The aircraft, a successor to the Extra 330SC, features a wider cockpit, shorter fuselage, redesigned cowling, increased control stick clearance, and improved headroom compared to its predecessor.

• READ MORE: EAA AirVenture Reports Attendance Boost

Extra said the 330SX model is much easier to fly, allowing pilots to achieve higher scores in aerobatic competitions.

“The introduction of our high-performance aileron package delivers superior roll authority,” Extra said. “It ensures that both at a competition level and on the air show stage pilots will benefit with crisper maneuverability at all airspeeds.”

Competition aerobatic pilot Bob Freeman was the first U.S. customer for the aircraft and was scheduled to fly one during the daily airshow at AirVenture.  

• READ MORE: Donation Expands Bob Hoover Academy Fleet

“We were thrilled to officially unveil the Extra SX to North America, showing our prototype SX001 and the Freeman Airshows SX!” Extra said in a social media post.

According to Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assocation, the aircraft has a retail price of $550,000 and deliveries take about a year to fulfill. Extra has sold 10 of the 330SX models and produced five so far.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Extra 330SX Unveiled at EAA AirVenture appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1984 SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon.

Many pilots dream about flying the hottest fighters from World War II, such as North American P-51 Mustangs and Vought F4U Corsairs.

But those increasingly rare aircraft are extremely complex and expensive to maintain—and not all that easy to fly. Those are among the factors that have made military trainers so popular.

Aircraft such as the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, North American AT-6 Texan, Boeing Stearman PT-17, and Epsilon for sale here allow pilots an opportunity to fly vintage military iron without breaking their budgets. Flying aircraft in this category is within the capabilities of many private pilots, though still demanding enough to be exciting.

They generally offer more impressive performance than standard aircraft and are strengthened to handle aerobatic flight and combat-style maneuvers. Among the military trainers available, the Epsilon is closer than most to familiar GA designs, making it more approachable while still somewhat exotic.   

This 1984 TB-30 Epsilon has 4,755 hours on the airframe, 1,203 hours since overhaul on its engine, and 737 hours on the propeller. The panel features a Garmin G5 EFIS with backup battery, Garmin GNX 375 GPS, GA 35 WAAS antenna, GAD 29 interface unit, and Garmin 660 in the rear cockpit. 

Pilots seeking a taste of military flight training in an airplane that is fit for long-distance travel should consider this 1984 SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon, which is available for $356,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Tunisian Air Force Takes Delivery of T-6C Texan II Integrated Trainers
• FLYING Magazine: Genesys Aerosystems Pursues STC for Military Trainers
• FLYING Magazine: U.K. Military Expands Fleet With Beechcraft and Embraer Aircraft
• Plane & Pilot: TB-30 Epsilon Flight Keeps Pilot Hooked on Flying
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Pillán: A Saratoga With ‘Top Gun’ Dreams
• Plane & Pilot: Flying in the Alps

The post This 1984 SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon Is a Military-Spec ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2023 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2.

The Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 traces its lineage back to the early 1930s. But after the company shut down in 1936, a string of manufacturers resurrected the design, which became a fixture in aerobatic competition during the 1960s.  

Monoplanes might have been staging a takeover of precision aerobatics at the time, but many pilots still considered wire-braced biplanes the best mounts for mastering the Aresti Catalog of maneuvers. Some of the top competitors of the era flew Great Lakes aircraft, often modified for enhanced performance.

These aircraft also gained a following with private pilots who enjoyed aerobatics as a pastime for sharpening flying skills and those who simply liked the feel of a vintage biplane. For such enthusiasts, the Great lakes has become the quintessential sport biplane, capable of cross-country travel as well as neat airshow routines. There is still demand for them, and after WACO found recent success selling its golden age models, the company expanded its line to include the Great Lakes.

