100 hp Citabrias

S

Sticky

New member
I'm close to narrowing down a Citabria to purchase for burning fuel and simply making holes in the sky. I've owned a '48 7DC Champ with the 85 hp in it before so I'm kind of familiar with the breed. I was actually looking to buy a 150 hp 7-variant but I'm not averse to a lower powered aircraft if it's exceptionally well-maintained.

Does anyone have any experience with the original 100 hp 7ECA? I realize there weren't too many made before the company changed to the 0-235 but I see several good quality ships popping up for sale lately - one in particular that I want to go look at.

Other than oleo gear and heel brakes, are there any specific concerns with the 1964/65 vintage aircraft or the 100 hp 0-200 that I need to be aware of before I commit to a pre-purchase inspection?

Also, I can't find any performance figures for anything below the 0-235 115 hp models. Can anyone tell me what I could realistically expect for a normal cruise speed and sea-level rate of climb?

Thanks.
 
Hi sticky.....I purchased a 65 7eca a little over a year ago with an 0-200....I have been happy with the plane however it is underpowered.....on the other hand 5.5 to 6gph is great...the problem I face is that I fly from my own strip which is 2600ft long and have obstructions on both ends.... by myself the ship gets in and out fine even with full fuel..39 gals...on a 85 degree day,but add a passenger and it gets scary quick....I found that during the summmer months if I keep less than 20 gals and play the winds its manageable....I knew before I bought it would be underpowered, but I thought it would be a little better....My dad owns a 7ac with a A65 flying out of the same strip for years never a problem....I guess I was expecting performance equal to a 100hp champ....If you are operating out of a airport with paved rnwys there would be no problem at all...I still like the plane dont get me wrong.....as far as performance numbers they will be close to the 0235.....I cruise about 95mph at 2450.....rate of climb varies of course with with load,temps,humidity,wind and elev........by myself with full fuel and 725 elev...I see 400-600 fpm....I do have the factory numbers from magazine test of a 65 7eca...if you need them let me know.....hope this helps......Rich in norhtern In. N2585f
 
When I was looking at my 7eca to buy I seemed to forget about the extra weight....I was just so excited about owning my first plane.......also I love the oleo no bounce gear....I nor my18 year old son have bounced it yet.......as for the heel brakes they seem to be positioned a little different than the champs and are easier to operate......I grew up flying cubs,t-crafts and the champ so heel brakes were not a problem......Rich N2585f
 
Thanks for your comments.

That's a good point about the weight difference between the Champ and Citabria and one that that I never fully considered...the slight increase in hp is marginalized when you factor in the higher empty weight and the greater potential fuel load. Still, the performance figures are about what I expected.

I guess my biggest concern is buying a 100 hp 7ECA thinking that I can accept the under-power issue and then regretting it at the end of the day.
 
Are you looking at the Citabrias that have the 115hp in them?


My dad recently sold a Cessna on this site, it has a fair amount of citabrias listed too.

http://www.barnstormers.com/
 
I've been looking mainly through the standard sites (Barnstormers, the Controller, and TAP) for any variant of the Citabria - clean and low time.
 
I agree with the above. The O-200 Citabria is actually more sluggish on climb than a 65Hp Champ with a 1320 lbs gross. I'm at 5000 foot asphalt runway so it is not a problem. I like the radios, mode C transponder, stobes and eletric start. But all that stuff adds weight. Mine is 1070 empty. 1650 gross. This is why they went on up to the O-235 soon thereafter. You need an O-320 if you want a bush plane.
 
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