American Champion & Bellanca series
- CountryUnited States of America
- TypeSeries of two seat utility and aerobatic light aircraft
- Powerplants7GCBC Explorer - One 120kW (160hp) Textron Lycoming O320B2B flat four driving a two blade fixed pitch Sensench propeller. 8GCBC - One 135kW (180hp) Lycoming O360C2A driving either a two blade fixed pitch or constant speed prop.
- Performance7GCBC - Max speed 217km/h (117kt), cruising speed at 75% power 211km/h (114kt), at 65% power 198km/h (107kt). Max initial rate of climb 1345ft/min. Range at 55% power 965km (520nm). 8GCBC - Max speed 217km/h (162kt), cruising speed 209km/h (113kt). Initial rate of climb 1110ft/min. Range 725km (390nm).
- Weights7GCBC - Empty 544kg (1200lb), max takeoff 816kg (1800lb). 8GCBC - Empty 595kg (1315lb), max takeoff 975kg (2150lb).
- Dimentions7GCBC - Wing span 10.49m (34ft 5in), length 6.92m (22ft 9in), height 2.36m (7ft 9in). Wing area 16.5m2 (165sq ft). 8GCBC - Wing span 11.02m (36ft 2in), length 6.93m (22ft 9in), height 2.64m (8ft 8in). Wing area 16.7m2 (180sq ft).
- CapacityTwo in tandem. Scout can be fitted for crop spraying.
- ProductionOver 6000 of all models built. Approx 70 deliv in 1998.
The Citabria, Bellanca and Scout can follow their ancestry back to the Aeronca 7 Champion (depicted independently).
Champion Aircraft Corporation acquired the creation rights to the Aeronca 7 in 1951, and from this created the 7ec Traveler and 7gcb Challenger. The Challengerbased Citabria first flew in May 1964 and consolidated various changes over the prior models. These included more glass range, a squarer tail and pushing for restricted (+5g, 2g) aerobatic flight, while different gimmicks were the flapless wing and decision of 75kw (100hp) Continental O200 or 80kw (108hp) Lycoming O235 motors. Variations on this topic were the 110kw (150hp) O320 controlled 7gcaa and the 7gcbc with a more drawn out compass wing fitted with folds.
Bellanca assumed control creation of the Citabria in September 1970, renaming the 7eca, which at this point was controlled by a 85kw (115hp) O235, as the Citabria; the 7gcaa the Citabria 150 and the 7gcbc the Citabria 150s.
Champion at first created the 7kcab model, yet Bellanca took this over, bringing about the completely aerobatic 8kcab Decathlon. A definitive Decathlon outline was the 135kw (180hp) Aeio360 controlled Super Decathlon.
The Scout was intended to perform various utility parts, and showed up in 1970. The redesigned 8gcbc followed in 1974 with a 135kw (180hp) O360.
Bellanca generation finished in 1982, while the Champion Aircraft Company created the reach in restricted numbers between 198586.
Each of the three models are at the end of the day in low rate generation, this time with American Champion. American Champion restarted generation of the arrangement in 1990, and now constructs the pattern 7eca Citabria Aurora (reintroduced in 1995), the 7gcbc Citabria Explorer, 8kcab Super Decathlon and the 8gcbc Scout (and Scout CS with consistent rate propeller). These flying machine are fundamentally like their prior namesakes, put something aside for some minor supplies changes.
Pictures of American Champion & Bellanca series