This nearly new Great Lakes has 10 hours on the airframe and eight hours on its 180 hp Lycoming AEIO-360, which is equipped with inverted fuel and oil systems. The panel includes a Garmin G5, Garmin Aera 660 WAAS GPS, Trig TY-91 Cim, Garmin GDL 52 ADS-B datalink, Trig TN-70 ADS-B In and Out, Trig TT-22 Mode S transponder, G meter, and JPI EDM 930.

Additional equipment includes cockpit covers, dual cockpit heater, entry-assist roll bar handle, aerobatic harnesses and LED lighting.

Pilots who are interested in owning a classic, golden age style, aerobatic biplane in new condition and built using modern methods and equipment should consider this 2023 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, which is available for $335,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Waco Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 Debuts
• FLYING Magazine: Waco Doubles Production and Plans to Expand Product Line
• Plane & Pilot: Return of the Great Lakes
• Plane & Pilot: Great Lakes Sport Trainer
• The Aviation Consumer: Great Lakes Revival: Docile and Glass Smooth
• Kitplanes: Bringing a Baby Great Lakes Back

The post This 2023 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 Is a Modern, Golden Age ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The new single-seat monoplane’s wings and empennage are made of carbon fiber and attached to a steel fuselage. The company said its design is an evolution of the Extra 330SC, a renowned aircraft that has won eight world championships.

• READ MORE: Extra Aircraft Opens New Facility in Florida

The latest Extra incorporates several improvements ranging from a cowling with better cooling to ailerons designed to deliver faster roll rates and halt the rolls more crisply than before. A shorter fuselage increases the aircraft’s agility while improved ergonomics make the cockpit a more comfortable place to work.

Pilots, especially those who fly their aircraft long distances to competitions, are likely to notice upgrades including a wider cockpit, increased headroom and more clearance for the control stick. The 330SX also comes with the Garmin G3X Touch system with a 7-inch display as standard equipment.

• READ MORE: Siemens Electric Extra Records Successful Maiden Flight

The company said the 330SX is designed for improved performance “across the flight envelope” including aerobatic competition and air show performances.

The 330SX first flew on June 6 and continues flight testing with final European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval expected soon. Extra is taking orders now with deliveries expected to begin around the middle of next year. The first, with serial number SX-001, was on display at German Nationals in Dinslaken, Germany on July 8. 

The post Extra Aircraft Reveals New 330SX Aerobatic Monoplane appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The DART-750, powered by a 750 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-25C powerplant, has already arrived at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LFPB), where it will be on static display all week at the Paris Air Show, beginning Monday.

The first test flight clocked in at 30 minutes, piloted by Diamond’s head of flight test Sören Pedersen and senior test pilot Niko Daroussis. The pair took the DART-750 through normal maneuvers, and the new platform met or exceeded expectations.

“This flight marks another major milestone in the DART-750 program and demonstrates the entire team’s hard and excellent work in getting it achieved,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Diamond’s head of the design organization.  “The positive results make us confident in moving forward with the program as intended.”

The tandem-seat trainer will be certificated on the civilian side under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which is expected in 2024. Up front, the DART-750 features the Garmin G3000 integrated avionics suite, familiar to transitioning pilots. The trainer will be supported by a Diamond FNPT II flight simulator and the manufacturer’s proprietary computer-based training  (CBT) system. Diamond also supports the in-person training for the aircraft with its Basic  Training Solution, including ground-based training and basic aircraft training.

The PT6A series is a proven powerplant system, having logged more than 440 million flight hours across 52,000 engines delivered.

The post Diamond’s DART-750 Makes First Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s one really compelling reason why Sean D. Tucker—aerobatic legend—donated his prized airplane to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, so that it could draw visitors into the Thomas W. Haas We All Fly gallery, and inspire them to fly.

Tucker helped commemorate the opening of the new exhibit—focused on general aviation—with a special presentation at the museum’s planetarium on December 1. Since he retired officially from solo airshow performance in 2019, Tucker can trace the arc of his career as a top aerobatic champion and one of the best airshow pilots of all time into a fascinating story. Tucker was joined at the evening presentation by his family and the builders of the Challenger III, among other folks close to the pilot and educator.

