roof option), and have an aileron rollalong the way as an appetizer. The fac­tory calls it a "Champ on steroids withflaps." (And in case you have forgottenwhere the name Citabria came from,spell our headline backward.)

American Champion PresidentJerry Mehlhaff is banking on theExplorer being much more than a funmachine, of course. Intended as alower-priced competitor to the PiperSuper Cub, Mehlhaff sees it as a utilityaircraft, whether it be on floats or skis,and as a glider tug aircraft.

There were 1,214 Citabria 7GCBCaircraft produced before Bellanca Air­craft Corporation ceased production.The first Citabria came off the line in

1964 at Champion Aircraft in Oseola,•The Citabria is

a fly-for-fun,"what the heck,

let's roll it"

airplane.

Wisconsin, a company that was laterbought by Bellanca. Eventually, theCitabria line expanded to four models.The 7ECA, a flap less, lIS-horsepowermodel, is scheduled to be revived byAmerican Champion next spring-intime for Sun 'n Fun. The 7GCAA was

basically the same as the 7ECA, butwith a 150.hp engine. AmericanChampion expects to begin buildingthe 7GCM in a year, but with a 160-hpengine. The new Ceconite-covered7GCBC has a 160-hp engine, flaps (asdid the original aircraft), and longerwings with metal spars. Owners ofolder 7GCBC aircraft may purchasethe metalized wings for $12,000,increasing the aircraft's maximumgross weight from 1,650 pounds to1,800 pounds. Older Citabria 7GCBCaircraft produced in the 1960s and1970s had wood spars that are proneto cracking. In addition, metal ribswere nailed to spars, but the nailswould pull out. Further improvementsto the 7GCBC include use of the hefti­

er front wing strut from a Decathlon,which is attached to the wing with abeefed-up end fitting.

The fourth model, the 7KCAB, wasbasically a 7GCAA with an invertedfuel and oil system, but will not be

54 • OCTOBER 1994

revived by American Champion. Thatmodel was abandoned by aerobaticenthusiasts in favor of the ChampionDecathlon 8KCABbecause of its better

inverted flight performance.While the Explorer is fully aerobat­

ic, although with a restricted weight­and-balance envelope when flown foraerobatics, the flight manual warns ofloss of oil pressure and oil during neg­ative maneuvers. The flight manual,by the way, is printed on four sheets ofpaper and stapled together. (TheCitabria was certified under older CAR4a regulations, when a more extensiveflight manual was not required.) The180-hp Decathlon, already in produc­tion at American Champion, is thecompany's biggest seller-accounting•

When it comes

to taildraggers,the Citabria isas tame as the

airport kitten.

for 16 of the 18 sales made so far this

year (see "The New Champion," Octo­ber 1991 Pilot).

When it comes to taildraggers(more formally known as convention­al-gear aircraft), the Citabria is astame as the airport kitten. Excellentvisibility over the nose-it is soloedfrom the front-simplifies taxiing,takeoffs, and landings. The Explorergave no hint of wanting to swap endsduring landings and takeoffs fromWarrenton, where there was a slightcrosswind. Like the original, it canhandle a hefty 17-knot crosswind.

The sporty red, white, and blue ure­thane paint scheme of N50AC, thecompany prototype aircraft bought byDavis, signals fun even while sitting onthe ramp. Because it was a prototype,there are extra electrical leads tied off

in a bundle near the oil filler port thatonce fed operating temperatures to athermocouple and meter in the backseat. Testing required recording eventhe operating temperatures of themagnetos while in flight.

Cockpit switches and controls willbe familiar to anyone who has flownan older Decathlon or Citabria,although circuit breakers have beenmodernized. The magneto, master,

AOPA PILOT • 55

and other switches are, like the oldermodels, rather inconveniently locatedbehind the pilot's left shoulder. Oper­ating them while strapped into a para­chute and with the front cockpit's five­point harness hooked up requiresmore than a few grunts. It's easierfrom the back seat, but that's notwhere you solo this aircraft. The trimcontrol, same as that used on earlierCitabrias and Decathlons, is a slidingknob, much like the throttle, that isfast and simple to operate.

Spend a few seconds savoring thenew-airplane smell (the aircraft hadonly 32 hours on it), punch the shinyelectric starter button while holdingthe toe brakes, and it's time to fly.

Davis elected to have instructor•Using the Explorerto give tailwheel

transition training toa nosewheel pilot is

almost cheating.

Chuck Davis, no relation, ride alongon the demonstration flight, becausethe instructor was more familiar with

landings and takeoffs from the rearseat. With less than half tanks, wewere still right at the new, higher grossweight of 1,800 pounds. Takeoffs areperformed with two notches of flaps(16 degreesh which cuts 120 feet offthe takeoff run. A few seconds of

rolling at full power, a gentle forwardpressure to raise the tail, a gentle pull,and we were off in what appeared tobe less than 500 feet. Tracking the run­way centerline required little effort.Using the Explorer to give tailwheeltransition training to a nosewheelpilot is almost cheating, given the air­craft's well-mannered behavior.

