Today’s Top Pick is a 1977 American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon.

The basic American Champion Citabria excels at making introductions. Whether pilots are seeking tailwheel endorsements, practicing short-field technique, or learning about backcountry flying, Citabrias have always been a good place to start in part because of their wide range of equipment and performance.

Pilots who want to get serious about aerobatics are likely to gravitate toward the Super Decathlon, which serves as a versatile stepping stone between basic flight training and the possible acquisition of a dedicated aerobatic aircraft such as an Extra or a Pitts.

A Super Decathlon can be a good mount for any pilot who wants a more traditional, tactile flying experience. Without the digital instrumentation, navigation and automation that are increasingly common in today’s GA aircraft, this Decathlon demands constant engagement. You will spend most of your time aloft looking outside, scanning your surroundings instead of monitoring screens. 

If you have been flying for a long time, an airplane like this can take you back to your earliest days of hand-flying.

This Super Decathlon has 2,258 hours on the airframe and 345 hours on its 180 hp engine. The aircraft is certified in the standard and aerobatic categories and is equipped with inverted fuel and oil systems. During 2015 the wing spare was inspected and revarished, and the wing was repainted. The fuselage was repainted in 2023, and the interior was refurbished in 2022. The panel is equipped with basic flight and engine instruments.

Pilots interested in pursuing aerobatics or just looking for a traditional taildragger with performance well above average should consider this 1977 American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon, which is available for $117,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 1977 American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon Is an Entry-Level Aerobatic ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1965 American Champion 7ECA Citabria.

This particular version of the Citabria, the 100 hp 7ECA, is my favorite because it is such a gentle, forgiving machine, especially among taildraggers. My flying club has one in which I occasionally take recurrent training to keep my tailwheel endorsement in shape. Deep down, though, I think the best way to stay current in a tailwheel airplane is to fly it all the time.

When I fly the Citabria, I always wind up thinking about how things would go if I owned it. I imagine that my wife would be perfectly happy traveling to Deer Isle, Maine, or Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the rear seat, at less than half the cruising speed of our Commander 114B. We would have more time to savor the experience.

This aerobatic 1965 Citabria has 1,173 hours on the airframe and 837 hours on its 100 hp Continental O-200 engine since overhaul. Its McCauley ACM6948 propeller was dynamically balanced in 2021. The aircraft was re-covered with Poly Fiber and repainted in 2004, with a new interior installed the same year. It is equipped with 8.50 tires, Scott 3200 tailwheel, and quick-release aerobatic door.

The full gyro panel includes an accelerometer, Garmin GTR 225 with intercom, KT 76A Mode C transponder, and uAvionix Skybeacon ADS-B. The airplane also comes with a JPI 730 engine monitor that has not been installed.

Pilots craving the warm embrace between oleo strut landing gear and a grass strip, and the joy of flying low and slow, following terrain features instead of the magenta line, should consider this 1965 American Champion Citabria, which is available for $45,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Getting Reacquainted With Taildraggers Is Time Well Spent
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• Plane & Pilot: American Champion Citabria, Super Decathlon, Scout
• Plane & Pilot: Inside The 2019 Valdez Fly-In And STOL Contest
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Decathlon and Citabria

The post This 1965 American Champion 7ECA Citabria Is an Unhurried, Unflappable ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to Garmin, the GFC 500 autopilot performs by integrating Garmin’s GI 275 or G5 electronic flight instruments, which can be a combination of either a standby GI 275 or G5 electronic flight instrument interfaced to a G500 TXi flight display. It can also be used with a Garmin G3X Touch flight display.

The autopilot mode controller uses large dedicated keys and knobs, along with a control wheel that allows for easy adjustment to aircraft pitch, airspeed, and vertical speed. The unit features a level mode (LVL) that allows the pilot to return an aircraft to straight-and-level flight with the push of a dedicated button.

The GFC 500 has traditional autopilot capabilities, such as altitude hold, vertical speed, and heading modes. In addition, the GFC 500 includes altitude preselect, vertical navigation (VNAV), underspeed and overspeed protection, and more. Pilots can also select, couple, and fly various instrument approaches, including GPS, ILS, VOR, LOC, and back-course approaches when paired with a compatible Garmin GPS navigator.

