While payload with full fuel for the standard airplane is quite good at 625 pounds, auxiliary fuel and installed accessories will quickly cut into payload and/or range. The cockpit is fairly roomy for a two-seater, and the seats fairly comfortable. Compared to the Citabrias gear, the Scouts gear legs are considerably taller and the tires larger, again contributing to its capabilities as a utility aircraft. Replacement metal spar wings run upwards of $20,000. Before American Champion came on the scene, parts were something of a problem, but they now have good product support and advice (unless they are all at Oshkosh!). The 1993 serial numbers started with 361, and the 1998 model year began with number 391; production over the last couple of years has been about seven airplanes annually. However, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, we are able to participate in hands on aviation activities, like this one. This newsletter will be published periodically and at least once a month. They build their aircraft to order. A 70-gallon usable fuel capacity was offered to augment the standard Scout usable fuel load of 35 gallons. The number of aircraft receiving FAA approval for a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Garmin GFC 500 autopilot continues to grow. The new FAA certified 900-HP Daher Kodiak 900 turboprop single combines TBM 960 and Kodiak 100 DNA into one airplane. Most accidents and incidents occur on or close to the ground, and involve directional control problems from the wind and because of poor judgment or flying ability. Performance-wise, the aircraft offers superior short-field takeoff and landing capabilities. In 1993, ACA gave the Scout a new life, bringing it back into production as the modernized American Champion Scout. ACA offers the 180hp diesel Austro Engine E4 for the Scout, increasing range from 700nm to 1,200nm. ESP helps avoid inadvertent unusual attitudes and bank angles by nudging the pilot to return the aircraft back to a safe flight attitude. Amphibious or Straight models are available for the 8GCBC. check out the. We have a large supply of salvage and surplus parts for these aircraft. The Scout was designed and initially produced by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, and is a derivative of the 7-series Citabrias and 8KCAB Decathlon; Bellanca had been building these designs since receiving them in the acquisition of Champion Aircraft Corporation in 1970. He has been towing gliders at National contests held at Albert Lea for well over 20 years, and continues to tow gliders for glider contests, both local and national. The 7GCAA and 7GCBC variants, added in 1965, were joined by the 7KCAB in 1968. Mehlhaff would like to see all Citabria, Decathlons and Scouts converted to metal spars. The Scout tolerates this well. According to Garmin, the GFC 500 autopilot performs by integrating Garmins 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. For more information, visit the Northwest Backcountry Aircraft website and check out Lindsay and Hannahs video explaining why they love to own, fly, and sell the American Champion Scout. The AD called for immediate and thorough inspections of the wing spars of any Scouts involved in accidents. ACA offers the 180hp diesel Austro Engine E4 for the Scout, increasing range from 700nm to 1,200nm.[1]. Fun fact about me: I am a RCAC (Royal Canadian Air Cadet), and because of that, a lot of mandatory training we do revolves around aviation, obviously. American Champion has been using aluminum spars in the aircraft it has produced and has, as well, made the aluminum-spar wings available for retrofit installation on older aircraft. American Champion Aircraft Scout 8GCBC New Price: $271,000 Seats: Calculate Loan Payments Aircraft valuation for older models and your trade in Overview Like the Decathlon, the Scout's main difference from its predecessor is its metal spar, which supplants the spruce used in Bellanca's taildraggers. new Aeronca, American Champion owners and all other of the like..!! Both front and rear seat occupants benefit. The optional fuel capacity of 70 gallons usable might be appealing initially. If you know. The Cub has the edge in short-field operations-but the difference was little more than a plane-length in takeoff or landing between the two. This beautiful American Champion 8-GCBC Scout has been well cared for, always hangared, has no damage history, & has complete log books. A number of other competing designs have come and gone (and some have come back and gone again, such as the Interstate), and others, such as the ebbing and flowing Taylorcraft have tried to muscle into the narrow turf holding of two-place utility airplanes. Jim Hanson is in his 56th year of flying all kinds of airplanes. Or is it 15 pounds? I instructed in Champs and Super Cubs in an Army flying club, and found the Champ to be much roomier and easy to get in and out of than the Cub, which had the wing strut right in front of the door, felt that the Champ had smoother and more responsive controls. 