Development history Grumman American AA-1

1 development history

1.1 aa-1 yankee clipper
1.2 aa-1a trainer
1.3 aa-1b trainer , tr-2
1.4 aa-1c lynx , t-cat

development history

the yankee designed in 1962 jim bede bd-1 , intended sold kit-built aircraft. bede decided certify design under then-new far part 23 rules , offer completed aircraft. no bd-1 kits ever sold.

the prototype first flew on july 11, 1963 , featured folding wings trailering , ease of storage. bede formed company, bede aviation corporation, based in cleveland ohio, produce aircraft, bd-1 never entered production certified aircraft. @ time faa hesitant certify light aircraft folding wings. certification process complex , expensive , disagreements arose between bede , other shareholders. result, bede ousted business partners , company renamed american aviation.

aa-1 yankee clipper

american s engineers reworked wing non-folding design, easing far part 23 certification. other changes included adding extended wing tips improve rate-of-climb, anti-servo tab on elevator along centering spring system increase longitudinal stability , stall strips improve handling during stall. company designated redesigned aircraft aa-1 yankee clipper.

the aa-1 certified under far part 23 on august 29, 1967 first production aa-1 flying on may 30, 1968. first 1969 models delivered in fall of 1968 @ base price of us$6495, notably lower competitive aircraft cost @ time. american aviation built 459 examples of aa-1 yankee clipper between 1969 , 1971 @ factory in cleveland, ohio.

aa-1a trainer

in 1971 american aviation modified naca 64-415 airfoil used on aa-1 s wing, creating aa-1a trainer. recontoured leading edge produced softer stall characteristics , permitted lower approach speeds. while did tame aa-1 s sharp stall, reduced cruise speed compared original aa-1 10 mph. first flight on march 25, 1970 , 470 aa-1as built in 1971–72.

aa-1b trainer , tr-2

grumman bought american aviation in 1971, renaming grumman american aviation , beginning in late 1972 sold 1973 model year design grumman american aa-1b trainer school use. variant designed personal-use market called tr-2 , featured standard radio , trim package. aa-1b produced until 1976. 680 aa-1bs produced.

all aa-1s, aa-1as , aa-1bs powered lycoming o-235-c2c low-compression engine designed 80/87 avgas, produced 108 hp.

aa-1c lynx , t-cat

the grumman light aircraft line acquired gulfstream aerospace in 1977 formed light aircraft division, gulfstream american, in savannah, georgia. company division completed major redesign of aa-1b, resulting in aa-1c. marketed in 2 versions, differentiated avionics fitted , external trim package. lynx targeted @ private owners while t-cat flying school trainer. these names chosen position aircraft in gulfstream american line which, @ time featured cheetah, tiger , cougar.

the aa-1c received new larger horizontal tail , other significant improvements, including 115 hp lycoming o-235-l2c high-compression engine designed 100ll fuel, brought cruise speed of original 108 hp yankee. 211 aa-1cs produced in 1977 , 1978.

the last aa-1c produced gulfstream american in 1978. overall, 1820 aa-1 family aircraft built between 1969 , 1978.

many examples of aa-1 series have been exported many countries round world. pilots in europe acquire type include resident in belgium, denmark, finland, germany, norway, sweden, switzerland , united kingdom. others went australia, canada, dominican republic, new zealand , south africa.

the type certificate aa-1 family of aircraft held true flight holdings llc bought assets of tiger aircraft on august 2, 2007.