Bellanca Decathlon 480

About

The Decathlon is the aerobatic flagship of the Citabria/Champ family tree, descended directly from the post-war Aeronca Champ via the Champion Citabria. Champion Aircraft Corporation introduced the Model 8KCAB Decathlon in 1970 as a stronger, more powerful sibling to the Citabria, and the type entered full production in 1972. The name was a deliberate signal: the Decathlon was meant to handle every figure in the aerobatic playbook, the way an Olympic decathlete handles every track-and-field event. Champion was acquired by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation almost immediately after the Decathlon launched, which is why the same aircraft is variously called the Champion Decathlon, Bellanca Decathlon, or American Champion Decathlon depending on which decade you're talking about.

The Decathlon's claim to fame is its certified aerobatic envelope — +6g/−5g — paired with the unfussy handling of a strut-braced high-wing taildragger. Two seats in tandem, center-stick controls, fabric-covered wings, and conventional landing gear make it one of the most affordable certified aerobatic aircraft a private pilot can own. The Super Decathlon variant, with a 180 hp Lycoming AEIO-360 and full inverted fuel/oil systems, has been the standard aerobatic flight-training platform at countless flight schools since 1976 — more US aerobatic pilot ratings have probably been earned behind a Decathlon's stick than behind any other aircraft type.

Bellanca built over 600 8KCABs before its assets were liquidated in 1981. American Champion Aircraft Corporation acquired the design in 1990 and the Super Decathlon has been in continuous production at their Rochester, Wisconsin factory ever since — making it one of the longest-lived light aerobatic designs in U.S. aviation history. The 8KCAB also has an outsize footprint in modern RC: the high-wing strut-braced "aerobatic taildragger" silhouette that dominates today's foam and balsa scale-aerobatic kits — including most of the entry-level scale-aerobatic models sold online — traces directly back to the real Decathlon. The "480" suffix on this model name refers to the 480-class brushless motor recommended for this RC scale version.

In the simulator

A great step up from a basic trainer into honest aerobatics. The Decathlon flies the way a real-world strut-braced taildragger does — predictable but not over-stable, willing to hold inverted, happy in loops and rolls but not a 3D rocket. Use it to practice the aerobatic basics: the loop, the aileron roll, the Cuban eight, the hammerhead. Taildragger ground handling demands rudder discipline. Pairs well with grass strip landscapes and any field with room for a low pass. A natural progression from the Magister, and a natural lead-in to dedicated aerobatic mounts like the Edge 540 or Extra 300.