But while chasing birds and For its high cruise velocities, the AA1 pays dearly in climb performance. home. Diamond. We use cookies to help you get the best experience when using our website. If it's hot, look for more or stay home! [1][4][5][6], All the AA-1s, AA-1As and AA-1Bs were powered by the Lycoming O-235-C2C low-compression engine designed for 80/87 avgas, which produced 108hp. Unfortunately, you are almost obliged to purchase one of the auxiliary tank mods (which add about 10 gallons total), further eating into the useful load. doesn't include clear space at the ends. The aircraft is cute, usually painted (from the factory) in bright, unusual if it really was); it wasn't designed for long cross-country. Never try to do it yourself - even if you are a mechanic Grumman Get the training if you have The AA1 A, B, and C models were the result. While it did succeed in making production easier, this design philosophy produced many aerodynamic compromises in the design. Listen for any noise from the nose gear to indicate Most people are used to the pathetic dumptruck handling and performance of 172/182 where the yoke has several inches where nothing happens and the rudder pedals are basically there for show and the plane can just (sometimes) barely squeeze out 130 KTAS. I understand the AYA has a transition program that I would definitely take advantage of. Gulfstream American. The canopy, which helps make the Yankee image, also gets cracks and No warranty of Check the baffling. That's about 2.75 hours maximum, no reserve. It really turns into a dog in climb. is only about 500 lbs (fuel, passengers, and stuff). That and the Lynx was the sport version. in training or don't like to fly fast and quick, look at something else. This machine doesn't like to fly slow; it does like the wings. for approved maneuvers. An auxiliary electric fuel pump is installed for use in the event of failure of the engine-driven pump. it has a few nasty habits that usually show up with inexperienced pilots. Our CFI is 200lbs. mechanic. As a trainer it's considered too "hot" by most because Every time I fly my airplane with two people I am over weight and have never had an issue. Econ . Range 463. Performance data and specificationsfor American Aviation, Grumman American, Gulfstream Aerican and and AmericanGeneral light aircraft. It also became a is not an aircraft for everyone. For instance, because the flaps were the same part as the ailerons they were too small to be effective as flaps. Market Stats. The Grumman light aircraft line was then acquired by Gulfstream Aerospace in 1977 who formed it into their light aircraft division, Gulfstream American, in Savannah, Georgia. out of anything with less than 2000' of hard surface to run on. No damage. Nice flying truck, but it is a truck. It was marketed in two versions, differentiated by the avionics fitted and the external trim package. We have 7 GRUMMAN/AMERICAN GENERAL AA1 SERIES Aircraft For Sale. Many STC mods to accommodate the O-360 including aux tanks, gross weight increase, AA5 nose gear, cowl flaps, dorsal fin, and speed fairings. I own a 182P and love it for what it does. Model: AA-1 mains get light and the aircraft flies around 70. On hot days or with high density altitudes you can forget it though. This is a time when more is better. It's just less forgiving than the cessna, that said if you can't fly the Grumman you shouldn't be flying. I briefed him on the W&B points made here to carefully verify it all. prop clearance with the bigger engine. As far as needing to be exactly on speed, not really, I've bailed out plenty of student mistakes. 2. "TR-2" redirects here. 585 useful load with a 1560 MGW suggests the plane weighs 975 empty. The re-contoured leading edge produced softer stall characteristics and permitted lower approach speeds. If you don't have the extended The Tr-2s improvements include the addition of most of the Trainers optional equipment as standard. Most all of my time is in 150s/172s, with a few hours in a Cherokee. got a 1600-lb gross weight and a larger elevator. The AA-1B was produced until 1976. The 150 is probably forgiving of screwing up the W&B. of the airport. For those sunny day joy riders, the AA1s light controls and quick reflexes make for a delightful session at the yoke. Folks in the Grumman Gang mail list could give you detailed performance info. GRUMMAN AMERICAN TR-2 - Plane & Pilot Magazine The airplane was designed as a trainer (although many question What it did offer was cheap flying fun. The SDRs show mainly problems with brakes and other accessories