American Champion Citabria: Difference between revisions

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Template:Infobox Aircraft The Citabria is a two-seat fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses (+5/-2 g loads). Its name, "airbatic" spelled backward, reflects this. The aircraft is also capable of very short take off and landing.

Production history

The Citabria was designed and initially produced by Champion Aircraft Corporation, and was a derivative of designs the company had been building since acquiring the 7-series Champ from Aeronca in 1954. The model 7ECA Citabria entered production at Champion in 1964. The 7GCAA and 7GCBC variants, added in 1965, were joined by the 7KCAB in 1968.

In 1970, Champion was acquired by Bellanca, which continued production of all of the Champion-designed variants. Bellanca introduced two designs with close connections to the Citabria: The 8KCAB Decathlon and the 8GCBC Scout, which (until later revived) replaced the 7GCBC in 1975. Production at Bellanca ended when the company's assets were liquidated in 1981.

The Citabria designs passed through the hands of a number of companies through the 1980s, including a Champion Aircraft Company which was no relation to the Champion Aircraft of the 1960s. In that period, only one Citabria was built—a 7GCBC which was built as a "Citabria 150S." American Champion Aircraft Corporation acquired the Citabria, Decathlon, and Scout designs in 1990 and brought the 7ECA, 7GCAA, and 7GCBC models back into production over a period of years.

Design

The Citabria traces its lineage back to the Champ. The most noticeable external changes to the design are the Citabria's squared-off rudder surface, wing tips, and rear windows. Like the Champ, the Citabria features tandem seating. The fuselage and tail surfaces are constructed of welded metal tubing. The outer shape of the fuselage is created by a combination of wooden formers and longerons, covered with fabric. The cross-section of the metal fuselage truss is triangular, a design feature which can be traced all the way back to the earliest Aeronca C-2 design of the late 1920s.

The strut-braced wings of the Citabria are, like the fuselage and tail surfaces, fabric covered, utilizing aluminum ribs. Most Citabrias were built with wooden spars. American Champion has been using aluminum spars in the aircraft it has produced and has, as well, made the aluminum-spar wings available for retrofit installation on older aircraft.

The landing gear of the Citabria is in a conventional arrangement. The main gear legs of most Citabrias are made of spring steel, though American Champion began to use aluminum gear legs in 2004. Early Citabrias were fitted with steel tube main gear which use an oleo strut for shock absorption. All of the variants are discussed in more detail below.

Operational history

When the Citabria was introduced, it was the only airplane being commercially produced in the United States which was certified for aerobatics. From the mid 1960s through the end of the 1970s, sport flying in the United States enjoyed great popularity. Pilots who flew for personal enjoyment were interested in the unusual and exciting, and aerobatics provided an avenue for this interest. Citabrias were popular as trainers—because of their conventional gear and their aerobatic capabilities—and as personal aircraft. They were also found in utility roles such as bush flying and pipeline patrol. Though variants of the design, and other better-suited designs, have taken over the Citabria's utility roles, Citabrias remain popular as trainers and for personal use.

Military operators

The 7GCBC Citabria was used as an observation aircraft by the Turkish Army. An example of one of these aircraft is displayed at the Rahmi M Koç Museum in Istanbul.

Variants

As noted above, various versions of the Citabria have been tested and produced since 1964. These are discussed in order below.

7ECA, Citabria Standard, Citabria Aurora

Introduced in 1964, the 7ECA was the first version of the design and utilized the Continental O-200-A engine of 100 horsepower. When introduced, it featured wood-spar wings and oleo-shock main gear. Within the first year of production, Champion began offering the Lycoming O-235-C1 engine of 115 horsepower as an alternative to the Continental. In 1967, Champion switched to spring steel main gear legs; by then, the Lycoming engine had become the standard. On acquiring the design, Bellanca gave this model the name Citabria "Standard" and at some point began using the 115-horsepower Lycoming O-235-K2C engine. When American Champion reintroduced the 7ECA in 1995 as the Citabria "Aurora, " the biggest change was the use of metal-spar wings; the most recent significant design change has been the switch to aluminum main gear legs in 2004.

