Ultimate Extra

Well not quite – we have yet to test the all carbon composite NG – but the LX represents Extra’s original steel-tube 300 series in its most highly developed form

- Bob Davy

At first glance, the Extra 330LX looks pretty much like all the other two-seat Extras out there: a sturdy and effective series of aerobatic tourers penned and constructed by none other than Mr Walter Extra himself, and pretty much identical to the original 300. Internal avionics upgrades aside, they do all look pretty similar until you start looking harder−for instance the ‘L’ in the name denotes that this is a low-wing model, as opposed to the mid-wing, purist aerobatic Extras that you can’t actually see out of (on the ground, anyway). The tail feathers are subtly different as is the amount of carbon in the structure, the X also referring to the fact that this aircraft has a power boost too, from 300hp to 315hp, the original extra 300’s AEIO-540 engine replaced by an AEIO-580 (AE for aerobatic, I for injected, O for opposed and 580 cubic inch displacement). Multiplying 580 by 2.54 cubed converts cu in to cc−which makes it, yes, 9.5 litres folks. That’s just about as big a light aircraft engine as you can get these days.

The first Extra was the singleseat 230, Walter’s answer to the Laser he previously flew and his own improvement on it. And it was an aircraft with only one job in mind; to win Unlimited aerobatic competitions. In contrast, the 330LX is most definitely a lifestyle machine. In car terms it would be a GT−a Grand Tourer−rather than an out and out racing car. The comfortable leather seats and modern avionics suite means that the 330LX is just as happy transporting its crew at 170 knots for hundreds of miles at a time on a long weekend to the South of France as it would be competing at an aerobatic competition. For the same reason that most Aston Martins and Porsches never get to see a race track, you are probably unlikely to see a 330LX at an aerobatic competition−but it’s nice to know that you can join in if you want to.