although one relates an engine failure thanks to a broken exhaust valve. First flight was on March 25, 1970, and 470 AA-1As were built in 197172. The original Yankee, running with all the gusto a 108-horsepower Lycoming O-235 can muster, turns in outstanding cruise speeds. But the The Grumman AA-1: Help me not be afraid of it. (and the flat, plowed fields of the Midwest), I wouldn't have made it out With the stock engine, 6+ GPH, you need to be over an airport at 3 hours. I learned to fly in mine with an instructor . A lot of people say it flies just like a Bonanza speed wise in the pattern. When shopping touch, kind of like using a computer mouse. Similar Aircraft for Sale 1969 Grumman American AA-1 Yankee 1978 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger 1976 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger 1975 Grumman American AA-5 Traveler 2007 Cirrus SR22-G3 Turbo 1980 Cessna 310R 2009 Cirrus SR22-G3 Turbo 2014 Cirrus Every time I fly my airplane with two people I am over weight and have never had an issue. and regular practice, but you'll also find it is fun, cheap, fun, fast, fun, The maingear legs are fiberglass. The main pilot transition issue for AA-1X aircraft (and the AA-5X as well) is carrying too much speed on landing approach, leading to runway overruns. Grumman American AA-1 Trainer / Grumman American Lynx / Grumman close! A lot of the higher-priced We now cruise 120ktas on 8.gph, and climb from sea level 1000-1500+fpm at max gross, depending on the conditions. Gaining useful load, a few knots, and the pluses listed above. Low stability and high stall speeds 60 knots clean and 57 knots with full flaps combine to make the AA1 wholly unlike the Cessna 150 in the traffic pattern. Mysteries Of Flight: The Curious Case Of Pan Am Flight 914, Fond Farewell to a Titan: The Antonov An-225. The cockpit is small, the speeds are fast, and the canopy is hot. tarmac, the full canopy sure heats up the cockpit. GRUMMAN/AMERICAN GENERAL AA1 SERIES For Sale - Used & New 1 - 7 Interested in buying this aircraft click here. 12v ANR plugs The nose gear on the early AA1 needs to be changed to the AA5 nose gear for But if you think If the aircraft is a big engine conversion you are really in for you get into an oscillation that takes off the gear and/or hits the The Yankee will sink like the proverbial With a maximum gross weight of 1,500 pounds on all but the last models, and a typical empty weight of 1,050 pounds, the full-fuel payload is less than two FAA-typical 170-pounders, without a single speck of baggage. 91 or F.A.R 135. heading down the runway in your own two-seat plane - bubble [1][3][4][5][6], The remaining accidents were generally attributed to the AA-1's short endurance (3.3 hours), inability to use short grass strips and high approach speeds (8590mph). FREE TRIAL Available! Narco Nav122 VOR with Glideslope (rebuilt 2019) After seeing lots of Grumman AA1-A's though, I got interested. The airplane is powered by a horizontally opposed, four cylinder, direct drive, normally aspirated, air cooled, carburetor equipped engine. "springy" nose gear looks neat, turns neat and bounces really high. JPI Fuel Scan 450 Fuel Flow Computer Maximum speed: 125 kts. STC SA789NW 180HP Conversion with Cowl Flaps Fuel quantity is shown in vertical sight gauges on the left and right cabin walls. I said intentionally because when LED Landing and Position Lights, KX155 Nav/Com with JI209 with Glideslope This cruise propeller accounts for the increase in top and cruise speed plus about 30 additional miles in total range; however, the Tr-2 suffers in the climb department with a 660-fpm capability compared to the Trainers 705-fpm climb speed. Don't overload them, and make sure it has a climb prop unless you fly solo all the time. stay-on-the-airport-runway airplane; the original design might have been closely. 1 - 7 . A recent issue of Trade-A-Plane had listings from $9500 to $25,000. Diamond. Roll the direction you want to If the pilot is properly trained on the aircraft and stays within its limitations, data show that it is as safe as any other light aircraft. Make sure they work, are not plugged, and that Most insurance companies will require about ten hours dual before they (A bit of trivia: Lycoming says that by Horatio Tue Jul 23, 2013 4:57 pm I know there are certified standard category aircraft that meet the LSA regs (Champ, Cub, Luscombe, etc.) the aircraft design - small, quick, fun, fuel thrifty - it The book calls for 117 knots at 75-percent power, burning 6.3 gallons per hour. Most instructors prefer teaching in a Cessna, but there are some more experienced better, but it was not to be. Collapsible tow bar. Back-up vacuum system. 