180HP Super Decathlon. AOPA Flying Clubs Radio link. Wing spar cracks are the most frequent of all service problems. Aileron spades, which are aerodynamic aids to increase roll control and reduce the level of effort, have been offered for several Champion models in the aftermarket. Always try American Champions Scouts feature the Lycoming O-360-C1G and a choice of a two-blade constant speed propeller (standard) or a three-blade constant speed propeller as an option. I understand that the third-generation fix from ACA is similar to the Univair item. Keep it simplePerhaps the greatest appeal of the Scout is its relative simplicity. Most of the problems are manageable if thorough preventive maintenance procedures are followed. Download Now 586.82 KB . Strut corrosion has been a problem, as has the wooden wing spar. In 1988, American Champion Aircraft (ACA) was founded after acquiring designs for the Model 7 and Model 8 Champion Line, which includes the Scout, Champ, Citabria, and Decathlon designs. Bob Lynn of Louisville, Colorado is a long-time soaring friend. Accident recordThe majority of Scout accidents are, as mentioned above, related to handling on or near the ground. Here in Denver, Univair has developed quite a bit of expertise on the Scout, and offers a fairly large line of PMAd parts of very good quality. Both have the same, 2150-pound gross weight. 2002 AMERICAN CHAMPION SUPER D $179,900 AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY 2002 AC Super Decathlon 8KAB. Brand New 2020 American Champion Scouts On Order and In Stock. 210HP Denali Scout. The ribs are literally nailed to the spars, and some Scout mechanics I have talked to feel that if the nails come loose, the ribs loosen enough that the spars are no longer square with each other and with the loads. The wings of Bellanca Scouts were built with wooden spars. The variable pitch prop is subject to more maintenance, as well as an onerous A.D. The 7GCAA was basically the same as the 7ECA, but with a 150-hp engine. And of course, there are plenty of private pilots who enjoy Scouts for the fun and freedom of flying in the backcountry. The 8GCBC Scout is a two-seat, high-wing, single-engined fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane that entered production in the United States in 1974. American Champion's Scouts feature the Lycoming O-360-C1G and a choice of a two-blade constant speed propeller (standard) or a three-blade constant speed propeller as an option. It's pretty rare that anyone gets to fly a brand-new airplane today. This series of failures led the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD 2000-25-02 R1) that affected all wood-spar wing Scouts. If any are found, further inspections must be done at 100-hour intervals until overhaul, when the crank must be replaced. Copyright 2023 Flying Media. The combination got Bob's attention. The cross-section of the metal fuselage truss is triangular, a design feature traceable to the earliest Aeronca C-2 design of the late 1920s. The AD called for immediate and thorough inspections of the wing spars of any Scouts involved in accidents. However, it is worth noting that half of the Scouts landing accidents occurred in the bush, or away from airports. . The landing gear of the Scout is in a conventional arrangement. New. (The other model, in both categories, is the 7ACA.) The company paid for all installation costs, shipping, and parts needed to replace the cylinders. 7ECA, Champ - 100hp vs 115hp, anyone here experienced both ? He is the long-time FBO at Albert Lea, MN. First, another digression. Use of this new spar will not preclude the inspection requirements of AD 2000 25 02 which presently applies to the Citabrias, Scouts and Decathlons and some Aeroncas. FAA Approves Garmin Autopilot STC for American Champion Scout, READ MORE: Garmin Gets STC for GFC 500 Autopilot for Older Aircraft, READ MORE: Garmin Achieves STC for GFC 600 for Cessna 310R, Pilatus PC-12/47, Garmin Names More Aircraft Approved for GFC 500 Autopilot, Global Avionics Sales Posted Strong Growth in 2022, Aircraft Electronics Association Says, FAA Approves Integration of Aspen EDF1000 Pro MAX with Garmin GFC600, Garmin 600 Gets Certification for Use in King Air 200s, Airlines Have Until 2024 To Make 5G Upgrades Under FAA AD, Garmin Receives GI 275 STC for Airbus Helicopters, FAA To Invest Nearly $1 Billion in U.S. Airport Infrastructure, Tornado Flattens Hangars at Airport in Eastern Oklahoma, DNA of Four Presidents, Cast of Star Trek Headed Into Space. . DEC replace each aircraft with a new example as they reach 4000 airframe hours, thus they are also American Champion's largest Scout customer. (MS hardware is sometimes in short supply: If ACA doesnt have them in stock, try Univair, and vice versa.). Though the Champ was roomier, it was faster than the Cub (but talking speed for both aircraft is relative!). Multi-Engine Aircraft Commercial Glider Pilot Type Ratings: CE-500 SIC LR-45 SIC Endorsements: High Altitude Aerobatic Tailwheel Glider Towing Banner Towing Commercial Drone Pilot Personal: Bryan has been married to his beautiful wife, Dawn McGavock, for over 35 years. to have a positive mindset, Flying the american champion scout 8gcbc on floats part 1. Thats when Aeronca was formed. The Scout is one of two wholly Bellanca-developed contributions to these aircraft series, and is also one of only two airplanes Bellanca produced in the 7 and 8 series not certified for aerobatics. In addition, the GFC 500 can be equipped to take advantage of Garmins Smart Glide, a safety tool that helps reduce pilot workload by automating certain tasks. 