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Champion/ACA Owners....Anyone?

flylowslow said:
My buddy just got this a few weeks ago up in Walker, MN. haven't had a chance to fly her yet as the wx has been so miserable. View attachment 39143
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Perhaps it is just the picture but that airplane appears to be too nose high on the floats. Check the part numbers which are stamped on the struts. They should be Front 69649, Diagonal 62650, Rear 62651.
This is the parts catalog: http://www.kenmoreairharbor.com/upl...ats_on_champion_leaf__oleo_gear_airplanes.pdf
 
skywagon8a said:
kcabpilot, I used to own a 7GCB with the no bounce gear and never experienced an uneven gear extension as you have described. I also learned to fly in a 7AC with the original gear and never in that model did I experience an uneven gear extension. That Is why I asked the question. If it were mine I would be concerned.
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I don’t think it happens with the standard gear and won’t be noticeable with the no-bounce if you plant it firmly but it’s a well known “feature” that even Budd Davisson commented on in one of his pireps years ago and has been widely discussed. The no-bounce gear was developed for the L-16 and as I said it is great for spot landings where you just keep your controlled descent rate and don’t even flare. It can absorb a heck of a lot of inertia and true to its name - no bounce.
 
Whatever, I'm not in the habit of planting any airplane firmly. Just the opposite, I strive to not feel the touchdown at all in whatever airplane I may be flying. If I can feel the touch down I assume that I did something wrong.
 
I dont own one but im about to go out with a new pilot with a new 7gc tomorrow to do some meneuvers and get him aquainted with his new chimp. Its a nice plane with a lot of room (but its not a cub:sad:). Its a nose dragger converted to tailwheel. Should be fun (for a champ:wink:).
 
HalfTonChamp said:
OK. A note of sarcasm in there? Not a problem. Have a great safe flight tomorrow.
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Thanks! Got to yank some chains once and a while when the opportunity presents itself.

I do have a question for you champ drivers. I see this one has a fuel drain in the tail and have found out what its for. My question is: do people tear them out regularly in the brush or is it fairly safe.
 
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Cub Special Ed said:
Thanks! Got to yank some chains once and a while when the opportunity presents itself.

I do have a question for you champ drivers. I see this one has a fuel drain in the tail and have found out what its for. My question is: do people tear them out regularly in the brush or is it fairly safe.
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In the BRUSH!? Hey, these Champs won’t go in the brush. They’re not Cubs!😊
You mean the fuel drain about baggage area underneath? I haven’t. Don’t know if others have but I havent heard about it. Or thought about it since you mention it.
 
Yea any “brush” that would grab onto it would have to make it past the lower gear supports first.
 
This one was a tri champ converted. It has wing tanks that just gravity feed between the two. No selector, just on and off. The junction at the rear above baggage where the fuel lines come together has a drain that runs to the belly behind baggage area. New to me also as ive only flown 7ac and citabrias (did i just admit that? Damn social media!). Just happened to notice it when i was looking the plane over. Probably wouldnt be an issue if they wern't shaped like a weiner dog!
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Similarities?
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Here's mine. Lol
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When Champion owned the TC they came out with some bizarre iterations. After the failure of the tricycle geared FC I guess they had so many left over nose wheels that they tried selling the 7JC - Tricon. Probably one of the weirdest looking airplanes you'd ever see and I doubt there are any left that haven't mercifully been converted back to a regular EC with a tailwheel.


They also made the Lancer, a twin engined Champ that had a yoke in the front seat and a stick in the back seat.
 

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Well, he had a great time with his new champ! Very comfortable now and a direct 9 gusting 18kt wind. Very nice champ but heavy as hell on the contols. Overall, sweet bird (but still not a cub). I am inpressed. If i didnt have a cub id buy one.
 
Heres the cross country pa11. Some weird stuff done with cubs also.
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I love this forum, and learn a lot here. I am sure Steve won't mind me saying this - we should take this over to Bart's new forum, which is devoted to Champs, and breathe a little more life into that worthwhile discussion group.
 
Does that cross country 11 fly twice as nice, or 1/2 as nice as an original 11? I'd never seen that before!
 
Too lazy to look up the link but there's a whole story behind that twin 11, used at airshows for a number of years back when flying was still wondrous and fun.
 
That's freakin' crazy, there's absolutely no reason to do that other than to just prove you can do it. :lol:
 
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