Yes, my personal favorite aircraft is the Bellanca Super Viking. Nothing beats a Super Viking for overall feel and legacy. You may be asking, "Why would you want to fly an airplane with a wooden wing? Isn't that a little outdated?" Well, yes and no. Bellanca still cranks out a few 17-30's a year and they are still the same basic design as when the bird first came out...that is to say it's a Sitka Spruce main spar with a tubular fuselage and fabric covering.

With a 300HP Continental up front and a three-bladed prop, this airplane has the makings of a good performer up high too (note, early Vikings had a 2-bladed prop), Bellanca has made the Turbo Super Viking (17-30/ATC) with this in mind. With 300 horses up front it cruises around 160kts at 10,000ft. Not bad for a relic eh? 13.5 GPH isn't too bad a tradeoff for that speed.

Interestingly enough, this airplane's gross weight is not limited by it's wooden wing...it is limited by the maximum load placed on the landing gear. The airplane will carry much more. With both wing tanks and the aux filled, a full load of people, their assorted baggage, and the ski tube filled, it's comforting to know that the gear is the main limiting factor (not that I'd recommend doing anything like that in the first place) Here's a shot of a gorgeous 78 Super Viking (17-30A) based at Tucson, Arizona.

There are many Super Vikings located throughout the nation however the moist environment of the East Coast can be harsh on the airframe if it is left out to endure the elements. The West Coast definitely has more of this unique bird. Perhaps it is the drier climate or maybe just the fact that on the West coast, in order to get anywhere, one has to go up to at least 8,000ft. That's something that those 300 horses under the cowl are nice for.

Bellanca's have been around for decades. They have been a name common to general aviation since the Crusair (or "Cardboard Connie") made it's debut. Also a wooden wing, this early Bellanca was one of the more efficent designs of the time. Nowdays, the Super Viking continues that reputation of speed and elegance. You will see no rivits or protruding screws on a Super Viking.

Super Vikings come in three flavors: the Continental, Lycoming, and turbo-Lycoming powered. The BL 17-31 (Lycoming) was offered as an alternate to the BL 17-30 (Continental) through 1978. The BL 17-31ATC is the Turbo Lycoming however there were no Continental powered Turbo Vikings. Since around 1992, the Super Viking has been powered strictly by Continental. The main visible difference between the two is that the Lycoming powered Vikings, the 17-31's, have air intakes below the spinner. This is also true of the model 17-30, which was produced under the same type certificate as the Cruisemasters until 1970. That year the 17-31's and 17-30A's came out with a new type certificate and landing gear that allowed 3200 and later 3325 lbs. gross weight vs. the 17-30's 3000 lbs. The 17-30's have Continental IO-520D engines with bottom-up air intakes. The 17-30A's have IO-520K engines with top-down intakes, so their air intakes are within the top cowling.

Todays Vikings tend to be fairly well equiped with avionics as well. Most Bellanca owners treat their aircraft with the care reserved for showpieces and spare no expense in outfitting their IFR capable steeds with the necessary equipment. Still, a used 17-30 is one of the most cost effective aircraft on the open market today. This may be because few people are familiar with the breed and may be weary regarding the wooden wing. Properly cared for, the wooden wing will last as long or longer than a metal wing. It has a solid feel and a good flex pattern which allows it to relieve stress without breaking. Personally, I trust the properly cared for wooden wing of a Super Viking over any of it's metal counterparts.

One shortcoming on Bellanca's is their lack of room and useful load with full fuel. It is a good solid three person airplane with full tanks. Any more than three people and you will only be hauling an overnight case for everyone. These airplanes aren't very wide across so shoulder room can be sparse with two wide people but then, I think this is a very fair tradeoff for what you DO get out of the airplane.

Before you go out and purchase a Super Viking though, it is imperative to have a competent mechanic (he really should have some experience with Bellanca's or wooden wings) look over the aircraft. A thorough prepurchase inspection is extremely important. This is because some owners have neglected their aircraft and even though the wood wing is strong, it can be susceptible to "wood rot". One of the main Bellanca dealers in the nation is Screaming Eagle Aviation out of Santa Paula in California. They tend to have any flavor of Bellanca handy whether you're looking for a Decathalon, a Citabria, or Super Viking. Might try Miller Aviation in Texas as well. If you're looking for a competent mechanic, try Tom's Aircraft in Clear Lake California (Lampson Field...aka Lakeport). Tom Wasson's been our mechanic on the pictured 77 Super Viking since the early 80's.

This 17-30A is owned by Walt and Todd Peasley . It's based at Tulare, CA.

For further information on Bellanca organizations, please contact the following individuals:

International Viking Owners Group
c/o Gary Robinson
2640 Obelisco Place
Carlsbad, CA 92009
Ph:(760)438-2021

Bellanca-Champion Club
PO Box 100
Coxsackie NY 12051
Ph: (518) 731-6800
Robert Szego

For Magazine articles on Bellancas or Super Vikings, I will once again hand off the ball to Tom Russ's reference site is really about as comprehensive as it gets. (thanks Tom) If you have any comments or stories about this unique and wonderful aircraft, please feel free to share them with me (Todd Peasley) at wtoddp@att.net

Viking links...links associated with Bellanca.

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