Ask a freshly minted private pilot why he flies, and you’ll likely hear the word fun pretty quick. Ask a middle-aged airline pilot the same thing and fun may be down the list.
For most pilots, the progression is toward larger, faster and more complex airplanes. Transportation and utility take over as the driving forces, limited by the pilots financial wherewithal. For others, fun and recreation never leave the equation. Flying, rather than a distant airport, is the destination of choice.
Sport flying, recreational flying, call it what you will. The demand for smart-handling airplanes is alive and well, fed by experimental aircraft and a few niche manufacturers. For a simple, inexpensive sport plane capable of aerobatics, however, the choices narrow considerably.
That niche is filled primarily by the American Champion Citabria, especially for someone interested in a late-model production airplane or one supported by a viable manufacturer. The line of high-wing, tube and fabric taildraggers comes in several flavors. Currently built by American Champion Aircraft in Rochester, Wisconsin, the Citabria series is capable of limited aerobatics.
The Super Decathlon is a popular aerobatic trainer built on a slightly different airframe and equipped with fuel and oil systems that allow limited-duration inverted flight.
History of the Line
The Citabria traces its lineage back to the Aeronca Champ, a post-war taildragger that served training duty alongside the Piper Cub, Cessna 120 and Taylorcraft. Bust followed boom and the Champ died in the late 1940s.
The 7GC, the first of the line that eventually would be called Citabrias, appeared in 1959. It sported a 140 HP Lycoming O-290 and wing flaps. It lasted only one year, replaced in 1960 by the 7GCB. The follow-on model was essentially the same, but was equipped with a Lycoming O-320 that produced 150 HP. The 7GCB lasted only a few years, with production halted in 1964.
The modern Citabrias include the 7ECA, 7GCAA, 7GCBC, 7KCAB and 8KCAB. The nomenclature is more difficult to fathom than the differences between the models. The 7ECA started life in 1964, equipped with a 100 HP Continental O-200. After 440 came off the line, a Lycoming O-235 was bolted on in 1966 and another 950 were built before Bellanca went under in 1980.
American Champion is producing an updated model. Tweaks in the engine boosted the horsepower nominally, from 115 in the Bellanca models to 118 HP in the Aurora, as American Champion dubs its versions. With about 1400 7ECAs produced, its the most common Citabria out there.
The 7GCAA is essentially the same as the ECA, but is equipped with a Lycoming O-320 engine. In the Bellanca models, the engine is rated at 150 HP, upped to 160 in the American Champion Adventure. Bellanca produced about 400 GCAAs, while American Champion has built about 55 since production was restarted in 1997.
The 7GCBC is the Citabrias jack-of-all-trades. It has slightly longer wings and is equipped with flaps. The longer wings allow it to have a slightly higher gross weight, greater rate of climb and higher service ceiling, even though it features the same powerplant and propeller as the 7GCAA.
The 7GCBC has been popular, as much as a bush plane as a sportplane. Bellanca built about 1200, with American Champion adding 106 (it calls them Explorers) since 1995.
The 7KCAB was Bellancas attempt to enhance the lines aerobatic capabilities, adding inverted fuel and oil systems to allow a wider range of maneuvers. The airplanes load limits were not increased, however, and many pilots tempted the airplanes limit of +5 and -2 Gs. More than 600 7KCABs were produced before Bellanca went under. American Champion has no plans to revive the line.
Instead, Bellanca and American Champion both have put more emphasis on the 8KCAB. Certified at +6 and -5 Gs, the 8KCAB became a true aerobatic trainer and began showing up at aerobatics competitions as well. While it lacks the performance and panache of, say, a Pitts, it makes up for this shortfall in the minds of buyers because it has reasonable cross-country capability and is cheaper to buy and operate.
Compared to the 7KCAB, the 8KCAB featured a semi-symmetrical airfoil with a longer chord to enhance the airplanes handling while inverted. The wing span is also shorter speeding up roll rate considerably. When first introduced, the 8KCAB, called the Decathlon, was powered by a 150 HP Lycoming IO-320 with a constant speed prop. The Decathlon became the Super Decathlon when the engine was swapped for an AEIO-360 pumping out 180 HP.