“That airplane was so much fun to fly!” said Tucker as he spoke of the Challenger III, a wood-and fabric biplane fitted with a custom-built, 400 hp Lycoming AEIO-540 engine, capable of pulling its 1,226-pound frame through the air at more than 260 knots, its eight ailerons ensuring “fingertip” control and authority throughout a flight envelope that would destroy other airplanes of its class.

But, as it turns out, he’s not done yet.

A Near Miss with Life

“I am the most unlikely candidate ever to be in the Smithsonian Institution,” said Tucker to kick off his life story thus far. “I wasn’t good at anything—I was small, I didn’t have much of a purpose. I had one man, my uncle, who gave me a lot of joy.” But when he was 12, Tucker “lost his joy,” until he was about 17 years old. “I ran away from home—you don’t do that when you’re happy—I went to juvenile hall—that wasn’t very joyful.” 

“But then I found flying. And the first time I took that airplane up, I got above this earth, and I had joy again.”

Tucker went on to illuminate for the audience—both in person and online—the ups and downs of his aviation career since that moment. One low point early on occurred when, while working as an aerial application pilot, he flipped the crop duster he was flying. A high point came in 1988, when he won the Advanced Aerobatic National Championship.

“From crop duster to premier aerobatic pilot to instructor to educator, Sean has excelled,” said Dorothy Cochrane, curator of general aviation for the NASM, in introducing Tucker at the presentation. But, she emphasized, his “most profound achievement may be his enduring engagement with kids, and sharing the magic of flight—he calls it—in all of its motivational forms, whether as a thrilling performer, and as a mentor to at-risk teenagers.”

A Second Act

Tucker’s connection with young people clearly stems from his own experiences as a youth at times at war with the world, and with himself. He has been an ongoing mentor throughout this career, but now, with his retirement from the intensity of the airshow scene, he can focus on what may be the most important project in his career—the creation of the Bob Hoover Academy.

Robert A. “Bob” Hoover—by most accounts, one of the best pilots that has ever graced the skies—held a special position in Tucker’s life. “Bob was Sean’s hero and mentor, and Sean has followed in those footsteps—precision flight footsteps—although we might say he has not quite followed and embraced the term ‘management,’” said Cochrane.

“Sean cannot contain his energy and we are the better for it,” she added.

Tucker has now channeled that energy into the Bob Hoover Academy, which has its roots in the Every Kid Can Fly program launched by Tucker and his son Eric in 2014. Wanting to provide a comprehensive experience beyond what was possible in an after school program, the Tuckers partnered with the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) to create a transportation-pathway diploma-earning high school classroom, which began in January 2016.

Now evolved into the BHA, and based at the Salinas Municipal Airport (KSNS) in California, the academy offers weekly ground school, flight training (both in the airplane, a Cessna 152, and a Redbird Flight Simulations AATD), and aviation-themed field trips. 

Tucker may have been selected as one of the 25 Legends of Flight for the opening of the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in 2003—but Hoover’s traits of education, mental prowess, patriotism, humility, optimism, reverence for the sky, dignity, and tenacity are what he seeks to instill in those students participating in the academy. It’s particularly important to the young people who have graduated from the program—and gone on to the Marines, to FedEx, and to becoming instructors themselves, among other accomplishments.

“We’re down now in Salinas 65 percent in gang-on-gang shooting, not just because of our outreach, but the community’s outreach—and it’s working,” said Tucker. 

It’s clear he feels that second act has only just begun.

How to Participate

You can support the Bob Hoover Academy here. And you can visit the Challenger III in its new home at the NASM for free—but you’ll need a timed ticket, available here.

The post Sean Tucker Celebrates We All Fly Gallery, and His Second Act appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The elite pilot—and Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award winner in 2006—relies on an aviation family of folks to propel his contribution to the airshows at EAA AirVenture each year.

