The Xtreme Decathlon also has a 30 percent increase in roll rate, without altering its ground manners. It also has a longer landing gear and a wide-chord MT propeller. The Decathlon and Citabria models can be easy to transition to, although easy is a relative term. If you have little or no tailwheel experience, you have to respect the fundamental differences between conventional and tri-gear airplanes.
On the ground, tailwheel machines are more prone to swapping ends due to the location of the center of gravity aft of the main landing gear. Yes, it can get sporty.
This means staying alert to side loading of the landing gear. Staying on the centerline and being unfailingly in command of the rudder are keys to success. It also means that the ailerons must be properly positioned for the wind when on the ground.
If you fail to do that, you can wind up in a ditch, or worse, during the landing rollout or even while taxiing. But get these airplanes airborne and they are forgiving in virtually all flight modes, although these are definitely rudder airplanes, requiring work to keep the ball centered due to adverse yaw. The elevators and rudder are nicely harmonized, while the ailerons are comparatively heavy and less effective. Adding spades corrects this characteristic and we think they are worth the investment.
Stalls are mild, giving aerodynamic warning whether flaps are up or down, and stall speeds are as low as about 40 knots for the flap-equipped 7GCBC. Citabrias and Decathlons will spin nicely if the ball is not near the center at the stall. Spin recovery is positive, but requires several hundred feet, even if initiated immediately.
Although stressed and certificated for loops and rolls, the Citabria is not a serious competition-level machine, although the wreck reports prove that some pilots believe otherwise. The other variants are generally limited to positive-G or G-neutral maneuvers such as inside loops, barrel rolls and the like—still not a bad way to sharpen skills. As with many light airplanes one potential handling trouble spot is PIO pilot-induced oscillation during landings.
Although not unique to Citabrias, the spring-steel main gear can bounce the airplane if the pilot drops it in too hard or fails to go around. To avoid a rotten day, touchdown for a wheel landing should be as close to zero-rate as possible and for three-pointers, as close to the stall as possible, with the stick back.
Welcome to the world of taildraggers. The cruising speed of the Citabria is sedate: to knots or so, depending on model, and some owners use them for travel. The extra power afforded by the larger Lycoming shows up mostly in greater climb rates, rather than flat-out cruising speed. We can attest that the Decathlons cruise faster. Takeoff and landing performance are impressive, particularly for the wood-spar 7GCBC. According to our sources, takeoff ground roll is only feet, and a foot obstacle can be cleared in feet, although those numbers might be a touch optimistic.
Landing distance over a foot obstacle is also in the foot range, with about a foot ground roll. As we noted, an important thing to remember about the new metal wing structure is that it gives the 7GCBC Citabria a gross weight of pounds, compared to for the older models. The Citabrias, especially early versions, are not known for their load-carrying capacity. Keep in mind that when two large people wearing parachutes consider aerobatics, they may be approaching gross weight even before fuel is added.
Still, owners report that staying within the CG envelope is not a problem. As for ergos, the cockpit and panel controls are laid out so that everything falls easily to hand. You fly solo from the front seat and visibility is fair in flight. The front stick length gives just the right leverage for the control gearing, especially with aileron spades.
The rear stick is short and instructors report that it often takes both hands to get full aileron deflection in a roll in a non-spade aircraft. Each throttle one for each seat is where one reaches almost unconsciously with the left hand; the carb heat knob is immediately below. Front seat travel is limited and short pilots may have difficulty getting full rudder throw without using an extra back cushion. Citabrias and Decathlons are some of the better airplanes for tall pilots—the high roofline means not having to bend over to look out the side windows.
The panel is low and slender, making installation of more than basic VFR instruments and radios challenging. Headsets or ear plugs are a must as the cockpit noise level is about on par with the proverbial boiler factory. The fuel system is utter simplicity, with three sump drains, one direct-reading mechanical gauge in each wing root and a simple fuel selector.
The covering is Dacron, which is durable, although not good forever. Most owners suggest keeping the airplane out of the sun and we concur. Owners and mechanics familiar with the type tell us that aside from making certain the ADs are complied with, especially AD R1 on wooden spar airplanes, a serious look at all of the fuselage tubes, especially those aft and low, for corrosion and proper inspection of the wooden spars, there are no particular trouble spots to watch for when shopping for a used Citabria.
Early model wing struts had thinner, 0. AD called for replacement of the old struts, and most if not all airframes should have the heavier struts installed; the presence of a placard limiting speed to MPH is proof of the thinner struts.
Also watch for cracked seatbacks. Our review of the most recent accidents involving the American Champion Citabria and Decathlon not Scout lines turned up some good news regarding design of the airplanes and some distressing news regarding the judgment of their pilots.
The good news first: Despite it being the single largest cause of bent metal and fabric, the runway loss of control RLOC rate of 30 percent is remarkably low for tailwheel airplanes—about half that of the Super Cub and Husky.
