1972 Champion “Citabria” 7GCBC N11867
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During the first year with my first Citabria, I spent a lot of time practicing aerobatics. I enjoyed that tremendously but I also enjoyed flying in the mountains and to off-airport strips in the back country. There was another model Citabria better suited for this kind of flying. The GCBC had a slightly longer wing, flaps and a standard carbureted engine. It was very similar to a Super-Cub, but was slightly faster and had more space for camping gear, etc. When an opportunity arose to trade my KCAB for a new GCBC, I decided to part ways with my little red bird.
This was the first and probably the only new aircraft I will ever own. This was a great airplane for the kind of flying I was beginning to enjoy. I installed a full instrument panel with a good nav/com and actually flew some limited IFR when necessary to climb through an overcast to VFR conditions on top. I owned this bird for almost three years, during which time I put 595 hours on the tach. A lust for more speed, greater range and a desire for two more seats finally led me to part ways with an airplane I enjoyed very much.