BELLANCA DECATHLON SERIES For Sale

Bellanca Decathlon Series Aircraft Information

Designed for flight training and personal use and capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses between +6g and -5g, the Decathlon Series are two seat, conventional landing gear, light airplanes. Designed by Champion Aircraft Corporation the Decathlon is a derivative of the American Champion 7 Series Citabrias. Since pilots wanted an aircraft capable of more maneuvers, Champion introduced the 8KCAB Decathlon. The capacity of the Decathlon is for one crew member and one passenger. The empty weight is 1340 lb (608 kg) and the maximum takeoff weight is 1950 lb (885 kg) or 1800 lb aerobatic (816 kg). Cruise speed is 128 mph (206 km/h), stall speed is 53 mph (85.3 km/h), and maximum speed is 155 mph (249 km/h). The Decathlon's rate of climb is 1280 ft/min (6.5 m/s).

Only a handful of Decathlons were produced by Champion because the company was acquired by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation. Bellanca continued production of the Decathlon throughout the 1970s. Variant models of the Decathlon include the Champion Model 8KCAB Decathlon, Bellanca Decathlon, Bellanca Decathlon CS, and Bellanca Super Decathlon.

The Decathlon features tandem seating and joystick controls. The Decathlon series were built with several Lycoming IO-320 engine variants, all of 150 hp and with a choice of a fixed-pitch or constant speed propeller. The aircraft's fuselage and tail surfaces are constructed of welded metal tubing. The fuselage's outer shape is created by a combination of wooden formers and longerons, covered with fabric. The strut-braced wings are fabric covered using aluminum ribs. The wings were built with wooden spars. The major improvement of the Super Decathlon was the 180 hp Lycoming AEIO-360-H1A or -H1B engine accompanied by a selection of constant speed propellers. The Decathlon series remain a popular choice as aerobatic trainers, as beginning and intermediate aerobatic airplanes, and as personal planes.

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