The American Champion Aircraft Co. (formerly Belanca) Citabria first flew in 1964. The two tandem seat aircraft is still being produced today.
It is used for training, general utility, and especially by pilots who want the fun of flying a relatively inexpensive FAA certified aircraft capable of performing light aerobatics at forces of up to +5 or - 2 G's. If you turn the name around, Citabria is airbatic.
A quick look at another company aircraft, the Champ, will confirm the origins of the Citabria design. A closer look will show differences in the wings and tail of the aircraft with the Citabria's being more squared-off. Out of sight are the biggest differences in the aircraft.
The Citabria has an engine producing 60 additional horsepower, plus wings and an airframe capable of somewhat higher aerobatic performance.
Citabria aircraft have been upgraded and improved throughout the years. Today's engines are larger, fuel injected, and more powerful. Wooden wing spars have been replaced with ones made from metal, wings now have flaps, and the under carriage is now made from aluminum.
Pilots tell us that the aircraft is forgiving, easy to fly, and goes exactly where you point it. Taking off in a Citabria only requires the slightest of rudder corrections to keep the aircraft straight on course. It will get off the ground with about a 360 foot roll and is a favorite with bush pilots operating from short airstrips.
Aircraft control feel gives away its vintage. If you are used to flying a World War II bomber, you will feel right at home in a Citabria. That is to say that the stick takes a lot of pull, especially when attempting aerobatics. The elevator has sufficient throw that the aircraft can be stalled in any flight plane or at any speed. Stall is straight forward and very predictable, and recovery is very quick, even when inverted.
While not a true aerobatic performer by today's standards, the Citabria makes an excellent aircraft for those wishing to learn aerobatics. The latest model is capable of limited inside maneuvers, but you have to work hard at them. The only way to build up sufficient speed to stress the aircraft is in a long dive.
Flying inverted is a challenge, even with the latest system fitted to the engine, because the wing is a flat bottom design. Even with the 160 h.p. engine, pilots must use lots of forward stick to keep from losing altitude.
Landing the aircraft is as easy as landing any other tail dragger provided that you do not over control. The rudder of the Citabria has strong authority, even at landing speeds.
A total of over 5,200 Citabria aircraft of all types have been produced to date.
RC Citabria
The rc Citabria RTF from ParkZone. Wingspan is 16 1/2", length is
13 1/4" and weight is just 7 oz. Includes radio, flight battery and charger. Comes in yellow, blue, or red.
In the picture above is the rc Citabria from ParkZone. The micro airplane comes ready to fly.
NitroPlanes has a rc Citabria for sale with a wingspan of 42".
The ad right below is for a rubber powered Citabria kit from Dumas. Considering that with a wingspan of 17 1/2" it is slightly larger than the ParkZone Citabria, you may want to try your hand at converting it to rc.
Pictured below that is the rc Citabria from a SIG Products kit. It has a wingspan of 69" and a length of 47". Engines can be from .35 to .52 two cycle or .45 to .61 four cycle. Weight is about 7 lbs.
The next picture is of a rc Citabria made from a Kit Cutters kit taken from Nexus Plans. It has a 80" wingspan and is powered by a .60 two stroke engine.
The last picture on this page is of the rc Citabria ARF from Lanier. Wingspan is 64" and length is 44 1/2". Construction is balsa and ply. Power is from a .40 two cycle or larger engine.
Balsa USA has a rc Citabria kit for sale. It has a 80" wingspan, a length of 54.5" and is made from balsa and ply. It uses .90 to 1.20 four cycle or .60 to .90 two cycle engines and weighs around 11.25 lbs.
Midwest has a rc Citabria ARF. Its wingspan is .81". You will need .60 to .89 engines to power it.
MS Composites has a rc Citabria ARF made from EPP foam. Wingspan is 38 1/2" and length is 32".
CMP has a giant scale rc Citabria ARF. It has a wingspan of 106", a length of 65" and needs 50 cc size gas engines for power.
Citabria kit from Dumas. Rubber powered, with 17 1/2" wingspan, for possible conversion to rc Citabria with electric motor.
RC Citabria
The rc Citabria from SIG Products.
RC Citabria
The rc Citabria from a Kit Cutters kit.