Only one flip-over was due to misusing the brakes, a tiny fraction of the rate for Super Cubs and Huskies. We think the data supports the assertion. Accident data reflects that the fewer options the pilot has when it comes to selecting fuel tanks, the less likely he or she is to have a fuel-related engine stoppage. We did not expect to see four gear collapse accidents.
All were due to lack of maintenance—failure to inspect, detect and fix cracked or corroded components. Maintenance was an issue on half of the engine stoppages; the causes of the other half could not be determined. In one case, the mechanic improperly installed the carburetor air filter. It came adrift shortly after takeoff and blocked the flow of intake air.
Unfortunately, the pilot tried to turn back to the runway, stalled, crashed and was seriously injured. In one case a pilot who had a reputation for doing low-altitude aerobatics over mountain lakes did it once too often and spun in.
A decision to fly low led to 18 crashes. Pilots flew into powerlines, trees and the ground. Five were doing aerobatics. One pilot stuck two year-olds in the single back seat of a Citabria, decided to give them a thrill by flying low and hit powerlines, killing himself and the kids. We were impressed by the pilot whose seat collapsed aft while performing, low level, at EAA Oshkosh. It forced the rear stick to the aft stop, causing an accelerated stall.
He managed to rectify the situation and land safely. My present airplane is a Super Decathlon. This is my fourth one since The first two were from Bellanca and the last two were from American Champion. These airplanes are truly rugged and virtually trouble-free. The Lycoming engine is bulletproof and in general, maintenance consists of changing the oil.
The Decathlon is a great tailwheel airplane and lots of fun to fly. Aerobatics are straightforward and for sportsman category figures, it is really good. Fuel consumption at 75 percent power is 10 GPH. The Super Decathlon is not as noisy as the Extreme Decathlon model, plus the stick forces are lighter.
The airplane cannot compete with an Extra for more exotic aerobatic maneuvers, but it is not intended to do that. Tailwheel instruction is a must, however. Solo flying is done from the front seat, and with the high wing, visibility is unlimited. While there really are no major mods that I know about, my wish list is small. I would like a few closable pockets in the cabin for storing stuff, and would love an elevator trim in the rear.
Trim is very sensitive and is a big part of flying the Decathlon. Cruise speed will be around MPH. The avionics in my panel consist of flat-screen Garmin equipment, including a GTN touchscreen navigator and an aera GPS in a panel dock, plus an all-in-one color engine display. I like to refuel the plane myself to check the fuel caps. Also, when strapping in to the Hooker harness, one must be sure that it is not hung up on the rear seat rudder pedals. Once strapped in, fresh air ventilation is quite good.
For cold days, the heater works very well. Although most of my flight time was in tricycle gear Cs and Rockwell Commanders, I earned my tailwheel endorsement in an Aviat Husky. Over time I found myself drawn more to the taildragger style of flying. Oil analysis is confirming that the Lycoming IO is holding up well at approximately hours since overhaul.
The aircraft has been hangared most of its life. Maintaining and cleaning the fabric has been a breeze, using wash and wax products specifically made for fabric and readily available from Aircraft Spruce or Pilot Mall. I had considered a lower horsepower, fixed-pitch prop Decathlon to keep acquisition costs down, but opted to go with the more powerful Super Decathlon with a constant-speed prop.
This was a good decision with the higher density altitudes in this part of the country. A previous owner upgraded the landing gear attachment hardware, so the aircraft has an extra pounds added to the gross weight, although I primarily fly the aircraft solo.
I can carry full fuel and still remain well within the lower aerobatic weight limits. For me, I have no choice given my close proximity to a Class B airport. Aileron spades were also added to my Super Decathlon, are quite effective and hurt like hell when I invariably bonk my head on them!
Fuel burn has varied depending on my flight activities—from 8. Operations are simple with the limited systems installed, although a Stratus portable ADS-B system and an iPad mini are on board for every flight, if for no reason other than traffic avoidance. Plus, it looks cool. Ground manners are quite benign and visibility over the cowling is excellent—no need for S-turns while taxing.
Either the end of this week or beginning of next week I'll be flying a Citabria and will get to see how it compares. One thing I'm wondering from the short, as in vertically challenged, acro pilots on the board I tried my "platform" sneakers and while I could reach well and have the seat back enough for full stick back extension I didn't get the kind of feedback to my feet for rudder inputs that I needed.
Maybe I could get used to it but I'd rather have something hard on the rudders so I can wear regular shoes. Up to Sportsmans level maybe someday. And, that's way plenty for me. Jeanie , Feb 15, Jeanie, Unless you own your own airplane and can find an STC, I don't think rudder pedal extensions will be feasible.
They would have to be extensively tested and semi-permanently mounted, meaning if not STC'd, they would be an unapproved mod. You will probably have much better luck wearing a backpack chute and adding cushions as needed to bring your legs forward enough. Regarding the Citabria vs. In this plane, some folks call them "suggesters". The Citabria makes you work more for it, but they're very capable in the right hands at the Sportsman level.
Last edited: Feb 15, Thanks, Eric.
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