German aircraft manufacturer Extra Aircraft is taking aim at the Australian market with its Extra 500 Spirit high-wing turboprop.
The company, which also has a long history of producing high-end aerobatic aircraft including the EXTRA 200, has appointed Extra Aviation Australasia as the exclusive distributor of the Extra 500 Spirit for the Asia Pacific Rim.
Based at Archerfield Airport, Extra Aviation Australasia will introduce the Extra 500 Spirit – the first certified, carbon fibre turboprop – to the Australian market and support the aircraft with a service center network in each Australian capital city.
The Extra 500 Spirit, powered by a Rolls Royce 250-B17F engine, is a six-seat pressurised aircraft aimed at the business aviation sector. The aircraft is the first to feature (as standard) Avidyne’s Entegra II R9 avionics suite, which features worldwide satellite weather, active traffic display, infrared forward vision, lightning detection and charts.
Ken Keith, owner and CEO of Extra Aircraft, says the combination of airframe design and an efficient power plant makes the Extra 500 Spirit a well-balanced turboprop aircraft.
“The use of carbon fibre has resulted in a lighter airframe and larger cabin for the Extra 500 Spirit,” Keith says.
Extra Aviation Australasia’s Moishe Gordon believes the Extra 500 Spirit will be well suited to Australian conditions.
“The 1600 nautical mile range of the Extra 500 Spirit allows the necessary cross country travel in Australia,” Gordon says. “With a fuel burn of 75 litres per hour, trips such as Melbourne to Perth or Brisbane to Darwin are possible and affordable.”
Extra Aviation Australasia hopes to have demonstrator Extra 500 Spirits in the country in second quarter 2011. Watch the Extra Aviation Australasia website for more details.
The Extra 500 Spirit turboprop. (Extra Aircraft)