Goulian taps into his team at Goulian Aerosports—including crew chief Levi Fischer—along with the professionalism of air boss Wayne Boggs, deputy air bosses, and air traffic controllers, and the communications equipment provided by Bose for the comms between the airplane and show center. 

FLYING’s editor-in-chief Julie Boatman followed Goulian through his team’s preparation for the Wednesday, July 27, afternoon airshow. While Goulian didn’t fly until nearly 5 p.m., the day began at 7 a.m. as his Extra 330SC was pulled from the hangar.

The post Comms Power Goulian’s Aerobatic Dance at Oshkosh appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

So, the pandemic presented a somewhat frustrating hiatus for a champion who’s ready to race. The Unlimited and Advanced classes managed to fly some competitions, but it hasn’t been the same in the past two years.

The perfect opportunity lies ahead in 2022 with the reboot of the Red Bull Air Race—the same series where Astles competed in the Challenger Cup in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

The new race? It’s simply called the “Air Race”—and the new organization behind it plans to hold races in at least seven locations starting in May:

• Greece
• Portugal
• U.K.
• Russia
• Egypt
• Istanbul
• UAE

Twelve elite race teams have already signed up for the 2022 season and those projected in 2023 and 2024, with 12 additional challenger pilots competing in a second-tier event Aero Series.

The Air Race will highlight new technology, including use of “zero-carbon” fuels from the beginning, as possible, and eventually expanding to include electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) when they gain certification and are able to race.

A New Team for Astles

As it turns out, Astles will lead one of those elite teams into the competition this summer. 

She had tasted success in aerobatic competition before the Red Bull Air Race, first winning the French Cup in 2008, and ascending to top female and seventh overall at the Aerobatics World Cup Championship in 2014. She has five French titles to her credit, and she’s considered to be one of the top five female aerobatic pilots worldwide. Last year, her aero club based in Paris won the country’s team championship in the upper levels, and overall for the season—and she said it was fun to notch a win for the club.

But when she talked with FLYING earlier this month from her home in France, she spoke energetically of another goal—to create a new aerobatic team. In preparation for the Air Race, Astles has launched a project to offer skill-building and training to young people interested in aviation with an eye towards bringing them up the ranks.

“I’ll be really happy to own my own team, and be flying with [them],” said Astles. “Hopefully it will be a life project—I’ll be training new pilots. It’s my time to give back. It’s good to fly the race, but the whole thing, to give back to aviation, and to inspire young girls and men to enter aviation—not just piloting, but this amazing world.”

She understands the importance of mentorship. 

“It’s all about finding a good person to get started,” said Astles, referring back to the instructor she had who helped her break down her perceived limitations and become an aerobatic champion. “I could have just faced a closed door…he was such a passionate pilot. Basically he destroyed all of my limiting thoughts: ‘You can’t be a pilot because you’re a girl, you can’t be a pilot because you haven’t studied, you can’t be a pilot because you’re not rich.’”

“You can change a person’s whole aviation career by being nice.”

How It’s Done—in France

She began flying back then in a Cessna 152, and then a 172—the stall warning horn “cries like a kitten,” she recalled with a laugh in FLYING’s interview. 

The process of competition in France is similar to that in the U.S. “In France you have six levels,” she said, “and the first I would say is the equivalent to the Sportsman level, and it goes to the Unlimited level, which is the highest one. This is the level I’m competing in.

“If you want to go from Level One to Level Two, you will need to go to a contest, and you will need to perform a score that is above 70 percent.” If a pilot participates in a contest and achieves an average mark of more than 70 percent, they can go to the next level. “There are between four and five official competitions in a normal year. Level one through three is on the two-seat airplane, and level four to six is a one-seat airplane that has more than 300 hp.”

The fifth level is between advanced and unlimited, and it’s specific to France. There’s a very big gap between four and six, and there’s a selection process to fly Level Six, which is Unlimited. 

The aircraft used most often for levels one, two, three, according to Astles? 

“We have a lot of Cap 10s, and we have the Extra 200 now, and CR 100 and the experimental models.” 