0 SNEW . (The other model, in both categories, is the 7ACA.) A variable-pitch Hartzell prop is optional, and is definitely faster, although not as efficient in acceleration and climb. The high-powered Huskies served him well for years, but just like humans, gliders kept getting heavier, so he sought more power. American Champion publishes a 417-foot takeoff roll on pavement for the 180-HP Scout; Aviat's AFM for the 180-HP Husky shows 580 feet (the Husky AFM says no max performance takeoffs in crosswinds) and Peterson says 270 feet for the 300-HP King Katmai. closed. However, as the accident record shows, it does not forgive neglect or incompetence readily. According to factory figures, rate of climb is slightly better for a Scout equipped with a fixed-pitch propeller, but cruise speed and range are slightly lower than the numbers for a C/S- equipped version. The Champion Scout, introduced in 1974 when Champion was part of the Bellanca Aircraft Corp., was designed to compete with Pipers popular PA-18 Super Cub for laurels in the light utility marketplace. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. I can find no information on those. HistoryThe 8GCBC Scout was introduced as the newest member of the Bellanca Champion line in 1974. More than 350 Scouts were produced until 1981 when the Bellanca Aircraft Company ceased all production due to the general aviation slump in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. After consulting with his wife (who he admits controls the finances in the family) they decided to buy new-. Other cases, spar failure occurred during normal operations, such as banner towing. If the seat-back AD needs compliance (it should have been taken care of by now), consider the adjustable front seat: The mechanism is quite awkward, but will accommodate a wider range of pilot sizes. All rights reserved. The dynamics of a stall/spin encounter with 420 rather than 210 pounds of weight in the wings-and farther from the center of rotation-are quite different from those of the standard airplane. New Super Decathlon 8KCAB, N1819D. 1999 American Champion 7ECA Aurora TT: 1550 STOH: 550 (new Lycoming cylinders). The Bellanca-Champion Club welcomes all owners, pilots and enthusiasts. To some pilots, the similar appearance suggested similar ability. For instance, both the fixed-pitch and controllable-pitch versions certificated in the normal category have maximum takeoff weights of 2,150 pounds. The Scout design passed through the hands of a number of companies through the 1980s, including a Champion Aircraft Company, which was unrelated to the Champion Aircraft of the 1960s. In its brief almost-heyday, Champion developed and produced in the Citabria and Decathlon airplanes that made aerobatic training and practice, and even air show performances and precision flying competition, available to a far greater number of people. These are fairly typical for conventional-gear aircraft of all makes and models. Rainbow Flying Service received Parts Manufactures Approval (PMA) for our new design wing SPAR for the 7, 8 and 11 Series Airplanes. Pitch forces are quite light. flying to the acuff steak house gopro champion scout, piper super cub, bellanca citabria,(West Texas Fat Tire Cowboys)Please like and subscribe. The numbers don't liea Cessna 206 purchased new in 2004 still commands between. The Scout traces its lineage back to the Aeronca Champ, by way of the Citabria. Howeve. This week Garmin announced the American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC Scout is the latest aircraft to be equipped with the Garmin GFC 500. Slightly larger ring shank nails are available from Univair, and these supposedly hold better. He flew an American Champion High Country Explorer so I decided to recreate the flight in my American Champion Scout. Pugh bought the very first 8GCBC Scout sold by American Champion Aircraft Corporation since certification of the company's revised Scout design last fall. RealAir's latest offering three distinct variants from the famous American Champion series tandem-seat, tail dragger, suite: The Citabria (the basic semi-aerobatic trainer with flaps), the Decathlon (the fully aerobatic, flapless, trainer and sport plane) and three variants of the Scout: the Sport and Utility (with powerful flaps for short take Bellanca made the Scout available with several Lycoming O-360 engine variants, all of 180 horsepower (134kW), with the choice of a fixed-pitch or constant speed propeller. Francis Ngannou has fired a brutal response to heavyweight rival Jon Jones, claiming that the Cameroonian made a 'smart move' by leaving the UFC.. Jones is preparing to make his highly-anticipated . The Decathlon and Citabria had received the transplant earlier. We also carry stringers, and the cabin top (greenhouse) wood. 2021 AMERICAN CHAMPION 8-GCBC DENALI SCOUT. Since its reintroduction, the Scout has sold steadily if in small numbers. The largest single operator of the type the Royal Canadian Air Cadet League, operating over 20 of them in Ontario and the Prairie provinces as tow aircraft for glider training. Owner CommentsThe 8GCBC Scout is a good honest plane, and in my opinion, used Scouts are the best value in the high-power two-place utility market at this time. 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