8KCAB production hit 670 by the time Bellanca folded. It was the first model revived by American Champion in 1992 and more than 200 have since been produced.
Although the most visible difference between the Bellanca models and the American Champion versions is the wing spar – wood on the Bellancas and metal on the American Champions-there are other differences as well.
The fuselage tubing on the newer models is powder-coated, versus epoxy painted before. The landing gear springs are made from an improved alloy and dope is no longer used. The American Champion typically weighs eight to 10 pounds more than a comparable Bellanca just from the paint used.
Handling
None of the Citabria line will ever be mistaken for a family cruiser. Go-cart is more like it. Visibility on the ground is good for any airplane and is excellent for a taildragger. The roofline is high, so all but the tallest pilots can see side-to-side without obstruction. And with tandem seating, you don’t have to worry about someone sitting next to you blocking the view.
The view over the nose is good, even with the tail down for taxiing. Not only are S-turns not required, but you have at least as good a view of whats right in front of you as in a Bonanza or a long-snouted Saratoga.
The argument of tailwheel versus nosewheel is an old one, and its true that any taildragger can be a handful on the ground. Because the center of gravity is behind the main gear, any sideways movement will be exaggerated as the CG keeps going straight ahead. If the airplane is tracking straight, it will tend to continue to do so. Put any side loads on the main gear and the tail will want to come out and play.
Thats not all bad, as it allows you to turn the airplane around virtually by pivoting it on one wheel. The Citabria tailwheels are steerable and castor if pushed beyond the range of the steering linkage. That means Citabria pilots-like pilots of any conventional gear airplane-have to use their feet a lot when the airplane is on the ground and must pay extra attention to taxiing with a crosswind.
The takeoff is straightforward and some would say exciting. The tail comes off the ground in a few seconds and the airplane will be off the ground in 231 feet in the 7GCBC, according to factory figures. The low-powered 7ECA will take 340 feet. Distance to clear an FAA-standard 50-foot obstacle is about 450 feet for the 7GCBC.
For someone used to flying something like a Cessna 172, initial climb in a Citabria is a thrill. Its not unusual to beat the airplane that took off in front of you to pattern altitude. The 7ECA is the possible exception, with a max gross climb rate of 845 FPM, but even thats more than youd get from a maxed out 172.
In normal flying, stick forces are light and fairly we’ll balanced, although elevator control is lighter than either rudder or aileron. Many of the airplanes are equipped with aileron spades, which lighten the stick forces required to get truly snappy handling.
During maneuvers such as rolls, however, the forces stiffen considerably and it takes a fair amount of muscle to hold the stick against the stops even with the spades attached.
One of the biggest adjustments many pilots have to make to the airplane-aside from the tailwheel -is the view out the nose. The same low cowling that makes ground visibility exceptional for a taildragger also leads many nose-gear pilots to think the airplane is pointed downhill when its in level cruise. For transitioning pilots, the combination of forward view and light elevator forces leads to a continual hunt for the right altitude.
Attention to rudder is essential, from the time you light the fire to the time you shut it down. Like most other taildraggers, these airplanes have substantial adverse yaw when the ailerons are applied. Fail to coordinate your feet and hands and you’ll end up with a bumpy, uncomfortable ride as the airplane searches for stability.
Handled correctly, crossed controls can induce some spectacular descents. Except for the 7GCBC, the Citabria line is not equipped with flaps, and even on the Explorer, the flaps are more helpful on takeoff than landing. Most of the airplanes are not equipped with stall warning systems, but the airplane gives plenty of notice. On forward slips for landing, the correct angle is easily detected as the wind sings through the struts and bracing. As you approach the stall, airframe buffet is pronounced and the singing stops.
Landings are, of course, the most troublesome part of any taildragger flight, and the Citabria is no exception. The springy landing gear can lead to some righteous bounces if airspeed and descent rate get out of hand, and a typical result of more than two or three bounces is a bent prop (at a minimum). When landing in a three-point attitude, its possible to get the airplane on the backside of the power curve such that the airplane will not recover without a healthy shot of power or a prodigious nose-over -clearly something to avoid close to the ground. Many Citabria manuals come with the warning: If airspeed is allowed to decrease below 60 MPH, level off can only be assured with an application of power.
