Bellanca Decathlon
If sport flying is your thing, one of the best dollar-for-dollar values on the market may be the Bellanca model 8 Decathlon. Both the first 150-hp, “straight” Decathlons and the later, post-1976, 180-hp Super Decathlons make excellent fun machines, capable of reasonable off-airport operation, modest short-field performance and limited aerobatics (less limited on the Super).
An agile taildragger with plenty of wing, the Decathlon’s configuration is perfectly adapted to short-field work. Stall speed is only about 50 knots, so the airplane can use unobstructed 1,000-foot strips with ease. The sprung steel gear absorbs landing loads well, and the Decathlon’s non-aerobatic bush brother, the Scout, is popular in the bush country. Cruise is about 120 knots or so.
The Decathlon featured a semi-symmetrical wing compared to the Citabria’s conventional airfoil. For aerobatic fanatics, this allowed the model 8 to fly inverted or outside maneuvers without an excessive negative angle of attack. Better still, the 160-hp engine produced good uphill performance, 1,100 fpm from sea level, and penetration in acro mode allowed a good pilot to fly a full vertical roll and hammerhead off the top.
All three models are once again in low rate production, this time with American Champion. American Champion restarted production of the series in 1990, and now builds the baseline 7ECA Citabria Aurora (reintroduced in 1995), the 7GCBC Citabria Explorer, 8KCAB Super Decathlon and the 8GCBC Scout (and Scout CS with constant speed propeller). These aircraft are basically similar to their earlier namesakes, save for some minor equipment changes.
As well as being a superb
enroute trainer, KAR has a TSO'd GPS 155.
General Aircraft Information
Champion Aircraft Corporation purchased the production rights to the Aeronca 7 in 1951, and from this developed the 7EC Traveller and 7GCB Challenger. The Challenger-based Citabria first flew in May 1964 and incorporated a number of changes over the earlier models. These included more glass area, a squarer tail and stressing for limited (+5g, 2g) aerobatic flight, while other features were the flapless wing and choice of 75kW (100hp) Continental O200 or 80kW (108hp) Lycoming O235 engines. Variants on this theme were the 110kW (150hp) O320 powered 7GCAA and the 7GCBC with a longer span wing fitted with flaps.
Bellanca took over production of the Citabria in September 1970, renaming the 7ECA, which by now was powered by an 85kW (115hp) O235, as the Citabria; the 7GCAA the Citabria 150 and the 7GCBC the Citabria 150S. Champion initially developed the 7KCAB model, but Bellanca took this over, resulting in the fully aerobatic 8KCAB Decathlon. Bellanca production ended in 1982, while the Champion Aircraft Company produced the range in limited numbers between 1985/86.
So how good is it for aerobatics?
The Decathlon is widely known to be the best aerobatic trainer around. Powered by a 160hp IO-320, this aircraft is stressed to 6 Gs positive and 5 Gs negative. It is capable of 4 minutes of sustained inverted flight. The symmetrical wing makes inverted maneuvers a dream as you're held firmly in place with a 5 point hooker harness system. Lilydale's Decathlon has a fully inverted oil and fuel system so you can stay upside down until all the blood has run to your head!
Bellanca Decathlon Specifications
| Airframe |
|
| Engine |
Lycoming IO-320 |
| Power |
160hp
@2700 RPM |
| Fuel |
40
US Gal |
| Load |
+6G,
-5G |
| Empty
Weight |
~1200lbs |
| Maximum
Take-off Weight |
1800
lbs |
| Entry
Speeds |
|
| Loop |
122kts |
| Immelman | 126
kts |
| Hammerhead |
113
kts |
| Barrel
and slow rolls |
113
kts |
| Snap
roll |
78
kts |
| Vertical
roll upwards |
156
kts |
| Spin |
Slow
deceleration |
* Not authorised to be used as Approved Pilot Handling Notes
____________________________________________________________________________
Don't forget! Lilydale Airport is open 7 days per week during daylight hours,
and has runway lighting by arrangement.
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LILYDALE
FLYING SCHOOL PTY. LTD. ABN 390 6774 9615
Tel: (+61) 3 9739 1211 Fax: (+61) 3 9739 1019 13 MacIntyre Lane, Lilydale
PO Box 525, Lilydale VIC, 3140
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