AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023 - 70

some aerobatic competitors, but we don't
give up any structural integrity. This is
an engineered plane, you have comfort,
you have space, and you have reliability.
I'd rather be the Cadillac in this aircraft
category and be just a hair slower, than the
straight up Chevy that's a lighter aircraft. "
American Champion today
American Champion builds new aircraft
only to order. But the company also manufacturers
parts to support most newer
Champs around the globe. Mehlhaff said
he doesn't mind being able to only support
the more recent machines, because Lyon's
Wisconsin-based Wag-Aero covers the rest.
Mehlhaff said the two companies decided
not to compete against each other and to
simply serve the two segments of people
who own these taildraggers.
Champion Aircraft's target build rate
is two aircraft per month. Over the past
Decathlon flight
My spin student is holding the Super Decathlon's control stick
full aft and the left rudder pedal against the stop while she
counts each half turn. Her cadence quickens as the airplane's
rate of rotation accelerates. By the time we've completed four
turns, her counting can't keep up.
I ask her to recover, and she obliges with full opposite rudder and
forward stick. Another half turn and the airplane's rotation stops
all at once. The spin is over and we're in a 70-degree dive at idle
power and airspeed increasing. At 120 knots, she pulls back on
the goose-neck control stick firmly, emerges from the dive at
about three positive Gs, and adds engine power to begin a climb.
We've lost about 2,000 feet during our five-turn spin and
recovery, and a wings-level climb back to our starting altitude
is a welcome chance to shake off the dizziness, make sense of
what just happened, and appreciate the broad capabilities of
this incredibly versatile airplane.
The Decathlon is optimized for aerobatics with a semisymmetrical
wing, inverted fuel and oil systems, five-point
harnesses, and a door that can be jettisoned with the pull of a
single handle-and anyone who's seen airshow performer Greg
Koontz wring his aircraft out can see they're strong and graceful.
Beyond that, however, the Decathlon is a fine tailwheel trainer,
a comfortable cross-country cruiser, and operates with ease at
unpaved airstrips.
70
AOPA PILOT / May 2023
few years, the company has seen about a
50/50 split between sales of the Scouts and
the Decathlons with occasional surges of
sales on the Denali. Most sales have centered
around higher-end aircraft, with
few orders for aircraft like the Aurora.
The company also handles a considerable
amount of Champion repair work, efforts
that are limited these days because of the
difficulty finding enough good employees,
as well as some parts supply issues.
" It's not as lucrative as building the
new airplanes, " Mehlhaff said. " But this
work supports the fleet and adds value,
whether you're a current owner, or you're
just looking to join. Our efforts to support
the community keep owners' investment
secure and keep values high. "
Despite the demanding work that goes
into hand building each one of the 22 aircraft,
on average, American Champion
sells each year, its building number four
probably draws the most wows from visitors.
Also known as final assembly, the
room is jam-packed with a half dozen aircraft
painted in brilliant shades of blue,
yellow, white, and red.
" We just keep surviving because the
airplanes are popular enough, but it's really
hard to think about what we're going to
develop that's new. I would like to create
a new wing for the Scout, perhaps with
different flaps and ailerons too. Maybe a
different fuel tank, a higher gross weight
and maybe a bump up in horsepower...and
maybe move the center of pressure a bit,
which would make it handle a little nicer. "
Schmeltzer told me he's never had
a second thought about his Explorer
purchase. " I've seen how they build
these machines. It's just such a sweet
airplane. " Rob Mark is a journalist,
business jet pilot, and flight instructor. He
publishes the industry blog Jetwhine.com.
The best trainers are easy to fly but hard to fly well, and that's the
definition of a Decathlon. A roll, for example, is easy to perform. At
115 knots or more, simply raise the nose about 15 degrees above
the horizon, add full aileron deflection, and hold it until the horizon
is level again about three seconds later. But a properly coordinated
slow roll in the same airplane requires pat-your-head-and-rubyour-tummy
coordination with the pilot's hands and feet making a
series of well-timed and precisely calibrated control inputs.
The Decathlon cockpit is roomy compared to other aerobatic
airplanes, and it's ergonomically excellent. The seats are
comfortable and adjustable, the floor-mounted stick is optimally
placed, and throttle, propeller, and mixture controls are easy to
reach. Rudder pedals and toe brakes (some Decathlons made in
the early 1970s had heel brakes) are spaced wide apart, and that
both seems natural and prevents the pilot's thighs from blocking
full stick deflection. The rear seat is fine once you're in it, but
getting in and out is inelegant for non-contortionists.
Visibility over the nose is good on the ground-a rarity in
tailwheel airplanes. That avoids the constant S-turning required
in truly blind taildraggers where the engine cowling blocks the
view ahead. The main landing gear is mounted far ahead of the
center of gravity to allow for aggressive braking without nosing
over, but it's not foolproof. The airplane's hydraulic brakes are
powerful, and a sudden application-particularly when taxiing
downwind-can result in a prop strike.
On takeoff, neutralize the elevator, smoothly add full power, and
use peripheral vision to keep the airplane tracking straight. The
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023

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