This 1978 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger Is an Innovative, Efficient ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Compact honeycomb structure helps the four-seater squeeze performance from its economical Lycoming engine.

Jonathan Welsh

Tuesday, November 03, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

1978 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger [Credit: Scott MacDonald Aircraft Sales]

Key Takeaways:

The 1978 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger is highlighted as "Today's Top Pick" for its unique bonded-skin construction, sliding canopy, and responsive handling, tracing its design lineage back to Jim Bede's BD-1 kit.
As the ultimate development in its series, the Tiger delivers impressive performance with a 180 hp Lycoming engine, cruising at approximately 140 ktas, often surpassing similarly powered rivals in speed and responsiveness while maintaining the simplicity of fixed gear.
This specific 1978 model, available for $185,000, features significant modern upgrades including an updated panel with an Aspen EFD 1000 PFD, Garmin GTN 750, S-TEC 30 autopilot, along with a refreshed interior and paint, appealing to pilots seeking a high-performance, nimble "sports car" aircraft.

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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 1978 Grumman American AA-5B Tiger.

The Grumman American AA family of light, single-engine, all-aluminum aircraft are known for innovative bonded-skin construction (instead of traditional rivets), sliding canopies, and responsive handling. Originally designed by Jim Bede as the BD-1 kit, the line transitioned through American Aviation, Grumman American, Gulfstream American, and later manufacturers.

The Grumman Tiger’s sliding canopy is a feature owners love. [Credit: Scott MacDonald Aircraft Sales]

The Tiger traces its ancestry across a succession of companies to the BD-1, a two-seat, 65 hp kit aircraft designed by Bede, an aeronautical engineer who wanted to give pilots a low-cost path into the air.

Bede was also a classic, controversial aviation industry character. He designed a series of aircraft that most famously included the BD-5J, a tiny, single-seat jet that appeared in airshows and in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.

A company called American Aviation made changes to the BD-1 design to develop the AA-1 Yankee, a two-seat trainer and personal aircraft. Grumman acquired a controlling interest in the company to form Grumman American, which stretched the Yankee into four-place designs including the Traveler and Cheetah.

The Grumman American models were known for delivering impressive performance with modest power and at lower prices than similarly equipped rivals. The 150 hp, Lycoming O-320-powered AA-5 Traveler, for example, was faster and more responsive than a Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee with the same engine.

The aircraft for sale today is the ultimate development of the Grumman American series. The Tiger has a 180 hp Lycoming O-360, which is a whole lot of muscle for the small light airplane. The Tiger is known to cruise at about 140 ktas at 75 percent power and has a top speed of about 148 ktas—fast enough to keep up with some retractable models and while outrunning others.

This Tiger’s cross-country capability is enhanced by its high-visibility sliding canopy, an updated interior, and modern panel. Newer paint boosts its ramp appeal. The sharp-looking four-seater with fixed gear and a fixed-pitch propeller offers its owner the performance of a complex aircraft without the complexity.

This AA-5B Tiger has a custom panel with desirable updates. [Credit: Scott MacDonald Aircraft Sales]

This 1978 Grumman American Tiger has 3,043 hours on the airframe, 896 hours since overhaul on its 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A4K engine, and 840 hours since overhaul on its Sensenich two-blade propeller. The aircraft’s paint and interior were redone in 2002.

The Tiger’s updated panel includes an Aspen EFD 1000 PFD, Garmin GTN 750 GPS/nav/com, SL 30 VHF nav/com, GTX 345 transponder with ADS-B In and Out, SL 15 audio panel, and S-TEC 30 autopilot.

Pilots looking for the winged version of a compact sports car with nimble, tactile handling and impressive performance from modest fuel burn should consider this 1978 Grumman American AA-5 Tiger, which is available for $185,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.