Aircraft model
AERONCA 7AC/BCM CONV
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Aeronca Champ, built in enormous numbers immediately after the Second World War as a direct competitor to the Piper Cub. Two seats in tandem, 65 hp, fabric over steel tube, and a stick and rudder. The important difference from a Cub is that it is soloed from the front seat, which gives far better forward visibility and makes it the easier of the two to learn tailwheel flying in — a point most instructors will make unprompted.
It is bought today for recreational flying, tailwheel training and the pleasure of going slowly with the door open. It is not transport: 70 knots, thirteen gallons, no electrical system on most examples, and a cabin that is snug for two. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft in the United States, so a sport pilot certificate is enough to fly one, which has pushed prices up over the past fifteen years. The overwhelming cost consideration is the fabric covering — a recover job costs more than many Champs are worth, so establish its age, its type and its condition before anything else, and look at the steel tube structure underneath for corrosion at the same time.
Compare with…
Put AERONCA 7AC/BCM CONV side by side with up to two other models.
- AERONCA 7AC/BCM CONV
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1945 |
| Production end | 1948 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 70 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 270 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,400 ft |
| Climb rate | 500 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 480 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 402 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,220 lb |
| Empty weight | 740 lb |
| Usable fuel | 13 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $19,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $40,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $20,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $30,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.