Aircraft model
CHAMPION AERONCA 7AC
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Aeronca 7AC Champ, the fabric-over-steel-tube tandem two-seater that Aeronca built in Middletown, Ohio between 1945 and 1948 — about 7,200 of them, which is why so many survive. It has 65 hp, no electrical system on most examples, and a stick and rudder with almost nothing else, and it is soloed from the front seat, which is its one real advantage over a Cub. The registry records it under CHAMPION because Champion Aircraft bought the type certificate in 1954, not because Champion built any. When Champion restarted Champ production in 1955 it was with the 7EC, and later the tricycle 7FC; no 7AC was built after 1948. So the name on the paperwork says who holds the certificate, and every 7AC is an Aeronca of the late 1940s with whatever engine, electrics and covering it has acquired since.
It is soloed from the front seat, unlike a Cub, which gives far better forward visibility and makes it the easier of the two to learn tailwheel flying in. It is not transport at 70 knots with thirteen gallons. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft, so a sport pilot certificate is sufficient, which has supported prices considerably. Fabric age is the dominant cost question and should be settled before anything else, along with corrosion in the tubing beneath it.
Compare with…
Put CHAMPION AERONCA 7AC side by side with up to two other models.
- CHAMPION AERONCA 7AC
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1954 |
| Production end | 1964 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 70 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 270 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,400 ft |
| Climb rate | 500 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 480 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 402 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,220 lb |
| Empty weight | 740 lb |
| Usable fuel | 13 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $45,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $20,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $30,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 91 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 58 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 51.72 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 51.72 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 14 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.14 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 58 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 58 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 58 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 3.3 of 103 |
| Support | 4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.7 of 105 |
These record scores treat CHAMPION AERONCA 7AC as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered under SHINDLER-ROBERT; includes the record of aircraft once registered under AERONCA/DURR JERRY; includes the record of aircraft once registered under AERONCA/SAMPSON D/SAMPSON B; includes the record of aircraft once registered under CAUM MILTON W. 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.