• Wing Span: 78 in (198 cm)
• Wing Area: 714 sq in (4696 cm²)
• Length: 78 in (198 cm)
• Weight: 18 lbs (8.2 kg)
• Engine: G45 4 - cycle
• 7 Servos required

The Midwest Extra comes extremely well packaged. The large box contains wood separated by type and sub assembly and carefully bagged and sealed. Two sheets of rolled plans are included as are the ABS cowling, aluminum pre-bent and drilled landing gear and a crystal clear canopy. All of the parts are laser cut. All of the ply fuselage parts and wing ribs fall out of the sheets cleanly with no touch-up sanding needed. All balsa and ply is of the best quality. 

If the step by step instructions are followed closely, there will have no problem building a straight, strong fuselage. After completing basic frame up, a couple of changes can be made to allow a full scale cockpit. The fuselage can be opened at the top and supports for a seat added. A cardboard tube was added to the inside of the fuselage since all servis would be in the tail to offset the weight of the gas engine. All wiring is run through this tube preventing the wires from moving about and making replacement easier.

Installing the front deck and turtle deck looks harder than it actually is. The 1/32 plywood are cut the shape of the templates on the plans. One side is glued and the piece is sprayed the wood with an ammonia/water mixture and the wood will bend with no problem. A quality filler is used to flair the pieces into the fuselage sides. The kit includes a tailwheel assembly which should be thrown out. This is replaced with a Klett tail wheel. A little planning is needed here. A plywood mounting block is needed on the bottom of the fuselage and spring attachment points are needed on the rudder.

A Zenoh G45 was chosen over the recommended Moki 1.8. The firewall was drilled for a G45/G62 radial mount from B+B Specialties. A 3/8 inch spacer was required to achieve the correct backplate placement. The ABS cowl was assembled to check out the engine mounting. The holes were cut in the front using the template provided as a guide and the G45 lined up perfectly.

The wings are basic d-tube constuction with spruce spars. They go together quite nicely. One important note. A plywood box is build to accept the dihedral brace. Be very careful not to get any glue inside the box as the dihedral brace is a very tight fit. Due to the size, the wing halves were joined on the floor. The wing is assembled upside down because of the flat top. The plans show the use of CA for fiberglassing the center section. Stuck to using epoxy for this. Considering of the vicious snap rolls this plane will do justifies the extra weight.

For finish, Midwest recommends a plastic film covering. The three color scheme on this model used 7 rolls of covering. The cowl, landing gear and wheel pants were painted with Perfect Paint matching red. The wheel pants supplied in the kit are to be joined with the same method as the cowl. The canopy was cut, fitted and glued on with RC56 glue. Final radio assembly and check out was completed. The plane balanced perfectly and tipped the scales at 18 lbs dry.

The big day had come. Once at the field, the final check was completed The engine started easily. A little right rudder was applied and the Extra was airborne. What a joy!!!! No trim adjustments were needed. After a few circuits around the field it was time to land. With the Extra headed up into the wind, there was no problem with slow flight and the landing was smoothe and easy.

During next flight, aerobatics were done. Loops are true, snaps and spins are "vicious". Rolls are like the plane is on a wire. In slow flight the plane has no snap tendancies. Stalls are predictable. Inverted flight is effortless as is knife edge. The Extra has incredible rudder response. The Zenoah G45 has got to be the 'perfect' engine. During the use of 3 gallons of gas, the needle has not be touched. The idle is slow and even. An 18 x 10 is being used instead of the recommended 18 x 8.

The Midwest Extra is one of the most complete, easy building kits on the market. The plans are accurate and well drawn. The accuracy is also shown in the cutting of the wood as well as the selection of wood for the kit. It is one of the more reasonably priced kits in it's class. In combination with the Zenoh G45, it is a joy to fly.