Decathlon or Citabria?

[Tired Soul]

The Boss man is considering an airplane which is a little more purpose built to do spins that your usual normal/utility spam can.
If you exclude the Extra's , YAK's , Zlin's and other "heavy" aerobatic aircraft pretty much the Citabria and Decathlon remain.

Purpose of the aircraft is to offer:

• Tail wheel endorsements
• Spin training for PPL and Initial CFI
• Unusual upset recovery course
• Just-for-the-fun-of-it-how-would-you-like-to-fly-upside-down

So nothing heavy aerobatic.
Which make and model is better then the other?
Maintenance wise which years to avoid?
Fabric wise which types to avoid?
Common pitfalls?
Insurance gotcha's?
Specifics in a pre-buy?

This is where we are sofar:
Decathlon is a slight favorite because of the O-235 Citabria.
I doubt we need a CS prop Decathlon, I think a Fixed Pitch will serve us OK for the purpose.

feel free to educate me please...

 

[Waldom]

If the concern is the less powerful O-235 engine, there were many Citabrias delivered with the O-320 (150 h.p.) engine. [Perhaps the majority of them].

The Decathlon is a more pleasant airplane to fly aerobatics in due to its "symmetrical" airfoil and the much better aileron response. For the purposes of spin training and upset recovery, though, the Citabria is more than adequate.

All Decathlons and some Citabrias were built with inverted systems that keep the engine running in prolonged inverted flight. While it makes the instructor's job easier, an inverted system is not really necessary for upset recovery training and not at all needed for spin training.

Similarly, the constant-speed propeller makes the instructor's job easier but is not necessary for the purpose.