AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2019 - 55

PLACING THE COCKPIT behind the

wing moves the airplane's center
of gravity aft to enhance maneuverability, and it provides excellent downward visibility so that
competition pilots can see the
ground and position themselves
accurately in an aerobatic box.
Four fuel caps show the positions
of the wing and fuselage tanks.

SPEC SHEET
Extra 330SC
BASE PRICE: $425,000
SPECIFICATIONS

Economy cruise | 165 kt

Powerplant | Lycoming AEIO-580, 315 hp

Service ceiling | 16,000 ft

Propeller | MT MTV-9
Length | 22 ft 6 in

LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS

Height | 8 ft 4 in

VA (design maneuvering) | 158 KIAS

Wingspan | 24 ft 6 in

VNE (never exceed) | 220 KIAS

Wing area | 105.6 sq ft

VS1 (stall, clean) | 64 KIAS

Wing loading | 18 lb/sq ft

Load limits | +/- 10 Gs

Power loading | 6 lb/hp
Seats | 1

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Empty weight | 1,291 lb

Contact southeastaero.com.

Max gross weight | 1,918 lb
Aerobatic weight | 1,720 lb

All specifications are based on manufac-

Useful load | 627 lb

turer's calculations. All performance figures

Fuel capacity, std | 59.2 gal

are based on standard day, standard atmo-

(58.4 gal usable)

sphere, sea level, gross weight conditions
unless otherwise noted.

PERFORMANCE

practice flights a day in the SC before I'm
worn out. But the experience of flying it
gets better and better, and eventually, you
get dialed into it."
The SC is certified by EASA, the
European aviation regulatory agency,
but not the FAA. Here, it's licensed in
the Experimental/Exhibition category.
Vayda says he prefers it that way since
U.S. owners can make changes, such as
installing boosted Lycoming Thunderbolt
engines and glass-panel instrumentation.
Petrocelli's airplane is stock, however, and
he intends to keep it that way.
"It's everything a pilot could ask of an
aerobatic airplane," he said.
CONFIDENCE AND TERROR

Strapping into the SC for the first time is
akin to what I imagine a rodeo rider feels
when saddling up in the gate.
You sink deep into the cockpit, and a
double, ratcheting harness cinches you
to an ergonomically perfect, molded seat.
Petrocelli and I are about the same height,
but he likes the rudder pedals close
because bending improves G tolerance.
He offers to move the manually adjustable rudder pedals, but I decide to try it
his way. I'll take any G-tolerance help I
can get.

Rate of climb, sea level | 3,200 fpm

EXTRA If 315 horsepower isn't enough for

Max level speed, sea level | 200 kt

you, a 330-horsepower option is available.

Petrocelli wears football hip pads
under the seatbelts to protect from gouging and bruising during negative- G
maneuvers, but I forgo them and will stick
to positive-G maneuvers on this introductory flight.
The SC has fuel tanks in both wings
and the fuselage, and I select the 26-gallon fuselage tank for this local-area flight.
(The wing tanks, normally used for ferry
trips, are empty.)
The seat is just aft of the wing-and sitting so far back gives the impression when
looking forward that the airplane is much
longer than it actually is. The throttle is
positioned next to the pilot's left hip, and
the prop and mixture adjusted via Vernier
controls.
The SC is exquisitely engineered and
crafted, yet it inspires both confidence and
terror. The airplane wants to lunge forward
during engine run-up, the MT prop hisses
like a snake, and it's so loud and full of pulsating energy at just 1,800 rpm I almost dread
the cacophony that will erupt at full power.
There's little time to stew about it,
however, because the engine gauges are
in the green, my checklist is complete,
and I'm number one for takeoff. I try to
sound calm as I announce my intentions
on CTAF. Lined up with Runway 24, I

judiciously apply full power, and the SC is
off the ground and climbing after a slingshot-like 5-second, 600-foot ground roll.
P-factor during takeoff and climb is
easily countered with light pedal pressure
and a highly authoritative rudder, and the
airplane surges ahead at 140 KIAS during
a 10-degree climb despite an early power
reduction to 25 inches of manifold pressure and 2,500 rpm. Turning crosswind,
I'm imbued with the feeling Petrocelli
described of trying to hang on to a bolting
lion. The airplane's animalistic acceleration is numbing.
A healthy dose of nose-down trim via
the electric thumb switch keeps me from
overcontrolling the light elevator, the ailerons seem well balanced with a distinct
centering tendency, and rudder forces
are smooth and linear but more authoritative than any airplane I've ever flown.
Even light rudder pressure in level flight
pushes me against the cockpit walls.
My first warm-up maneuver is a barrel roll that I keep lazy and slow, with a
steady pitch up to about 45 degrees. I'm
pulling about 3 Gs with only mild backpressure, minimal aileron, and virtually
no rudder.
I let the airplane accelerate to 200
knots, level off at 3,000 feet, then start a
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2019

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