The GFC 500 includes Garmin Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP), which works to assist the pilot in maintaining the aircraft in a stable flight condition. ESP functions independently of the autopilot, working in the background while the pilot hand-flies the aircraft. ESP helps avoid inadvertent unusual attitudes and bank angles by nudging the pilot to return the aircraft back to a safe flight attitude.

In addition, the GFC 500 can be equipped to take advantage of Garmin’s Smart Glide, a safety tool that helps reduce pilot workload by automating certain tasks. In the event of an uncommanded loss of engine power, Smart Glide flies the airplane while the pilot troubleshoots the problem.

• READ MORE: Garmin Gets STC for GFC 500 Autopilot for Older Aircraft

Smart Rudder for Beechcraft Barons

Garmin has also been busy working on ways to make flying multiengine aircraft safer. This week, the company received certification for Smart Rudder Bias and VNAV functionality for the Beechcraft Baron B55 and B55A aircraft that are equipped with the GFC 600 autopilot.

Smart Rudder Bias can now provide pilots of Beechcraft B55 Baron aircraft assistance against the hazardous effects of one-engine inoperative (OEI) flight when the aircraft is appropriately equipped.

The system is designed to continuously monitor engine parameters using engine indication system (EIS) data displayed on a G500 TXi or G600 TXi flight display. When the system detects a predetermined power differential between each engine, Smart Rudder Bias activates, dynamically adjusting to assist the pilot by providing enough force to the rudder to help control a sideslip.

In addition, there is a yellow annunciator for the inoperative engine along with autopilot annunciations on the G500 TXi or G600 TXi flight display, helping the pilot identify which engine is having the issue more quickly.

Smart Rudder Bias requires a G500 TXi or G600 TXi configured as a primary flight display (PFD) with EIS data, which can be shown as a strip on the G500 TXi or G600 TXi, or on a separate dedicated TXi EIS display. Additionally, Smart Rudder Bias requires the yaw axis option be installed on the GFC 600.

• READ MORE: Garmin Achieves STC for GFC 600 for Cessna 310R, Pilatus PC-12/47

Vertical Navigation (VNAV)

Pilots of Beechcraft B55 Baron aircraft with an autopilot paired with a GTN or GTN Xi touchscreen navigator and the G5, GI 275, G500 TXi/G600 TXi or G500/G600 will now have the option to fly a fully-coupled VNAV profile.

Using the navigator, the pilot can easily enter altitude constraints on the flight plan page to set-up a vertical descent profile.

Using VNAV, pilots also experience a near-seamless transition to an arrival and instrument approach as step-down altitudes are automatically populated. When the GFC 600 or GFC 500 autopilot is fully-coupled on a VNAV descent, pilots can experience a smooth and controlled descent, giving them more time to focus on briefing the approach and preparing for landing.

Garmin To Add More STCs

To view the most up-to-date aircraft STC list and certifications that are expected to begin in the next 12-months, or to express interest in a specific aircraft make/model, visit: www.garmin.com/GFC500 or www.garmin.com/GFC600.

For additional information about Smart Rudder Bias visit: www.Garmin.com/SmartRudderBias.

The post FAA Approves Garmin Autopilot STC for American Champion Scout appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

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The new airplane includes several modifications, the most significant one being a 30-horsepower boost over the Super Decathlon. In addition to improving the performance, the 210 hp Lycoming AEIO-390-A1B6 added 39 pounds of weight to the airplane, but 62 pounds worth of weight reducing modifications more than made up for the difference.

Engineer and test pilot Jody Bradt said the Xtreme Decathlon is 15 mph faster than the Super Decathlon and, at 1,660 fpm, it provides nearly a 400-fpm improvement in climb performance as well. The area of the elevator has been increased, which helps the CG with the added weight up front and allows for lighter control inputs, according to American Champion’s vice president of engineering, Jerry Mehlhaff Jr.

The wingtips are clipped and Bradt said the wide ailerons are mounted at a 29 percent hinge point to provide aerodynamic boost. Bradt said the engineering team is considering adding spades as well. However, the current design’s clipped wings and boosted ailerons already provide a 120-degree-per-second roll rate, a 33-percent improvement over the Super Decathlon.

American Champion expects certification to be complete this fall and Bradt said the company expects to deliver the six airplanes currently on order this year. Depending on demand, the future production rate is planned at 20 to 40 airplanes per year, he said.

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