Two-time Polytechnic Institute graduate Jordan Ashley has been named as managing director for a German aircraft company’s new branch in DeLand, Florida.
Extra Aircraft is an aircraft manufacturer based in Hünxe, Germany, specializing in high performance aerobatic planes built for competition and air show performance. It was founded by Walter Extra in 1980 and is still a family-owned operation today.
“What sets Extra apart is we’re safety-first,” Ashley said. “In terms of competition, Extra is the most successful certified, sport, performance, and unlimited category aerobatic aircraft in the world. We are one of only two certified airplane manufacturers in the world offering unlimited-level aerobatic aircraft, but our focus is on safety, performance, and reliability.”
The unlimited level is the highest level of aerobatic competition in the world.
Extra Aircraft manufactures around two dozen custom planes every year, and half of those new planes are delivered to American customers. The Florida location opened in 2022 to support its growing base of North American customers.
Ashley was tapped in 2024 to lead the new facility after serving at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Denver. He directed the Exploration of Flight campus at Centennial Airport, which offers flight experiences and hands-on learning about aerodynamics, physics, and the fundamentals of flight. Ashley also brings prior experience in finance management and worked as a corporate pilot.
“We first met Jordan in Oshkosh, where his exceptional organizational skills immediately stood out, a talent he was putting to great use at the time with the IAC,” said Marcus Extra, Walter’s son who is the next generation of Extra Aircraft’s leadership. “Paired with his deep passion for aerobatics, it quickly became clear that he would be a perfect fit for our branch in DeLand. Now, nearly a year into managing our shop, Jordan has exceeded our expectations, impressing us both professionally and personally.”
The IAC refers to the International Aerobatic Club, a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association that promotes and enhances the safety and enjoyment of sport aerobatics. IAC members represent a wide variety of sport aerobatic interests, and through membership, they can learn from other pilots and compete in chapter-sponsored aerobatic competitions to become better, safer pilots. Ashley has been a member of the club for nearly two decades.
Purdue Aviation Day and the early years
Ashley holds a B.S. in Aviation and Airport Management and an M.S. in Aviation and Aerospace Management from Purdue University. He also earned multiple pilot certificates during his undergraduate years.
As a college student, Ashley was involved in nearly every aviation organization on campus: Purdue Flight Team, Alpha Eta Rho, Purdue’s American Association of Executives (AAAE) chapter, and the Aviation Student Organization Roundtable (ASOR). He was also one of the early student leaders of Purdue Aviation Day, a free event that now attracts thousands of visitors to Purdue’s airport in West Lafayette each spring.
“I’m proud to see where Purdue Aviation Day is now,” he said. “I remember setting up in the corporate hangar with the bizjets, not having enough supplies, and sending students to Sam’s Club for more at six o’clock in the morning. It has really grown into something alumni can be proud of.”
Ashley knew what he wanted to do when he moved into McCutcheon Hall in 2008 for his first year at Purdue: simply, he wanted to fly. He already held a private pilot certificate and earned his commercial, multiengine and CFI/II/MEI ratings before he graduated college.
“I didn’t have a specific career path in mind, but I was leaning toward a corporate flying career. At graduation, the job market for pilots was bad, but I had a mentor who encouraged me to diversify my skills.”
Finance was one of those skills he sharpened by building experience in accounting, bank operations and non-profit management. These were important skills, he says, but they were ultimately not flying jobs, so he returned to his Boilermaker roots.
Getting back to flying
Ashley enrolled in Purdue’s aviation graduate program aiming to accelerate his career into an airport director or consultant role. He got the call to join the museum in Colorado just three months after finishing his master’s program. It was a job that required his non-profit experience, finance skills and—most importantly—a pilot certificate.
“Flying for the museum let me share my passion for aviation with the greater public, and it gave me a chance to be an ambassador for military aviation using our Beechcraft T-34 and Cessna L-19. I always loved watching warbirds fly as a kid, so it was cool to become the pilot of some of those airplanes and share the experience with others.”
He says leadership at the museum required a little bit of everything—people skills, event planning skills, flying experience in different airplanes, mechanical skills from maintaining an airplane.
“Everything I had done up to that point—all the volunteer work and degrees and jobs that didn’t seem to be on track with my goals—prepared me to excel at Wings and leave it better than I found it, but it was my volunteer work that became my key connection to Extra,” Ashley said. “You never know when a positive interaction will come back down the road. I met my top references before I even started college by volunteering for the International Aerobatic Club. My observation is that humility and authenticity go a long way toward opening doors down the road.”
Ashley is running for a third term as treasurer of the IAC and also serves as the IAC AirVenture Convention chairman. He started volunteering as a teen at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and now has 17 years of service with the club.
Several of his professors at Purdue have since retired, but Ashley fondly remembers taking classes with Denver Lopp and Larry Gross. He also had multiple checkrides with Gross, who was the chair of the flight program at the time.
“I think Larry would smile to know where I am now, and Denver would probably say ‘good job.’ I’m proud to be a Purdue grad, and I love telling my customers that I came from the Purdue aviation program. My education has helped solidify my credibility in the industry.”
Ashley says he is currently in test pilot training in the company’s Extra NG demonstration plane that will be displayed at conventions and aerobatic competitions across the country. He looks forward to watching Extra Aircraft USA grow and serve the next generation of competition and aerobatic pilots.
Author’s note: I have had the privilege of being a spectator and participant in many of these adventures as Jordan’s wife.
