LOOP Features

Extra 230

Price: £75,000
Cruise: 155kt
Stall Speed: 52kt
Rate of Climb: 2950ft/min
Roll Rate: 320°/sec
Engine: 230hp LYCOMING AE10-360
Prop: 2-BLADE MT AEROBATIC
Wing Span: 7.4mt
Seller: Clive Butler 07977 012353

G-CBUA is an Extra 230 built in 1986 at the factory in Dinslaken, Germany. The single-seat 230 series was built specifically for advanced and unlimited competition or display aerobatics. It’s been flown with great success by some of the world’s best aerobatic pilots such as Nigel Lamb, Brian Lecomber, Clint McHenry and Patty Wagstaff .

Clive Parker bought the aeroplane in late 2003 after owning and flying a variety of Pitts Specials. He says it’s an exceptional aeroplane with near perfect control harmony, a fantastic rate of climb and roll rate but still retaining loads of character.

The aeroplane does exactly as it is told and is more than capable of any known aerobatic manoeuvre. Clive’s Extra is based at Netherthorpe and most weekends will find him practising. He describes a typical flight:
“After a good and really thorough A-check including checking down the back of the fuselage for foreign objects, I climb in. This requires a certain degree of flexibility of leg and knee to avoid stepping on the wing.

“After start up and letting the oil warm to normal operating temperature (in winter months I preheat the oil before starting), I taxi out to the hold. The visibility is surprisingly good for a taildragger mid-wing monoplane and only a small amount of weaving is needed for forward visibility.

“Netherthorpe is one of the shortest licensed airfi elds in the country but no problem for the Extra. With full power applied the tail rises almost instantly as forward stick is fed in. With only the slightest dab of rudder the aeroplane tracks straight and true and leaps into the air after less than 100 yards.

“Transit to the south for a few minutes and after reaching a safe height and performing the HASELL checks, it’s time to start. A very fast half-roll to inverted to check the Christen valve is operating correctly and I have good oil pressure both erect and inverted.

" After a minute or so of gentle pushing and pulling, I half-roll back to erect then retighten the ratchets on the hooker harness to prepare myself for the next 20 minutes or so of spinning, flicking, rolling, looping and turning

“I rejoin Netherthorpe overhead and after a good look I slip in to the circuit. I gradually reduce power downwind to turn onto base at about 90kt. Flying a curved approach to keep the runway in sight, I fl y down final at 80kt indicated, sideslipping Pitts-style.

“75kt over the hedge and as Netherthorpe is grass, bumpy and short, the norm here is a three-pointer so straighten the aeroplane a few feet off the ground, leaving a trickle of power on and gently easing on backstick to avoid an embarrassing thud.

“If all goes as planned, a gentle threepointer should occur but if you get the nose too high and slow, the tailwheel will touch first and spoil the whole thing.

Once on the ground though the Extra tracks straight as an arrow. “On longer, smoother runways the preferred method is an approach at least 10kt faster with a wheeler landing, keeping the tail off the ground until almost walking pace.

“Taxi up to the fuel, wrench off the cloth helmet to let my head cool down, unclip the harness and prise myself out of the cockpit. Fuel up with an surprisingly small amount of Avgas and then it’s off to Netherthorpe’s excellent clubhouse for a coffee.”

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Extra 230