Our big red dream

[cabinwacoman]

I am restoring a Citabria and the folks there suggested I post a few pics of my cabin Waco restoration. This was a family project over about 15 years and resulted in one of the most joyful aircraft I have ever flown.
Started from a barn find in Oklahoma, with complete logs and no damage, just worn out.
Pictures are: my son the day it rolled off the trailer, one pic of the fuselage after stripping down to the frame, the naked airframe before we covered it, and then a few shots of us just plain having fun with it! OH, and one pic of my son, that same son in the first picture, on one of the first test flights. ! Yea, lots of work

 

[cabinwacoman]

A few more pics of an epic trip we took a couple years ago. Took the big red beast all the way from Texas, to Wings Field just north of KPHL, where I met my wife. Then, my son found the "hudson exclusion" tour on youtube and we had to try it. Flew up the Hudson river, across central park, down the east river, around the statue of liberty and back out east. Its actually called the "east river tour" and is surprisingly easy. For this tour, you actually squak and talk as you are up in the class bravo at 1500. The Hudson tour is below 1300, squaking 1200 and just position reporting along the river. There is no crossing the park or flying over the east river on the Hudson tour. Crazy fun.

 

[sully]

Thank you very much.
BEAUTIFUL Aircraft.
Are you still enjoying it?
A Citabria restoration should be a walk in the park.

 

[Bartman]

Yes, thanks for making the effort to register and share your photos! What a beauty!

There's still time @sully !

 

[Ryan]

Wow…what a classy ride! Bravo!

 

[cabinwacoman]

Let’s fly. This is a 360 video. Has to been viewed through YouTube to experience the 360 when using Apple products, cause they didn’t think of it. Turn your phone or scroll mouse for different views.

 

[Bartman]

That's awesome, I'm feeling the urge to mooch a ride somewhere this summer. Never been in a cabin Waco, there was one that would come to our fly-ins at Warwick, NY in the 90's but I don't know where it is now. Always thought it was a cool plane.

 

[Bartman]

I just figured out you can pan the view by grabbing it with your mouse. How cool is that??

Do the bottom wings have flaps too? Top wing flaps!! I'm flabbergasted! lol

 

[sully]

As I said before:

S

Post in thread 'Dream Wacos'

Sep 25, 2025

The WACO Cabin planes are the elite.
Almost bought one last year but I too am getting old.

• sully

 

[cabinwacoman]

The flaps on this aircraft are a bit strange. The machine is practically made out of drag, and certainly doesn’t need more. BUT, in 1942 the government needed an aircraft for the CPT to evaluate pilots so they asked for a “cross country trainer”. The aircraft had to have flaps, a variable pitch propeller and a steerable Tailwheel. So Waco took their VKS-7, and added those items to come up with the VKS-7F. They got a contract for 20 and placed them at universities for CPT training. Ours went to Purdue University. All the maintenance logs at Purdue are by the government until the end of the war when it went back to civilian use.
The flaps are powered by vacuum. There is a large bellows behind the rear seat that has a piston in it with a cable connected to the flap cables. The piston/flaps are sucked down by the manifold “pressure”— actually vacuum at low power, and then they retract via large springs on the cables. They are all drag. You can see that they are not trailing edge flaps. They are really split flaps and don’t do anything to lower stall speed. Fun to play with but pretty unnecessary on this airplane.

Out of the 250 hours on the airplane since our restoration, I swear that 200 of it is giving rides. The rest is getting somewhere to give rides. Never charged a dime and never will. Anyone shows up anytime, and I’m in! You don’t have to talk me into it. She is a big baby to fly. Like a cub but a bit blind. Wide gear, good steering and responsive, light controls.

 

[cabinwacoman]

Remember, you guys started this!
Another video. This one is of us landing at “Gaston’s”. This is a rustic resort on the White river in northern Arkansas. There is a grass strip down in a bit of a canyon/Vally with cabins to rent and some wonderful fishing/boating. No hangars or facilities except for the lodging but the restaurant in the lodge is fantastic and a great place for type club gatherings etc. Got to try this one. Look on YouTube for some tips on the airfield. NOT a difficult place to get in or out of, but it is a low wind airport if you want to avoid too much excitement.
I learned from this video that I had a Tailwheel shimmy issue. Had to rework some loose bushings back there and it’s now good to go.

Landing at Gastons

 

[sully]

Remember, you guys started this!

Yep and I am grateful you are willing to share with us.
Thanks again and KEEP 'EM COMING.

 

[Bartman]

I saw the flaps were slow to come up so I thought electric, would have never guessed vacuum actuated.

Where in Texas are you?