Walter Extra the man behind the legend. Extra Flugzeugbau GmbH – or, to be more correct, Extra Flugzeugproduktions-und Vertriebs GmbH, was founded in 1980 by Walter Extra, at Dinslaken/Schwarze Heide Airport, (ICAO: EDLD) near Hünxe, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.  Walter Extra was a noted aerobatic pilot, having taken part in 1982 in the 11th FAI World Aerobatic Championships at Spitzerberg, Austria (the eventual winner was Victor Smolin of the USSR flying a Yak 50). Walter had decided to start designing and building aircraft which would would be competitive at the very highest level in aerobatic competitions, and take on such designs as the Russian Yak 50. His Extra 230 was a step in the right direction, but it used a wooden wing similar to that on the French aerobatic aircraft, the Mudry CAP 230.