Aircraft model
AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citabria Explorer as built by American Champion, who bought the type certificates and restarted production in the early 1990s, with the 7GCBC returning in 1994. It is the 7GCBC with 160 hp — the Bellanca-era aircraft had 150 — flaps and the longer wing, and it does what that aeroplane has always done: climbs hard, gets in and out of short grass strips, tows gliders, and flies basic aerobatics.
The important difference from a Bellanca or Champion-built aircraft is the wing. American Champion replaced the wooden spars with metal ones, which removes the spar cracking issue that hangs over every older aircraft in this family and is the single best reason to pay the considerable premium for a later machine. The fabric is modern Ceconite rather than cotton and lasts far longer. What has not changed is that it carries two people and little else, cruises at only 105 knots, and is a taildragger requiring an endorsement and real currency. For a club or an owner wanting a new-ish backcountry two-seater, it is a strong choice.
Compare with…
Put AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC side by side with up to two other models.
- AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-B2B |
| Horsepower | 160 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1990 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 105 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 540 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,145 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 600 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 390 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,200 lb |
| Usable fuel | 35 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $390,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $28,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $40,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 264 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 232 |
| Median year built | 2002.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 13 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 56.031 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 43.12 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 78 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 33.623 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 232 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 232 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 232 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 2.6 of 101 |
| Severity | 4.6 of 102 |
| Access | 4.7 of 103 |
| Support | 9.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.