Bellanca 8 Scout

1 × Piston Unpressurized High Wing • Conventional

Range Map

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+ cargo

Payload vs. Range

Occupants:

Fuel on board

Cargo

Range

Cargo is additional payload after occupants and baggage.

Adjust payload

full tanks

Available Range / nm

Mission capable. This load flies with full fuel.

Fuel reduced by . left aboard for nm range.

Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant.

Trip Preview

Mission Profile

MOSAIC Eligible

In production

113

KTAS

Cruise Speed

695

Max Range

17,000

Service Ceiling

Occupants

390

lbs

Wet Payload

Endorsements & ratings:

Tailwheel

American Champion 8GCBC Scout N789AC (in-production airframe, cn 629-2023) (ZLEA, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Bellanca 8 Scout

Type certificated 1970

Overview

The Bellanca 8 Scout is a tandem two-seat utility taildragger built for backcountry flying and glider towing, an aerial pickup truck that trades cruise speed for the ability to get into and out of short, rough strips. It shares its welded steel-tube, fabric-covered fuselage with the rest of American Champion’s 7-series airplanes, but the Scout is a bigger machine underneath the fabric. It carries a larger wing, a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360, and, unusually for its class, a constant-speed propeller as standard equipment. American Champion still builds new Scouts today as the 8GCBC, and a 210-horsepower Denali Scout variant on the fuel-injected Lycoming IO-390 is offered for buyers who want more climb.

That combination of a big wing, a constant-speed prop, and a 180-horsepower engine gives the Scout genuine short-field and load-hauling ability, which is why it shows up towing gliders, patrolling pipelines, and flying on floats. It is not a fast cross-country airplane, and the tandem cabin rules it out for anyone who wants a passenger seated alongside. For a buyer who values off-airport capability and utility over speed and cabin comfort, and who is comfortable managing a tailwheel and a fabric airframe, the Scout remains one of the few purpose-built backcountry airplanes still in factory production.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Constant-speed prop as standard. Unlike most Cub-class taildraggers, the Scout ships with a constant-speed propeller, which sharpens its climb and short-field takeoff performance.
180 hp behind a big wing. The Lycoming O-360 and the Scout’s larger wing deliver strong climb and useful-load numbers for glider towing, banner towing, and float operations.
Backcountry landing gear. The wide-track conventional gear accepts 26 to 31 inch tundra tires and extended bush gear for unimproved strips.
Optional Denali (210 hp) package. American Champion offers a fuel-injected 210-horsepower Lycoming IO-390 Denali Scout for buyers who want more climb and better high-density-altitude performance.

Trade-offs

Slow for cross-country. The big wing and draggy, fabric-covered airframe hold cruise to about 113 knots even with the constant-speed prop.
Tandem seating only. The Scout seats two in tandem, so it lacks the side-by-side seating and cabin-loading versatility of a Maule.
Fabric airframe upkeep. The covering needs periodic recovering, a labor-intensive job to budget for, and its age materially affects value at pre-buy.
Tailwheel discipline. Conventional gear requires a tailwheel endorsement and recurrent proficiency, and is less forgiving on the ground than a nosewheel trainer.

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Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Height: 10 ft
Length: 23 ft
Parking area (ft²²): 1,297 ft²

Max Takeoff Weight: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 2,150 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 2,150 lbs
Useful Load: Source: manufacturer figure 810 lbs
Fuel Capacity: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 70 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed: Source: manufacturer figure 113 KTAS
Never-Exceed (V_NE): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 141 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (V_NO): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 113 KIAS
Approach Speed: 52 KIAS
Stall, Clean (V_S₁): Source: manufacturer figure 46 KIAS
Range: 695 NM
Service Ceiling: Source: manufacturer figure 17,000 ft
Rate of Climb: 1075 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 697 ft
Landing over 50 ft obstacle: 887 ft

Engine

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Bellanca 8 Scout specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.

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