"Plane & Pilot" Magazine...February 1992
Superb Super
By, Bill Cox
Photography by James Lawrence
The following excerpts are from the article Bill Cox wrote for Plane & Pilot magazine...Tom
"Was it really only a decade ago that there were 17 single-engine retractables on the market? Is it possible that only six are still being produced?
The answer to both questions is yes. There are currently three Bonanzas, two Mooneys...and the Bellanca Viking 300 still in production. On the surface, the totally handcrafted Viking might seem an unlikely survivor, but the airplane has a small but fanatical following. Bellanca buffs have kept their model alive through tough times when larger companies have folded their tents. Today, Bellanca survives as the oldest marque still building personal airplanes."
"One aspect of the Viking's exclusivity has always been wood-and-fabric construction. In fact, the Viking 300 is among the last wood-and-fabric production airplanes built in the world, and as such, it must be built entirely by hand.
One area in which the Vikings have always risen above is interior furnishings. The Bellanca's interior is almost certainly the best of any single built today. Leathers and fabrics are exceptional, workmanship is nothing short of superb. Everything in sight is beautifully finished and the test airplane even sported an inflatable door seal to help hush engine and wind noise. Such attention to passenger comfort makes the Viking a very friendly place for one to four people to spend anything from an hour to several days.
In my mind, the Viking's ultimate talent is how it covers the miles rather than how many of them it can traverse in an hour. If ever a four-place retractable deserved the description of a flying Ferrari, this is it. Like Enzo Ferrari, Italian-born Guiseppe Bellanca was dedicated to speed and handling, and his designs were always well ahead of the competition. Besides being a luxuriously upholstered but snug little airplane (41 inches across at the elbows), the Viking has true sportsplane handling, probably as close as you can come to a Pitts with only one set of wings, four seats and retractable gear.
Control harmony is near perfect with a huge rudder, unusually fast ailerons and an even faster elevator. Roll rate is the quickest of any retractable single built in recent memory, about 90-degrees per second. That's quick enough to arc the Viking through a full aileron roll in about four seconds. (Provided, of course, that you have the necessary waiver from the FAA. As proven by airshow performers Bobby Bishop, Debbie Gary, and Bob Sears, the Viking is easily strong and agile enough for aerobatics, but Bellanca has never gone to the expense of certifying it in the aerobatic class.)"
"Carrying the sports car analogy one step further, the Viking 300 provides a pilot with copious power. Specifically, Bellanca puts 300 hp under the pilot's right fist, enough to give the airplane more enthusiasm in takeoff and climb performance than any other four-seat retractable. Gross weight is only 3325 pounds, so the Viking offers a sporty 11.1 pounds/hp power loading.
Straighten your right arm on takeoff, and the Viking immediately puts the world into fast forward. In fact, if there's a need, the Viking can be a much better short field airplane than many pilots will ever know, simply because optimum short field technique isn't in the book. As with any short field effort, the pilot brings power to max before releasing the brakes, then drops his hand to the flap lever, selects half flaps going through 40 knots and simultaneously rotates hard. The Viking accelerates so quickly that it will lift off at an extremely low speed and start uphill. With a little practice, you can get the minimum runway number down to 500 feet or less. You should be aware, however, that any power loss could put you in a world of hurt. This technique demands gobs of power to work, so you'd need to push the nose hard over in the event of even a hiccough from the engine.
The Viking's Continental IO-520K consumes nearly 16 gph at max cruise, but the airplane truly does return a solid 176 knots in exchange for the burn. I saw consistent true airspeeds of 175 to 178 knots during my 50-hour evaluation, with the higher speeds predictably at the lighter weights. Compare this to the Beech F33A Bonanza's 172 knot spec or the Mooney 201's 169 knot claim, and it's apparent the Viking truly is faster than anything else in its class. Ease back power to 55 percent on the Viking and consumption drops to 12 gph while speed holds about 157 knots.
Like every airplane, Bellancas do have their share of little glitches. Rudder trim would seem a logical addition on an airplane in this horsepower and torque class. The cowl flap control is a natural knee buster in the up position, and the flush, spring-loaded baggage compartment latch certainly won't win any friends among women with long fingernails. Though the Viking offers the greatest range of flap extension in the industry, it also offers the least adjustment-only three positions-up, half and down.
And so what? Bellanca owners have so much to be proud of, it's easy to ignore the airplane's few warts. Bellancas manifest their own brand of indefinable charisma, a magnetism that never fails to attract those buyers to whom individuality is as important as performance."
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