Olympic Decathlon involve alternately pressing the 1 and 2 keys. Other events have more complex controls, with the pole vault using five different keys. "Decathlon" received the "Creative Computing" Game of the Year Award at the 1980 West Coast Computer Faire. "BYTE" in 1981 called "Decathlon" "a great party game" and "a remarkable simulation ... challenging and entertaining", praising the adherence to the real decathlon's rules and the TRS-80 and Apple II versions' graphics. "Computer Gaming World" stated in 1982 that "Decathlon" "has all the characteristics that are required of a long-lasting, quality game". It described the game as having "superb graphics
American Champion Decathlon produced and has made the aluminum-spar wings available for retrofit installation on older aircraft. Compared to the Citabria’s wingspan of , the Decathlon’s wingspan is shorter, at . One of the major developments of the 8KCAB Decathlon over the 7KCAB Citabria is the Decathlon’s wing, which employs a semi-symmetrical airfoil, as opposed to the Citabria’s flat-bottomed airfoil. This change gives the Decathlon better inverted flight and negative-g maneuver capabilities. The landing gear of the Decathlon is in a conventional arrangement. The main gear legs of most Decathlons are made of spring steel, though American Champion began to use aluminum gear