Slow Cruise
While Citabrias have many interesting capabilities, blazing cruise is not among them. At 75 percent power and 5000 feet, a 7ECA will dally along at about 105 knots on 7.6 gallons per hour. A 7GCAA will do 113 knots on 10.8 GPH and a 7GCBC will do 111, also on 10.8 GPH. The Super Decathlon will go 128 knots on 9.5 GPH.
Useful load is also a concern on some models. The gross weight for the Bellanca 7-series is 1650 pounds. American Champion upped the 7GCBC to 1800 pounds when it resurrected the model and in early 2001 upped the gross for all metal-spar 7ECAs and 7GCAAs to 1750 pounds. The gross weight increase applies to Bellanca-vintage Citabrias retrofitted with the American Champion metal wing, but not with an STCd metal spar by Millman Engineering.
With the wood spars, the useful load is 500 pounds for the 7GCBC, 510 for the 7GCAA and 583 pounds for the 7ECA. Fill the tanks (35 gallons capacity) and your payload drops almost to pilot plus flight gear. Put in two people and parachutes, and you can tanker enough fuel for a trip to the practice area and little more. Although pilots are reluctant to admit it publicly, this line of aircraft is probably overloaded more than any other except the Super Cub.
With the higher gross weight of the new production and retrofitted wings, the airplane gets close to a full tanks, full seats airplane – which dramatically improves its utility.
Cabin Amenities
As might be befitting such an animal, cabin amenities are few. The short instrument panel is just tall enough to stack a six-pack of instruments. The radio stack is essentially limited to two navcomms and a transponder. On the left is enough room for the engine gauges and such niceties as an EGT/CHT scanner and a G-meter.
Fuel gauges are direct reading mechanical designs in the wing root. Owners report them to be reliable, although there have been a few reports of leaks that send fuel into the cabin. The panels primary light for night flying is a red spotlight mounted on the electrical panel along the roofline on the left. No post lights or internally lit instruments in this crowd.
The rather spartan appearance carries over into the upholstery, carpeting and sidewalls, particularly on the older models. Although the materials hold up well, expect to find plastic and vinyl instead of leather. Even the new models, although improved, are far from luxurious.
Switching is also utilitarian, with toggle switches above and to the left. Access is a bit awkward for the front seater, who has to reach behind while wearing a three-point seat belt and a harness (and possibly a parachute, too), but is accessible for the rear seater as well-a nice plus, in our view.
Maintenance
The airplanes are simple and easy to maintain, with owners reporting annual inspections routinely in the $500 to $700 range and sometimes less.
The real bugaboo is the wood wings.AD 00-25-02 came out in late 2000 mandating inspection panels be installed in the wings and repetitive inspections be made of the spars.
While some owners swear by the strength and service record of the wood spar, a growing problem is the lack of mechanics with experience inspecting them. Without that expertise, good spars may be trashed and suspect spars signed off as airworthy.
Other potential trouble spots include the wing attach struts. Some of the older models came with struts with a wall thickness of 0.035 inches, which was changed by AD to 0.049 inches in 1977. In addition, later struts were redesigned to allow water to drain more readily, reducing the chance of corrosion.
Landing gear failures have been blamed for a number of accidents, and the U-bolts can become cracked after a while, particularly in aircraft used for training. The front seat back also requires a continuing lookout to prevent seat back cracks that can suddenly plant the pilot on the aft stick.
The Citabria line is something of an anomaly in an industry focused on speed and efficiency. Its relatively slow, especially considering its hauling only two seats. The lack of a four-place cabin may lead many to consider it impractical.
At the same time, its affordable, with many good specimens out there for the price of a new mid-sized family sedan. Even new models can be had for half the price of a new Cessna 172.
The bottom line, however, is that Citabrias are just plain fun to fly. Even if nostalgic images of aviations golden past don’t light any emotional fire, you may find something liberating about flying as the destination, rather than the transportation.
Owner Reports
I bought a 1999 7GCAA Adventure through the Texas ACA dealer, Charlie Miller at Southwest Flight Training, Rockwall, Texas, in May 1999 and have flown it 300 hours since then. The airplane has been very reliable and the dealer extremely supportive. Ive had no serious mechanical problems and only minimal adjustments in that time.
