The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964.
Designed for flight training, utility and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses from +5g to -2g.
Champion introduced the 7GCBC in 1965.
It was substantially similar to the 7GCAA of the same year, with a Lycoming O-320-A2B engine of 150 horsepower (110 kW), wood-spar wings, and spring steel main gear legs.
The major differences between these two models are that the 7GCBC has a wingspan of 34.5 feet (10.5 m), 1-foot (0.30 m) longer than the 7ECA and 7GCAA and carries wing flaps.
Bellanca continued production of the 7GCBC, calling it the Citabria “C” Package (a designation apparently begun by Champion).
American Champion’s 7GCBC, reintroduced in 1994 as the Citabria “Explorer,” is similar to earlier versions, with the exception of the metal-spar wings and the use of the Lycoming O-320-B2B of 160 horsepower (120 kW); the most recent significant design change has been the switch to aluminium main gear legs in 2004.
A “High Country Explorer” version, with a Superior Vantage O-360-A3A2 engine of 180 horsepower (130 kW) and larger wheels, is also produced by American Champion.
The 7GCBC Citabria was used as an observation aircraft by the Turkish Army and the Tongan Maritime Force Air Force.
