Citabria Considering a 7GCAA Rental

[Bartman]

Hi all,

My 115 hp 7ECA is down for wing work and there's a 7GCAA not far from me that is available for rental/dual

https://www.vansantairport.com/about_the_machines.html

I was thinking of getting checked out in it just so I can keep flying but the big question is, will a 150 hp 7GCAA ruin the thing I have going on between me and my beloved 7ECA? I could have sworn they had a Champ on the line too but maybe I'll revert back to the Cub....at least my 7ECA will be safe!

 

[JimParker256]

I'll start out by confessing that I haven't flown any other taildragger besides my O-200 powered 7ECA...

But when I owned a Grumman Traveler (150 HP), I got to fly several Grumman Tigers (180 HP) that had much higher rate of climb, and were probably 10+ knots faster. None of them "ruined" the joy of flying MY Traveler. There's just something about YOUR airplane, where you spend lots of time getting to know every nuance of it's performance and behavior... Being "one with the machine" is unlikely to happen in a rental plane!

I'd say "Go for it."

 

[Bob Turner]

You won't need much of a checkout. You will love the extra power, but you will enjoy going back to the less thirsty early bird. You might like the spring landing gear - worn out oleos can be less than satisfying. And it is fun flying newer airpanes once in a while.

Roy Redmond told me the GCAA is the very best of the lot, with 160 hp engine.