I use the airplane for local proficiency flying, recreational (positive G) aerobatics, traffic patterns and visiting at small local airports. Fuel consumption has averaged 6.5 GPH and it slings a quart and a half of oil between 25-hour changes.
I keep it hangared and insurance ran $1300 this year, despite the fact that Im a professional pilot with more than 2000 hours of accident/incident-free tailwheel time. That seems a bit high, but its the best Ive found.
The airplane is stone simple but well-equipped for the type: Strobes, wide rear seat, Garmin GPScom, skylight, encoding transponder, oil filter, split photo door, G-meter and turn coordinator. The only option I wouldnt pay for again would be the split photo door. It was the cause of an unnecessary five-week grounding and warranty circus.
Maintenance is simple. Change the oil, lube the hinges and grease the fittings. The annual was unbelievably reasonable.
The airplane is just plain fun. Its terrific for sightseeing and visibility during maneuvering is very good from the front seat with the skylight. Crosswind and short-field performance and handling are excellent.
During aerobatics, particularly in uncoordinated moves, the fuel vent under the left wing spews fuel, which has left a fairly unsightly stain on the paint. High yaw rates also tend to fling oil from the breather, and you can usually find it on the horizontal stabilizer. The main tires were wearing on the outside, so the factory provided me with camber shims to square the tread to the pavement. Problem solved.
Im also very pleased with the increase in gross weight to 1750 pounds. I just got my flight manual revision and am now legal to fly with two real people and enough fuel to leave the pattern. Thats just icing on an already great cake.
Overall, this is a delightful airplane that does all its supposed to, looks good doing it and is cheap to keep.
-Dan and Renee Kelly
New Braunfels, Texas
I bought a new Citabria 7GCBC Explorer last year after considering an 8KCAB Decathlon and a Husky. I thought the Explorer was a much sweeter flying airplane than the Husky and since I was not interested in lengthy inverted flight or hard aerobatics, the Explorer offered a significantly lower price than the Decathlon. The Explorer has 20 HP less engine power but a 600-hour longer engine TBO.
Basic aerobatics in the Explorer are delightful, with the factory option spades helping out the otherwise heavy ailerons. Its also great for flying straight and level, especially low and slow. My airplane is IFR equipped, but a stable instrument platform its not. The flaps on the 7GCBC have minimal effect on descent for landing; however, they pop the airplane off the ground very quickly for short-field takeoffs. The seats are reasonably comfortable, though the cabin noise level is high.
The wheel pants look cool, but make it impossible to reach the main gear tire stems. For owners who try to keep their airplane in perfect condition and looking brand new, the Explorer has a few frustrating places where metal is likely to move against soft or painted surfaces and scratching is virtually unavoidable-notably the window latches, tiedown rings and flap lever release button.
This uncomplicated little airplane puts the fun back in flying, and I feel very lucky to own it.
-Robert P. Parker
Oakland, California
Ive had a 150 HP 7KCAB Citabria and a 180 HP 8KCAB Super Decathlon. Both are decent flying airplanes but I never could work up any enthusiasm for either for serious aerobatics. The controls are sluggish and require too much effort.
The 150 is really under-powered and even the 180 is not particularly strong. Ive flown them with and without spades and they are both too heavy on the controls.
I teach aerobatics so I fly the rear seat. The visibility sucks from the rear. Others might disagree, but mostly, in my opinion, because they have never instructed from something with great visibility. Decathlons are solid, reliable airplanes and I might have made do if I didnt know about a significantly better option.
I found a CAP 10B-I owned one years ago – and it is vastly superior to the Decathlons in every way except price. Considerably better performance, light controls, quicker roll, fantastic visibility and I much prefer to instruct side-by-side. It also can carry lots of luggage and cruise at 150 MPH on 10.5 GPH. I highly recommend this choice-if you can find one.
-Gordon Webster
Kingston, Tennessee
I am fortunate to have owned two late-model (1994 and 1997) 7GCBCs. Prior to buying my first Citabria I had flown and owned a number of fixed gear Pipers and Cessnas. Over the years, I found that most of my flying was airstrip hopping and only occasional cross countries. I had little need for a four-place airplane.
