Aircraft model
CHAMPION 7KC
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 and they are an additional maintenance item that must 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 with reduced fuel. Wooden wing spars on Champion and Bellanca-era aircraft have a documented cracking history with inspection requirements, and aerobatic airframes accumulate fatigue faster than touring ones, so logbooks matter more than usual.
Compare with…
Put CHAMPION 7KC side by side with up to two other models.
- CHAMPION 7KC
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 | 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 | 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 | $85,000 |
| 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 | 2 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1 |
| Median year built | — |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
These record scores treat CHAMPION 7KC as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes the record of aircraft once registered under AERONCA. 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.