This 1976 Grumman American Cheetah Is a Responsive, Rewarding ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

976 Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah [Courtesy: Lawrence Lawn]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1976 Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah.

It is safe to say that the story behind the popularity of Grumman American’s family of compact AA-5 aircraft lies in the details.

Innovative design elements, such as bonded wing skins and honeycomb fuselage construction, eliminated the rivets common on other GA aircraft of the same era. The company continuously made small aerodynamic improvements to raise the aircraft’s cruising speed and fuel efficiency. The sliding canopy, while a practical convenience for ingress and egress, is also a cool feature that pilots love.

The four-seat AA-5 series that includes the basic 150 hp Traveler, the faster 180 hp Tiger, and the Cheetah for sale here developed from the American Aviation AA-1 Yankee, a two-seat Jim Bede design that traced its origins to Bede’s BD-1 kit concept of the early 1960s. Success with the Yankee compelled American Aviation to add a four-seat model, which would become the Traveler. Production began around the same time Grumman acquired American Aviation.

The Grumman American line, especially the Cheetah and Tiger, have a following among pilots who like their light, responsive handling and lively performance on relatively low horsepower and fuel consumption. People often draw parallels between the airplanes’ appeal and that of lightweight sports cars.

This 1976 AA-5A Cheetah has 2,850 hours on the airframe and 380 hours on its 160 hp Lycoming O-320 engine and Sensenich propeller. The panel includes dual Narco 122 navs, Garmin Aera 660, Garmin 225 and Icom A220T comms, single channel EGT/CHT, and digital OAT gauge with ice warning.

Pilots looking for an economical, efficient traveling airplane with responsive, engaging flight characteristics should consider this 1976 Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah, which is available for $90,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.