Aircraft model
BELLANCA 7KCAB
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citabria 7KCAB is the fully aerobatic member of the family: 150 hp with an inverted fuel and oil system, so it can be flown upside down and through the full range of basic aerobatic manoeuvres rather than positive-g only. It is bought by people learning aerobatics properly and by clubs that teach it.
The inverted systems are the reason to choose it over a 7ECA or 7GCBC, and they are also an additional maintenance item that needs to work correctly — a failed inverted oil system in the wrong attitude is a serious matter, so its condition and servicing history matter. Useful load is only 530 lb, which is two adults and reduced fuel. The Bellanca-era wooden wing spars have a documented cracking history with inspection requirements that must be verified, and fabric is the dominant lifetime cost. Aerobatic aircraft also accumulate structural fatigue faster than touring aircraft, so logbook history and any record of over-g events matter more than usual.
Compare with…
Put BELLANCA 7KCAB side by side with up to two other models.
- BELLANCA 7KCAB
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-320-E2B |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1968 |
| Production end | 1980 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 450 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,120 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 530 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 320 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,120 lb |
| Usable fuel | 35 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $95,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $30,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $42,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 328 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 230 |
| Median year built | 1974.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 26.091 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 21.742 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 37 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.093 |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 230 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 230 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 230 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 5.7 of 101 |
| Severity | 3.6 of 102 |
| Access | 5.4 of 103 |
| Support | 8.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 28.9 out of 506 |
These record scores treat BELLANCA 7KCAB as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 151 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.