You need to be your own maintenance manager, read the available doc, buy and stock spares, learn the details inside out.
Help and guide a brave and creative mechanic. Work with him/her on your plane so that you are confident enough and carry the tools to make minor or emergency fixes yourself.
That’s true for any plane if you want high availability, unless you are flying a common type and have a good maintenance company at your base.
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank @Flyingfish for his honest reports, and the thread. All very interesting, and a good read 
Though my interest is in real sport flying, I find the Extra 400 beautiful, and the performance attractive for its cabin size. We had one on my field for a while, but it disappeared a couple of years ago, and though not sure, thinks it has been replaced with some kind of Malibu.
Good luck, and looking forward to more reports.
Rationally, none of us would own a plane, it’s a passion. What some members of this forum find “normal” makes no sense to non pilots, let alone what some of us find “crazy”. I’m grateful I can share that passion here, and even find people who by their sheer determination and love for their airplane, make me feel a tiny bit less irrational, and make me dream as a result. Here’s to you and Galatea, @Flyingfish, may you keep sharing your flying adventures with us for a long time!
Flyingfish wrote:
@steve6443 – that guy is me I suppose ? Nice to meet you
Don’t think so. Your aircraft is N registered. The aircraft I am referring to is D registered…..
Steve6443 wrote:
Your aircraft is N registered. The aircraft I am referring to is D registered…..
That is also part of the problem, yes: although EASA is slowly getting there, the FAA approach to maintenance makes operation of this kind of aircraft much more feasible on N-reg than EASA-reg . Does this tend to weigh more heavily nowadays in the case N-reg vs EASA-reg in European GA for certain aircraft types than the IR used to?
Perhaps one might think there may be chauvinistic reasons for the LBA to support or facilitate EA400 on D-reg?
Thank you Dan and denopa for the kind words.
As to Antonio’s question about D-Reg and related goodwill from LBA, I wish this were the case.
The impression I get from German aviation authorities is the opposite of flexibility ( I have no first hand experience but was once helping other E400 owners caught in a silly “time limited parts” crisis).
The only advantage of operating a D-reg Extra 400 I am aware of, is that it is easier for the Extra factory to work on the plane.
I have not discussed the matter with them for a while but last I knew was that they were maintaining several 400 and 500s.
Despite the retirement of a number of people (after all the Extra 400 is a 1990’s project) they still have some unique knowledge and I would think skills.
They and Flugzeugwerft in Bonn Hangelar have the most “volume”, but the factory has more documentation and the ability to solicit some parts manufacturers .
IIRC @privateflyer bought his plane from them, so maybe he can share his maintenance experience?
In my case, back in 2016 the Extra factory did a top job at diagnosing and fixing a nagging problem that occurred during the reinstallation of Galatea’s landing gear.
They also tweaked the cowling to improve cooling and that too was a successful illustration of the kind of knowledge only they had.
Only drawback for my N-reg plane was the subsequent IA signoff which understandably was not an in-house service.
is that it is easier for the Extra factory to work on the plane
That’s crazy because anybody can work on an N-reg, under the supervision of an FAA A&P. And then you get tons of Part 91 flexibility, especially when it comes to using used parts, owner manufactured parts, etc …
Peter wrote:
That’s crazy because anybody can work on an N-reg
Well, to @Flyingfish ‘s point, N-reg or EASA, it does not hurt to have access to data and suppliers (via the aircraft’s OEM), does it? Maybe @privateflyer can counter with his experience at villa-Extra…
Flyingfish wrote:
last I knew was that they were maintaining several 400 and 500
The folks at JG Aviation at LFEV told me they manage the maintenance of all 500’s.
Nothing against JG, and actually glad to have them around but this statement is probably not fully true.
A friend just visited the Extra factory and saw 2 Extra 400 and one 500 being worked upon there.