8. 211 AA-1Cs were produced in 1977 and 1978. No plans of upgrading just keeping it for a few years and hopefully selling before tbo. You cannot overload the plane and then fly safely, no matter where the weight is. or Get extra lift from AOPA. If that's true, your airplane isn't set up properly -- something an AYA PFPI would have detected right from the start. and look over the installation carefully. from separation. off at about 65. Following the price guides shows that over the past few years the AA1s leaky gaskets, and shortens engine life. Fuel gauges (in the form of sight tubes) have very little failure, At about 65 mph the To my knowledge it is the only STC'd 180HP Grumman AA1-B ever made. Parmetheus LED Landing Light OK, if you're gonna use it for training, I'll give you a little cheat. some thrills. I have seen a number of control yoke bushings that are worn or loose, The re-contoured leading edge produced softer stall characteristics and permitted lower approach speeds. 9. Of course, ). The Yankee was, according to press reports of the time, a true breath of fresh air, constructed by a lean, mean, young-spirited company. Others went to Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, New Zealand and South Africa. I cruise at 135 kts burning about 8 gph (or 140 kts @ 9 gph). Once the AA-1 entered a fully developed spin and exceeded three turns, it was usually not recoverable. 2.5 with reserve), can go up to 13,500ft (solo, standard temp TESTED). As with all small Grummans, it's castering nose wheel so ground handling is great if adjusted right. Ultimately, America wasnt quite ready for the kind of fun the Yankees were ready to dish out. Heat does strange things. As long as you don't put a bunch of weight behind the seats it's fine, you'll just eat up more runway. The book calls for 117 knots at 75-percent power, burning 6.3 gallons per hour. flaps, not much of flaps, but flaps. Line up on the centerline, fin and all the paperwork. Stall Speed: 50 KIAS. [7], All models of the AA-1 accommodate two people in side-by-side seating under a sliding canopy and are noted for their exceptionally light handling. New main tires. Bruce's cover and cowl plugs. Americas owner-flown aircraft enthusiasts and active-pilot resource, delivered to your inbox! have the fuel tank STCs. It is our mission to be the go to leaders in the aviation industry. the higher the price, the more stuff to play with. Bede formed a company, Bede Aviation Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, to produce the aircraft, but the BD-1 never entered production as a certified aircraft. I am typically at pattern altitude well before the end of the runway! It requires plenty of speed to get off so don't pull it off early. with a Yankee and used ballistic chutes to get it to stop. aircraft was repainted, check to see if it was a total strip and repaint. With a 585lb useful load, we can take full or nearly full fuel in almost all scenarios. I wouldn't want to land it over weight but it flys just fine and mine is the original AA1. Bede decided to certify the design under the then-new FAR Part 23 rules and offer it as a completed aircraft. The first 1969 models were delivered in the fall of 1968 at a base price of US$6495, notably lower than competitive aircraft cost at that time. Sounds like the Grumman, not so much. The main cabin structure is made up of aluminum honeycomb panels, which are both quite strong and light, mated to a glued-together monocoque empennage. Ceiling 11,550. is an impossibility without a tow bar (the American Yankee Association used Following are a few things to look for. Plane and Pilot builds on more than 50 years of serving pilots and owners of aircraft with the goal of empowering our readers to improve their knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation. For the type of flying I do now the C150 is a better fit. ", Grumman Gang AA-1 Specifications and production numbers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grumman_American_AA-1&oldid=1147157371, 1960s United States civil utility aircraft, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Gulfstream American Model AA-1 Yankee Owner's manual January 15, 1979, This page was last edited on 29 March 2023, at 05:44. Copyright 2023 Sandhills Global | Reproduction without expressed written consent is forbidden. The AA-1B was produced until 1976. Aircraft paint stripper will damage the bond if the joints weren't protected. Climbs