Aircraft model
CHAMPION 7GCAA
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citabria 7GCAA is the 150 hp version without flaps. The name is aerobatic spelled backwards and that 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.
The extra power over a 7ECA makes it climb properly and gives it enough energy for aerobatics to be enjoyable rather than laboured, and the absence of flaps keeps it light. It has no inverted fuel or oil system, so positive-g manoeuvres only. Champion and Bellanca-era aircraft have wooden wing spars with a documented cracking history and associated inspection requirements — the single most important thing to verify. Fabric is the dominant lifetime cost.
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- CHAMPION 7GCAA
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-A2B |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1965 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| 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 | 560 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 350 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,090 lb |
| Usable fuel | 35 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $110,000 |
| 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 | 217 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 114 |
| Median year built | 1966.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 17.541 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 17.542 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 21 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 18.423 |
| Airworthiness directives | 3 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 114 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 114 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 114 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 8.2 of 101 |
| Severity | 1.3 of 102 |
| Access | 8 of 103 |
| Support | 9.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 33.4 out of 506 |
These record scores treat CHAMPION 7GCAA as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 119 aircraft registered under AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT; includes 118 aircraft registered under BELLANCA. 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.