The Aeronca Chief is a single-engine, light aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear and two seats in side-by-side configuration, which entered production in the United States in 1945.

The Chief was known as a basic gentle flyer with good manners, intended as a step up from the 7AC Champion which was designed for flight training.

Production costs and aircraft weights were tightly controlled and Aeronca was among the first to use a moving conveyor assembly line, with each stage taking about 30 minutes to complete.

As with many light aircraft of the time, including the Taylorcraft B and Piper Vagabond, the Chief's fuselage and tail surfaces are constructed of welded metal tubing.

The strut-braced wings of the Chief are, like the fuselage and tail surfaces, fabric covered, utilizing aluminum ribs and wood spars.

Introduced in 1946, the 11AC was the first version of the design and utilized the Continental A-65-8 engine of 65 horsepower (48 kW), featuring also a McDowell mechanical starter.

This McDowell starter was taken from the automotive industry and involved a spring-loaded cam device that would spin the propeller through a compression stroke by a pull on a lever mounted on the cabin floor.

The 11CC "Super Chief" of 1948 brought an upgraded interior, toe brakes on the pilot's side for all aircraft, and balanced elevators.

As the post-war airplane manufacturers entered into a severe sales slump in 1947, Aeronca brought out the 11ACS which was known as the "Scout" model of the 11AC Chief.

The Bellanca Trainer featured a tricycle landing gear arrangement and appeared to share many parts with the 7ECA Citabria (a derivative of the Champ design).

The Bellanca trainer's cowling, wings and struts, main gear, and horizontal tail surfaces all appeared to have come from the Citabria.