Aeronca / Champion 7-series Champ
18 models built 1945–1970 · 2,770 on the US register today
The Aeronca 7-series Champ, built by Aeronca in Middletown, Ohio from 1945 to 1951 and then by Champion Aircraft from 1954 to about 1964 after it bought the type certificate: a fabric-over-steel-tube tandem two-seater soloed from the front seat, the Cub's great rival. Aeronca built the 65 hp 7AC, the 85 hp 7BCM (L-16A) and 7DC, the 90 hp 7CCM (L-16B) and the electrically equipped 7EC Traveler; Champion continued the 7EC and added the tricycle-gear 7FC Tri-Traveler, the 140 hp 7GC Sky-Trac, the 150 hp 7GCA, the flapped 7GCB/7GCBA Challenger and the 7KC Olympia. The CONV rows are registry spellings for converted aircraft. From 1964 the same line became the Citabria.
The variants
| MODEL | YEARS | ACTIVE | TAILFAX SCORE | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7AC | 1945–1948 | 1,875 | 30.4/50 | The original 65 hp Champ |
| 7AC-CONV | 1945–1948 | 6 | — | Registry spelling for a converted 7AC |
| 7AC/BCM CONV | 1945–1948 | 1 | — | Registry spelling for a 7AC converted to 7BCM standard |
| 7BCM | 1947–1950 | 175 | 21.3/50 | 85 hp C-85 (L-16A) |
| 7BCM/CONV | 1947–1950 | 5 | — | Registry spelling for a converted 7BCM |
| 7CCM | 1948–1950 | 91 | 24.4/50 | 90 hp C-90, enlarged tail (L-16B) |
| 7DC | 1948–1949 | 121 | Partial 20.7/30 | Civil 85 hp equivalent of the 7BCM |
| 7DC-CONV | 1948–1949 | 14 | — | Registry spelling for a converted 7DC |
| 7EC CONV | 1950–1951 | 3 | — | Registry spelling for a converted 7EC |
| Aeronca 7AC | 1954–1964 | 58 | Partial 14.2/30 | Registry spelling of the 7AC under the Champion name |
| 7EC | 1958–1964 | 157 | 24.8/50 | Champion-built Traveler, 1955-64 |
| 7EC(CONV) | 1958–1964 | 3 | — | Registry spelling for a converted 7EC |
| 7FC | 1958–1964 | 164 | 32.1/50 | Tri-Traveler: tricycle gear |
| 7GC | 1959–1962 | 37 | Partial 13.1/30 | Sky-Trac: 140 hp O-290 |
| 7GCB | 1962–1965 | 55 | Partial 13.8/30 | Challenger: flaps, increased wing area |
| 7GCBA | 1962–1965 | 2 | — | Challenger variant |
| 7GCA | 1965–1970 | 2 | — | Sky-Trac agricultural: 150 hp O-320 |
| 7KC | 1968–1970 | 1 | — | Olympia: smaller wings, redesigned tail |
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30