Aircraft model
BELLANCA 7ECA
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citabria 7ECA, built by Bellanca in the 1970s, is the entry-level member of the Champ-derived aerobatic family. The name is aerobatic spelled backwards, and it is the point: a two-seat tandem taildragger, fabric over steel tube, certified for loops, rolls and spins. It is used for tailwheel training, basic aerobatic instruction and recreational flying.
With 115 hp and no flaps it is the least capable of the Citabrias — climb is modest, aerobatics are leisurely, and it is limited to positive-g manoeuvres because it has no inverted fuel or oil system. If you want to fly inverted you need the 7KCAB or a Decathlon. The fabric covering is the dominant lifetime cost and its age should be established before anything else, along with the condition of the wooden wing spars that Bellanca-era aircraft use — spar cracking is a known issue on this family and has generated inspection requirements. Later American Champion aircraft have metal spars. A tailwheel endorsement and real currency are required.
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Put BELLANCA 7ECA side by side with up to two other models.
- BELLANCA 7ECA
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-235-K2C |
| Horsepower | 115 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1964 |
| Production end | 1980 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 95 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 450 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 725 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 613 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 457 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,037 lb |
| Usable fuel | 26 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $42,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $70,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 488 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 347 |
| Median year built | 1975.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 15 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 43.231 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 34.582 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 94 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 27.093 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 347 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 347 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 347 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.7 of 101 |
| Severity | 4.7 of 102 |
| Access | 5.3 of 103 |
| Support | 9.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.6 out of 506 |
These record scores treat BELLANCA 7ECA as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 419 aircraft registered under CHAMPION. Prices are not combined.
- 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.