Extra 500 - why so rare?
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: North Whiteinch
SFERMA Marquis
Be58 with turbines, may be a Be55 would do?
About 50 years ago the French fitted Astazou turbines to Beech Barons; called the SFERMA 60 Marquis, F-BLLR of Air Lorient (?) comes to mind.
Not sure if any would still be working today.
About 50 years ago the French fitted Astazou turbines to Beech Barons; called the SFERMA 60 Marquis, F-BLLR of Air Lorient (?) comes to mind.
Not sure if any would still be working today.
Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Stuttgart, Germany
Some information I was able to gather at the Extra booth in Friedrichshafen:
- FAA certification is imminent
- There will be an EASA approved type rating course very soon, in Aachen
- Cost per hour in Aachen is €*700
- The current autopilot S-TEC 55x will be replaced by the more suitable Avidyne DFC90 once certified
- All planes are built to order, about 12 months until delivery
Joined: Dec 2011
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€700
All planes are built to order, about 12 months until delivery

Don't get me wrong... I very much like the E500 and wish it success. But they must expect more suckers than are going around at that price level. Especially post Eclipse...
Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Stuttgart, Germany
€700
I'm pretty sure it will eventually become a success. Its direct competitor is the Cessna P210 Silver Eagle which is a very old bird with poor pressurization. The PT6 competition (Malibu/Jetprop) cruises at higher altitudes at higher fuel burn and it's an old airframe. The Rolls-Royce 250 turbine is very attractive for the typical European mission.
Last edited by achimha; 22nd May 2012 at 07:26.
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I don't exactly disagree but this "better plane for 10x more capital outlay" has always been the option in aviation.
Some people pay the extra, but looking at the generally decrepit state of GA, most don't.
Also most private owners won't factor in the interest. Only a madman will buy a plane on finance, IMHO. Also, if you factor in interest then you will stay in bed and never do anything interesting, because a better place for money will always be in financial instruments
Some people pay the extra, but looking at the generally decrepit state of GA, most don't.
Also most private owners won't factor in the interest. Only a madman will buy a plane on finance, IMHO. Also, if you factor in interest then you will stay in bed and never do anything interesting, because a better place for money will always be in financial instruments
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Los Angeles, USA
Sorry to necropost, but I was wondering if anyone's seen any Extra 500's around Europe lately during your travels? Don't hear much about them and I don't know how many they've sold. It's still on the website, so I'm assuming they still build them.




