra 200 / 300 / 330 aerobatic family
Single-engine piston · Aerobatic trainer · 1980s–1990s
- Power
- 300 hp
- Cruise
- 175 kt
- MTOW
- 1,872 lb
- Range
- 520 nm
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.
Performance
- Cruise speed (Vc)175 kt
- Never-exceed speed (Vne)220 kt
- Stall (landing config) (Vs0)60 kt
- Climb rate3,200 fpm
- Service ceiling16,000 ft
- Range520 nm
- Endurance3 h
- Takeoff roll660 ft
- Landing roll1,000 ft
Weights
- MTOW1,872 lb
- Empty weight1,455 lb
- Useful load417 lb
- Baggage capacity60 lb
Dimensions
- Wingspan26.2 ft
- Length22.6 ft
- Height8.7 ft
- Cabin width31 in
Powerplant
- EngineLycoming AEIO-540-L1B5 — 300 hp · 100LL · 20 gph
- Total horsepower300 hp
- Primary fuel100LL avgas
- Unleaded pathLeaded only — needs G100UL or engine swap
Cockpit & avionics
- Cockpit typeanalog
- Autopilot commonly availableNo
- Typical packages
- Factory analog panel with G-meter and altitude encoder— factory standard
- Garmin G3X Touch retrofit— modern retrofit on training airframes
- Training note
Extra airframes carry an instrument panel optimised for aerobatic operations — G-meter, accelerometer, altitude / airspeed indicators sized for ±10 G operations. Schools using the type for aerobatic training rarely deploy glass-cockpit primary instruments because of the operational envelope, though some training airframes retrofit a Garmin G3X Touch for cross-country flight legs.
Certification
- RegulatoryFAR Part 23 / EASA CS-23 / EASA CS-23 aerobatic category
- Certified rolesAerobatic category (±10 G structural envelope on 300SC; ±8 G on 300L / 200) · Normal-category permissions vary by variant
- IFRNo
- Spin approvedYes
- Aerobatic-categoryYes
- TailwheelNo
- Complex (FAR 61.31)No
- High-performance (FAR 61.31)Yes
Why is the Extra 200 / 300 / 330 aerobatic family popular?
Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.
Regulatory fit
Aerobatic-category certification with ±8 G to ±10 G structural envelope (variant-dependent) is the airframe's defining regulatory characteristic. The Extra series is the canonical reference for unlimited-class aerobatic training where the aerobatic-training trainer role is the syllabus focus.
Industry network effects
Extra reports over 850 airframes built since 1980 across the full family from the original Extra 230 through the current Extra NG and 330-series line. The manufacturer claims 8 world championships and 21 podiums in the past 14 years, with 86% of the field at the last world championships being Extra airframes.
Pedagogy and handling
The two-seat EA-300L is the dominant aerobatic-training variant — tandem cockpit, full instructor / student aerobatic control set, and an envelope that extends from ab-initio loops and rolls through unlimited-class manoeuvres. The 200 hp EA-200 provides a lower-cost entry for intro-aerobatic training.
Operating economics
Lycoming AEIO-540 burns roughly 20 gph 100LL in cruise on the 300 hp variants; the AEIO-360 on the EA-200 burns less. Aerobatic operations cycle the engine harder than cruise training and reserve calculations should reflect that elevated maintenance burden.
Before you buy more aircraft
The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.
Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.
Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your schoolHow flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize
Specialist aerobatic schools operating an Extra typically configure it in Aviatize as a single airframe with the Lycoming AEIO-540 / AEIO-360 modelled as a child component for TBO and overhaul-reserve tracking. Aerobatic operations cycle the engine and airframe harder than routine cruise training; reserve accruals should reflect the elevated maintenance schedule (compression checks, accelerometer reading review, periodic structural inspection). Pilot-currency rules should gate the resource on a current aerobatic-flight endorsement / signoff and on completion of the school's aerobatic-syllabus check-out.
Editorial confidence
Variant timeline, engine reference, and aerobatic-category certification well-attributed to Extra Aircraft manufacturer page and aggregated Wikipedia source. Specific cruise / fuel-burn figures are POH-typical bands; the type's operating profile (heavy aerobatic cycling) makes single-number cruise / fuel-burn figures less representative of school operating cost than for cruise-focused trainers.
Sources
Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.
- Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Extra Aircraft (EXTRA Flugzeugproduktions- und Vertriebs-GmbH)
https://extraaircraft.com/Extra Aircraft factory site. Verified on 2026-05-26: current actively-marketed product line is Extra NG, Extra 330SX, Extra 330SC (in production since July 2008), Extra 330LX (steel-fuselage two-seat), and Extra 330LT (steel-fuselage grand tourer with glass panel). Production location: Schwarze Heide 21, D-46569 Hünxe, Germany. Total airframes built since 1980: 850+. Eight FAI world championships and 21 podiums in the past 14 years; 86% of the field at the most recent world championships were Extra aircraft.
- Primary sourceType Club·Retrieved 2026-05-14
International Aerobatic Club (EAA)
https://www.iac.org/EAA Aerobatic Club community supporting aerobatic pilots flying the Extra series among other aerobatic types.
- Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_EA-300Wikipedia article aggregating the EA-300 family development history and competition record.
- Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above.
Related aircraft
Other training airframes commonly evaluated, operated, or compared alongside the Extra 200 / 300 / 330 aerobatic family.
Citabria / Decathlon family
American Champion Aircraft
Single-engine piston
- Power
- 180hp
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
Cub family (J-3 / Super Cub / Carbon Cub / Husky)
Piper / CubCrafters / American Legend / Aviat
Single-engine piston
- Power
- 150hp
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
Photos & credits: each thumbnail opens that aircraft’s page, where the photographer and licence are credited under the hero image.