The Explorer is equally docile dur­ing stalls, proving its value as a trainer.With the stick held back after the gen­tle break during an approach-to-Iand­ing stall, the aircraft tracked nearlystraight ahead, finally settling into amedium-bank turn to the left. Slow

flight was performed at 35 to 40 knotswith flaps down. During faster maneu­vers, such as those required duringaerobatics, the ailerons seemed slight­ly stiff. American Champion Vice Pres­ident for Engineering Jerry Mehlhaff,

56 • OCTOBER 1994

Anyone familiar with a Decathlonwill feel at home in the Explorer cockpit.

The upper left panel switches aredifficult to reach from the pilot's front

seat. A fully opening left windowkeeps the cockpit coolon the ground.

Jr., son of the president, admitted theailerons in the original design have a"high hinge moment." Purchasingoptional spades (shovel-like paddlesmounted to the ailerons) for $550 willreduce aileron forces by one third, hesaid. Aerobatic maneuvers for which

the Citabria is approved include thechandeIle, lazy eight, barrel or slowroll, Immelmann, loop, split S, snaproll, hammerhead turn, Cuban eight,and spin.

The flaps offer an impressive sixpositions, as did the flaps in the origi­nal 7GCBC, but all positions add morelift than drag, Mehlhaff, Jr. said, mak­ing them ineffective in controlling thedescent during a landing. Additional­ly, the positioning of the flap handle•Slipping as needed with

partial flaps workedquite well, maintainingafinal approach speed0[56 knots indicated.

offers little leverage advantage. Thelast two positions, 27 degrees and 35degrees, are a tough pull.

Each of three approaches requireda forward slip because the flaps wereof little help. Instructor Davis said theaircraft requires a long, flat approach,but that was inhibited somewhat at

Warrenton by trees off the approachend. Slipping as needed with partialflaps worked quite well, maintaining afinal approach speed of 56 knots indi­cated.

Both instructor Davis and owner

Davis cautioned prior to the flight thatthe airplane likes to float on landing.Increased wing rigidity is to blame forthe float, Mehlhaff, jr. said. The wing,downsized from a Champion Scout,was intentionally made more rigid toimprove lift and roll rate. It offers theadded advantage of increasing wingstrength. "It reduces a lot of prob­lems," Mehlhaff, jr. said. However, thefloating problem didn't seem seriousduring the three approaches I made:The first, with no previous experiencein the aircraft, took 1,500 feet, but thelast was accomplished in less than1,000 feet-not that far off the factoryclaim of 740 feet over a 50-foot obsta­

cle. Further practice would reduce the

AOPA PilOT • 57

Citabria Explorcr 7GCBCBase price: $58.900

Price as tested: $72.475

landing distance still farther.One point did seem worrisome,

however. To aid in getting down, it isrecommended that power be reducedto idle opposite the point of intendedtouchdown. That's not as serious a

problem in summer, but what aboutshock-cooling the engine in winter?Owner Davis plans to carry a littlepower to touchdown in winter butmay need to develop new techniques

SpccificationsTextron Lycoming 0-320-H2B.

160 hp at 2.700 rpmHecommended TBO 2.000 hr

Propeller Sensenich 74DM6S8-1. 73-in dia,56-pitch climb prop

22.1 ft34.5 ft

Two. tandem28in

1,250lb1,800lb

550lb340lb

36 gal (35 gal usable)8 qt

100lb6.5 ft

+5/-2

656 ft

17 kt

I.130fpm

to get the aircraft down such as start­ing the forward slip during base oreven on downwind. The Explorer real­ly does like to fly.

This particular Explorer is equippedwith a radio, transponder withencoder, intercom, and even a II Mor­row GPS.

Overall, the aircraft delivers what itpromises: fun. I asked Charlie if Icould come back-just to play. 0

Takeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle.

16-degree flap settingMax demonstrated crosswind

componentHate of climb, sea level

Cruise speed/endurance w/45-minrsv @ 75% power 110 to 112 kt/3.3 hr

Service ceiling 16.000 ft (estimated)Landing distance

over 50-ft obstacle 740 ft (estimated)

Landing distance, ground roll 360 ft (estimated)

Limiting and Hecommcndcd AirspecdsVx (best angle of climb) 61 KIASVy (best rate of climb) 68 KIASV"o (max structural cruising) 104 KIASVS1 (stall, flaps up) 44 KIASVso (stall, flaps down) 41 KIAS

For more il/formatiol/, contact American Cham­pion Aircraft. Post Office Box 37,32032 Washi/lg­to/l Ave/lue, Highway D, Rochester. Wisco/lsin53167; telephone 800/223-9381 or 414/534 -6315.

All specifications are based on manufacturer'scalculations. All performa/lce figures are based onstandard day. standard atmosphere. sea level.gross weight co/lditions unless otherwise /loted.412 ft

Powerplant

Performancc

Takeoff distance, ground roll,16-degree flap setting

LengthWingspanSeatsCabin width

Empty weightGross weightUseful load

Payload with full fuelFuel capacityOil capacityBaggage capacityWheelbase

Max G loading

58 • OCTOBER 1994