RC Citabria
The rc Citabria ARF from Lanier.
Bud Nosen had a 1/4 scale rc Citabria kit for sale with a wingspan of 105" for 1.10 2C or larger engines.
Bud Nosen had a smaller rc Citabria kit for sale with a 65" wingspan. It weighed around 4 lbs. and used from .19 to .40 2C engines.
Chigift Electronics Co., China, has a rc Citabria RTF for sale. It has a 38 1/2" wingspan with a 34" length and weighs around 20 oz. Included is a Speed 290 motor.
Chinghai Penghang Toys, China, has a rc Citabria foamy airplane for sale. No wingspan, length, weight, or motor information is provided by them.
Cyclone Technology Industrial Co., China, has a rc Citabria for sale. Length and wingspan are both 37". Weight is about 15 oz. Power comes from a geared Speed 370 motor.
Shenzhen Great Bo-King Development Co, China, has a rc Citabria for sale as either a kit, ARF, or RTF. Wingspan is 41 1/2" and length is 38 1/2".
Sunny Easy Technology, Ltd., China, has a ready to fly rc Citabria for sale with a 31 1/2" wingspan and a length of 24 1/2" for two channel control.
Shantou Maya Toys Co., China, has a rc Citabria for sale. The only information they give is the size of the box it is shipped in.
Whilington Technology, Hong Kong, has a rc Citabria radio control airplane for sale. It has a wingspan of 38 1/2" and is 34" long with a weight of about 20 oz. A BM 480 brushless motor powers the model.
ACX Technology Co. Ltd., China, has a rc Citabria for sale. They don't provide its wingspan, length, weight, or motor used.
Starwei Aero Model Manufacturing, China, has a rc Citabria ARF for sale. It is made from balsawood and plywood with a wingspan of 41" and a length of 30".
You will need from .15 to .25 2C engines or the equivalent motor to power the 1 1/2 lb. model airplane.
Aeroairplane Factory, China has a rc Citabria scale model rc airplane for sale. Its wingspan is 41" and weight is about 23 oz. Recommended power is a .15 two stroke or Speed 400 type motor.
Teens Technology Co., China, has a rc Citabria for sale. It is a foamy with a 51" wingspan and a 49" length. Included is a Speed 540 geared motor. Weight is about 2 3/4 lbs.
At HobZob you can find giant scale rc Citabria pictures and information.
The March 2003 issue of MAN has an article about the rc Citabria scale model airplane.
David McCalum posted pictures and information about his rc Citabria at RC Airplane World.
At Watt Flyer guapoman started a thread about his rc Citabria ARF.
Fidy$Trainer of Watt Flyer was looking for a rc Citabria.
Desolan of Watt Flyer posted about powering a rc Citabria.
At Watt Flyer ralph99 was looking for a rc Citabria scale model airplane.
A Main Hobbies has parts for the rc Citabria.
Johnny Quest of RC Hangout asked about a rc Citabria sea plane.
Mutt of RC Hangout posted about working on his rc Citabria.
Turbo Fan of RC Groups had his rc Citabria for sale.
Stevenator of RC Groups posted that he was selling his rc Citabria.
Keith Smith of RC Groups was looking for rc Citabria plans.
At RC Groups gpjames was also looking for rc Citabria plans.
ElliotFan.com posted about a giant scale rc Citabria.
At Mombu.com MJC wrote about rc Citabria modifications.
Jack Sallade started a thread at Model Geeks about the rc Citabria.
Prawnik of Model Geeks asked about the rc Citabria.
Bass 1 of RC Hangout posted about his new rc Citabria.
At RC Hangout propbuster1952 had plans for sale of a rc Citabria.
At My Space.com Ryan posted a video of a giant scale rc Citabria.
Mchone, Jake of RC Groups started a thread about his rc Citabria.
At RC Groups capadotia started a thread about power choices for a rc Citabria.
Allen Wright of RC Groups reviews the rc Citabria.
At RC Groups mocking started a thread about the rc Citabria.
Brit Bulldog of RC Groups started a thread about his new rc Citabria.
At RC Universe sabadoctor started a thread regarding repairing his rc Citabria.
Demon-Leather of RC Groups was selling his rc Citabria.
Citabria
