Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 1973 Bellanca Citabria 7KCAB

Unlike many vintage taildraggers, this Citabria is designed to handle aerobatics.

The 1973 Bellanca Citabria 7KCAB is ready for aerobatics. [Courtesy: Skywagons]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1973 Bellanca Citabria 7KCAB.

Citabrias are popular among the range of two-seat taildraggers that includes Piper Cubs, Luscombes, Cessna 120s, and Taylorcrafts. Taildraggers have gained a bigger audience of late because of growing interest in backcountry and bush flying among adventurous pilots, and the Citabria is known as a forgiving trainer.

This 7KCAB model is one of the higher-powered, “hot rod” versions of the Citabria with a 150 hp 4-cylinder Lycoming engine set up for basic aerobatics. There is a special place in my heart for the 7KCAB because I began my flight instruction in one after a friend urged me to learn in a taildragger. With the same horsepower as a Cessna 172 of the same era, the Citabria is hundreds of pounds lighter and feels especially peppy. The basic Citabria is called the 7ECA and has a more modest 100 or 115 hp engine.

This Citabria has 1,662 hours on the airframe and engine, and 79 hours on the fixed-pinch Sensenich propeller. The aircraft received new wings with metal spars in 2013 and carries 36 gallons of usable fuel. Useful load is 483 pounds. The panel includes a King KLN 89 GPS, Garmin SL 40 digital com radio, Garmin GTX 327 transponder, uAvionix ADS-B out wingtip beacon, and a G-meter.

If you are looking for a traditional tailwheel airplane with extra speed and the bonus of aerobatic capabilities, you should take a look at this 1973 Bellanca Citabria 7KCAB, which is available for $89,500 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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