Extra 300

Here is one of two Extra 300L aerobatic trainers that I had the privelage to fly while I worked for Western Michigan University. I don't think they have them any longer, which is a shame, because they were great fun.

I found the Extra 300L to be a superb little aircraft for general and advanced aerobatics, and always fun to fly. However, it has one overriding fault - it is TOO EASY to fly! Pretty much anything you can think of, it will do, and with ease. The controls are beautifully light and ultra-responsive, and it is possible to do many of the manoeuvres with just a finger and thumb on the stick. With the little Pitts Special, you needed a firm grip and good muscles to get the most from the aircraft, and it demanded much more of you by way of control coordination. The Extra is by comparison, an old lady's aerobatic aeroplane! I don't mean that to sound like I don't like the machine - quite the opposite - I love it! However, I must say that my respect (even awe) of the airshow pilots that I've seen fly the Extra series of aircraft and the other advanced types, has diminished now because I see that it is not so much what the pilot can or cannot do, but what the aeroplane can - and there's not much that this one cannot do!

My firm belief is that any Pitts pilot can fly an Extra, but not necessarily the other way around!