Aircraft model
AMERICAN AVIATION AA-1A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The AA-1A Trainer, from American Aviation's small two-seat line. It has a sliding canopy, bonded aluminium honeycomb construction instead of rivets, a free-castering nosewheel and a very short wing, and it looks and feels more like a sports aeroplane than a trainer. At 113 knots on 108 hp it is genuinely quick for its power.
The short wing is the problem and it is a serious one. The original AA-1 Yankee had a high wing loading, an abrupt stall and poor spin characteristics, and it was placarded against intentional spins; the AA-1A was American Aviation's attempt to soften that for the training role with a modified wing, but the family's stall and spin reputation persists and the accident record supports caution. It is not a forgiving first aeroplane. Other points: the free-castering nosewheel means steering by differential braking, which is hard on brakes and takes practice, and the bonded structure needs a shop that understands it, with delamination and corrosion in bonded joints the specific inspection item.
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Put AMERICAN AVIATION AA-1A side by side with up to two other models.
- AMERICAN AVIATION AA-1A
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-235-C2C |
| Horsepower | 108 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1971 |
| Production end | 1972 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 113 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 400 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 680 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 55 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,500 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,100 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 540 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 408 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,500 lb |
| Empty weight | 960 lb |
| Usable fuel | 22 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $58,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 435 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 207 |
| Median year built | 1971.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 12 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 57.971 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 48.312 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 55 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 26.573 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 207 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 207 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 207 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.9 of 101 |
| Severity | 2 of 102 |
| Access | 8.6 of 103 |
| Support | 7.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.6 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27.9 out of 506 |
These record scores treat AMERICAN AVIATION AA-1A as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered under GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.