at our 1000 fpm. If that's the case, make sure they have the additional dorsal for buying should always include a good prepurchase inspection by a qualified I want something to build hours in - mostly sightseeing and short cross countries. Fiberglass main-gear legs conspire with a steel nosewheel strut to absorb landings good and bad. It helps to hear that actual owners do not find them "squirrelly.". JPI EDM-700 Engine Monitor Bede decided to certify the design under the then-new FAR Part 23 rules and offer it as a completed aircraft. Grumman sold its light aircraft division to Gulfstream Aerospace in 1978 and the division was renamed Gulfstream American. hours, and an AD that adds rivets in the control surfaces to protect them But the handling is just something that really sticks for me. Flight planning or any other aircraft operations should only be done using official technical information provided Grumman American. This is the only 180HP AA1-B ever STC'd. In terms of cruise speed, the AA-1 is the class of its class. The recontoured leading edge produced softer stall characteristics and permitted lower approach speeds. What can ya'll tell me about flight characteristics and handling? but sometimes hides the cracks. AA-5 Traveler & AA-5A Cheetah Competitive Comparison, AA-5B & AG-5B Tiger Competitive Comparison, Instructors- Pilot Familiarization Program. American Aviation built 459 examples of the AA-1 Yankee Clipper between 1969 and 1971 at their factory in Cleveland, Ohio. These names were chosen to position the aircraft in the Gulfstream American line which, at that time featured the Cheetah, Tiger and the Cougar. While it seemed a dramatic risk at the time, the AA1s unusual bonded-aluminum structure has proven to be a good choice. You can opt for higher compression for the earlier AA1s, giving 115 or 125 hp. My first flight was after the owner took delivery, I flew it from the right seat. It's about 10 knots faster than my c150. in that it's made from bonded aluminum honeycomb, has no rivets, and has Because the Cheetah looked very much like the Traveler externally, Grumman's marketing department created a "leaping cheetah" emblem to differentiate it from the earlier AA-5. STC SA1012NW Aeromod Corp. Auxiliary Fuel 10 gal with Gross Weight increase to 1642 Lb. Take a close look. the tubes are not discolored. External Power Plug A truly awful plane that creates sloppy pilots. Grumman AA-1B with 150 HP Lycoming A2B STC by Ken Blackman 211 AA-1C's were produced in 1977 and 1978. Someone is marketing a '71 model as LSA. It won't go in and out of the short grass are also the wing spars. The fuel system consists of two tanks with a total capacity of 24 gallons, of which 22 gallons is usable. LED landing and position lights. The little Lycomings are durable, but they wont stand for neglect. Much higher stall speeds and prone to spinning. Backing into the hangar It's still is a truck! bushings on the torque tubes. . STC SA5987SW Fairing Speed Kit Yankee Ingenue In my experience, that's rather on the light side of what real AA-1B's weigh, which is more like 1050 lb empty. The T-Cat was the trainer The US Aviator Magazine Home Page!!! The nosewheel is a castering Its low payload also contributes to its low utility index. Prop type and Hours: Sensenich 74DM6-0-64 Reason for sale: Underused Viewing Location: Cape Town, South Africa. a lot of runway to get in the air. For its high cruise velocities, the AA1 pays dearly in climb performance. The only down side is that the AA1A is already a short legged plane, 22 gal total fuel load, which will be worse unless you throttle that O320 way back in cruise. fact, it's so bouncy that if you hit the nose gear first, you probably ought damage to the mounting. It stresses parts, cracks cylinders, creates Beech. The certification process was complex and expensive, and disagreements arose between Bede and the other shareholders. Rate of climb: 660 FPM. the market. 8+ All plastic in excellent condition. to build, fun to fly, and aerobatic with folding-wing, take-home capabilities. An AA-1A's dirty stall is 60mph (clean is 63, the flaps are fairly useless), while a 152's is 48mph. really Owners say this is a good investment. Cosmetically - it looks good. But they remain today a great flying bargain, with good reliability, a very good parts outlook, and a cadre of loyal owners. strips, but it will make you feel like you're flying off the deck of a carrier! This the pilot was behind the airplane. Any thoughts on the safety of the AA-1B/C? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title.