What I really wanted was a new plane that was fun to fly and fun to own. The Citabria proved to be just the ticket. I ordered my first 7GCBC from the factory with zero tailwheel time in my logbook.
I really enjoyed learning to fly a taildragger. I found Citabria a challenge at first but as soon as I learned to anticipate the swerve and speed up my feet I really learned to love the tailwheel. I am unquestionably a better pilot for the experience. Going back to nosedraggers has lost its appeal.
I am a fairly big guy-6-foot-1-inch, 185 pounds-and I find the Citabria quite comfortable. I really like the visibility and being able to see down on both sides. American Champion has done a great job of making the airplane attractive and versatile.
I like the 7GCBC because its like an aerobatic Super Cub. While its perhaps a better bush bird than it is an aerobat, it does enough of both to keep me happy. It has excellent short-field performance. Short-field landings begin by making sure you have the airspeed under control. I use 75 knots at the end of downwind, 65 knots on base, and 60 knots on final. The flaps are not real effective for landings but I routinely use them.
Any excess altitude can be scrubbed off by slipping, although I rarely need to slip if I have nailed the airspeed. One thousand-foot airstrips provide plenty of room.
The 160 HP engine is a gem. It runs smooth, burns about 8 GPH and is very easy to start. There is nothing like a brand new engine when you are skimming the trees over the Appalachian Mountains or out over the Great Lakes. I had a Tanis heater that I left plugged in all winter.
Despite the 100-knot cruise speed, I enjoy taking the Citabria on long cross countries. My wife and I flew it from Chicago to Kitty Hawk, rarely flying above 100 feet AGL. The sightseeing is great from either seat.
The utter simplicity of construction and high quality of components make this an extremely reliable and inexpensive airplane to own. Two improvements I would like to see are the addition of an external baggage door and improved access to valve stems on the main gear. My favorite attributes of the airplane are its outstanding climb rate (engine) and the taildragger configuration (fun). I just sold a 1998 Cessna 172 due to boredom. I took the same money and put in an order for my third 7GCBC. I have enough money left over to build my own hangar.
-Bruce Williams
Via e-mail
There are 12 of us here in Calgary who own a Super Decathlon through a company called Western Wings Flying Club. Weve owned this airplane since 1982, so we have quite a bit of experience with the maintenance and costs of operation. Ive been the president for 10 years.
Basically, its a great aircraft. Versatility is probably its best single feature. It has great performance with 180 HP, it can carry 4+ hours of fuel and has a heater, baggage room, and intermediate-level capability for competition aerobatics, which is what most of the owners use it for. It has fine handling in the air and on the ground. In short, its a great recreational airplane.
As for problem areas, these are no different than with other fabric aircraft or aircraft with Lycoming IO-360 engines. As with other aerobatic aircraft, the harder you fly them, the more you have to pay attention to the maintenance side. This is particularly true with negative-G maneuvers. We replaced our wings a few years ago. The original wooden spar wings had developed some broken ribs (after complying with a lift strut attachment AD), so we replaced them with the metal spar wings rather than go through repairs.
The wooden spar wings had regular maintenance issues with respect to nails coming loose and this was another consideration in the decision to go for new wings. The wings arrived from American Champion, painted to order.
They went on with minimum difficulty and have been virtually maintenance- and worry-free ever since. Furthermore, they perform better. They are slightly faster and for some reason they provide a noticeably faster roll rate.
We charge our 12 members $100/month whether they fly or not and $38.50 per hour dry. These are Canadian dollars at about $.65 US. The airplane flies 150 hours per year.
Over a long period of time, these rates have covered all of the regular insurance, maintenance, hangar rentals and other operating costs. They have also covered the five-year major items like engine majors, new wings, recovering the fuselage and the like. The Club has about the same amount of money in it now as it did 20 years ago, so the revenues and costs are obviously about balanced.
My final advice is to keep this kind of airplane in a hangar. Ours lived in the sunshine for 10 years, and this was a big mistake.
-Tom LockhartCalgary, Alberta
Also With This Article
Click here to view “Wood Versus Metal.”
Click here to view “Accident Record: Low Flying and Wire Strikes.”