In levels four to six, the aircraft are perhaps 80 percent Extra 330 LC, now NG, and a few Cap 232 in France—“They are still surviving!” 

Compete Like You Train

Astles has given a lot of thought to how to combat the stress of competition that would consume her during past championships. 

“I think to perform well in a competition, you should aim to fly like you do when you’re training. Because when you train, you’re relaxed, you don’t have this pressure, so basically if you can manage to fly the competition the same way that you would train, then your results will be close to how you really fly.

“I’m passionate about the mental [part], how you can hack your brain.” 

She pointed to breathing techniques, and tricking your brain into thinking the figures ahead don’t matter if you do well. Once you reach the level of your competition, it’s the one who flies relaxed who wins. It would work for the private pilot exam—it’s setting down the level of your expectation, so if it doesn’t work, that’s OK. 

“The last three competitions I did, I won, and I’ve been using this method.”

The post The Air Race Is Back—and Mélanie Astles Is Ready appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Aerobatic performer and competitor Rob Holland continues to dominate the Unlimited Power Category at the International Aerobatic Club’s U.S. National Aerobatic Championships, taking his ninth consecutive win in Salina, Kansas, last weekend. Flying an MX Aircraft MXS airplane, Holland won all three programs: known, free and unknown, accumulating a total of 11,265 points, 237 points more than he scored last year. In second place was Steven Grohsmeyer, who scored 9,862, closely followed by Jeffrey Boerboon with 9,768. Seven pilots competed in the Unlimited Power category with eight judges scoring their performances.

Holland’s nine-streak record is going to be hard to beat. The previous record for the most National Championships was held by Leo Loudenslager, who set his record in 1982 with a total of seven wins. Holland placed fifth in the FAI World Aerobatic Championships this year, though he had only had a chance to fly a few days of flights, including a couple of test flights in his brand-new MXS airplane before the competition. When questioned about what it takes to reach such success, Holland simply said, “It takes a lot of practice.”

The U.S. National Aerobatic Championships are not limited to world-class pilots. There are several categories: Advanced, Intermediate, Sportsman and Primary Power, based on the complexity of the airplanes flown and the aerobatic maneuvers performed. The only requirements for entering the competition is a pilot certificate (a sport pilot certificate counts), FAA medical certification, and a membership in IAC.

There are also Sportsman, Intermediate and Advanced categories for gliders in the national competition. The winner in Advanced was Mallory Lynch, flying an MDM-1 Fox and accumulating a total score of 3,439 points.

The post Rob Holland Wins U.S. National Aerobatic Championships appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For a long time, Walter Extra steered clear of developing an aerobatic aircraft made from carbon fiber, understanding its limitations in terms of residual strength following extreme loads—such as those from impact. But when a concept came to him that would allow the design to capitalize on the material’s strengths, he dove into development of the aircraft unveiled on Monday, July 22, at AirVenture, the Extra NG.

Powered by a Lycoming AEIO-580 B1A 315 hp, 6-cylinder engine, the new design makes leaps forward not only in the balance between controllability and stability, but also in cockpit ergonomics. Says Extra, “It makes the pilot feel good,” with additional elbow room and comfortable positioning.

Building on the Extra Aircraft philosophy that the pilots should only need to put fuel in, check the oil, and stick to a 50-hour inspection program, the company intends to continue the high-end customer support that it has provided through the years, via dealers such as Southeast Aero, based in St. Augustine, Florida.

With lines from Modena, Italy-based industrial design firm Aircraft Studio Design, the airplane hits high notes from an aesthetic perspective as well. Certification under EASA will come first, and is expected in the coming weeks. Following that milestone, Extra will import the NG for flight under Experimental/Exhibition status until FAA certification in the Aerobatic category is achieved. Price during AirVenture 2019 is $420,000; price reverts to $450,000 after the show.

The post Extra Aircraft Unveils New Carbon-Fiber NG appeared first on FLYING Magazine.