Aircraft model
BELLANCA 8KCAB
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Decathlon, Bellanca's serious aerobatic development of the Citabria. It has a shorter, symmetrical-section wing designed to fly as well inverted as upright, inverted fuel and oil systems, and a higher g envelope — roughly plus six and minus five. It is the aeroplane a great many pilots learn competition aerobatics in, and it is also perfectly pleasant to fly from A to B slowly. Bellanca built two under the one designation: the 150 hp Decathlon from 1970, and from 1976 the Super Decathlon with a 180 hp Lycoming AEIO-360, which is the one with the climb rate and the vertical performance aerobatic pilots want — so the year, or the engine, decides which you are looking at.
It is a better aerobatic machine than a Citabria and a worse cross-country one: the shorter wing means a higher stall speed and a firmer ride, and useful load is only 540 lb. The Bellanca-era wooden wing spars are the critical inspection item — spar cracking on this family is documented and carries inspection requirements that must be verified before purchase, and it matters more on an aerobatic aircraft than a touring one. Fabric is the dominant lifetime cost. Review the logbooks for over-g events and for how hard the aeroplane has been used, because aerobatic airframes accumulate fatigue quickly.
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Put BELLANCA 8KCAB side by side with up to two other models.
- BELLANCA 8KCAB
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming AEIO-320-E2B |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1970 |
| Production end | 1980 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 105 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 500 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,800 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 47 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 540 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 300 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,260 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $85,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $135,000 |
| 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 | 589 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 370 |
| Median year built | 1977.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 12 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 32.431 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 27.032 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 86 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.243 |
| Airworthiness directives | 12 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 370 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 370 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 370 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 5.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.3 of 102 |
| Access | 2.1 of 103 |
| Support | 10 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.3 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27.1 out of 506 |
These record scores treat BELLANCA 8KCAB as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 447 aircraft registered under AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT. 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.