7GCAA, Citabria "A" Package, Citabria Adventure

Introduced in 1965, the Champion 7GCAA, like the 7ECA, featured wood-spar wings and oleo-shock main gear. The major difference was in the engine, which in the 7GCAA was a Lycoming O-320-A2B of 150 horsepower. Champion switched to spring steel main gear legs in 1967. Bellanca continued production of the 7GCAA as the Citabria "A" Package (a designation apparently begun by Champion), but with no significant design changes. American Champion's 7GCAA, reintroduced in 1997 as the Citabria "Adventure," is similar to earlier versions, with the exception of the metal-spar wings and the use of the Lycoming O-320-B2B engine of 160 horsepower; the most recent significant design change has been the switch to aluminum main gear legs in 2004. An "Ultimate Adventure" version, with a Superior Vantage O-360-A3A2 engine of 180 horsepower and a composite propeller, is also produced by American Champion.

7GCGC, Citabria "C" Package, Citabria Explorer

Champion introduced the 7GCBC in 1965. It was substantially similar to the 7GCAA of the same year, with a Lycoming O-320-A2B engine of 150 horsepower, wood-spar wings, and spring steel main gear legs. The major differences between these two models are that the 7GCBC has a wingspan of 34.5 feet, 1 foot longer than the 7ECA and 7GCAA, and carries wing flaps. Bellanca continued production of the 7GCBC, calling it the Citabria "C" Package (a designation apparently begun by Champion). American Champion's 7GCBC, reintroduced in 1994 as the Citabria "Explorer," is similar to earlier versions, with the exception of the metal-spar wings and the use of the Lycoming O-320-B2B of 160 horsepower; the most recent significant design change has been the switch to aluminum main gear legs in 2004. A "High Country Explorer" version, with a Superior Vantage O-360-A3A2 engine of 180 horsepower and larger wheels, is also produced by American Champion.

7KCAB, Citabria "B" Package

Champion introduced the 7KCAB in 1968. It was substantially similar to the 7GCAA of the same year, with wood-spar wings and spring steel main gear legs. The major differences between the7GCAA and 7KCAB were in the fuel system and the engine oil system. The engine was replaced with a Lycoming IO-320-E2A of 150 horsepower, while a header tank of 1.5 gallons—located beneath the instrument panel—was added to the fuel system. In addition, the carburetor was replaced with a fuel injection system, and a Christen Industries inverted oil system was fitted to the engine. All of these changes were made in order to allow for extended inverted flight, a mode not possible in the earlier models. Bellanca continued production of the 7KCAB as the Citabria "B" Package (a designation apparently begun by Champion).

Citabria Pro

The Citabria Pro was tested by Champion in 1968, but was never put into production, as Champion was acquired by Bellanca only a short time later. It was a design based on the 7KCAB, but with a vertically shortened fuselage, a wing of semi-symmetric airfoil mounted in a parasol configuration, and a unique engine, the Lycoming IO-360SPL. While it was flown as a single-seat, there was a second set of controls and room for a second seat. The design changes were intended to produce an aircraft capable of more complex maneuvers and better performance in inverted flight. The Citabria Pro was assigned model number 8KCAB, which eventually became the designation for the Bellanca Decathlon design more fully described in a separate article.

Specifications (1975 7GCAA Citabria "A" Package)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Capacity: one passenger
Airfoil: NACA 4412

Performance

References

"American airplanes: Aeronca". Aerofiles: A Century of American Aviation. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
"American airplanes: Al - av". Aerofiles: A Century of American Aviation. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
"American airplanes: Ca - ci". Aerofiles: A Century of American Aviation. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
"Bellanca". Aerofiles: A Century of American Aviation. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
Bellanca Aircraft Corporation (1978). Pilot's operating manual: Bellanca Citabria, 1975-1977 Series. Bellanca Aircraft Corporation.
Gilbert, James. (Feb. 1965). "Champion Citabria: pilot report." Flying, pp. 57-60.
Gilbert, James. (Apr. 1966). "And in this corner, the champ: a pilot report on the Champion Citabria." Flying, pp. 36-41.
Type Certificate Data Sheet A-759, Revision 67. (Jun. 3, 2005.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration.

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