Aircraft model
GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 is a 1970s reproduction of a 1929 aerobatic biplane, built with a 180 hp Lycoming and modern systems in place of the original's engine. Two tandem open cockpits, staggered wings and a look that is entirely of its original decade.
It is bought for sport aerobatics and for the pleasure of open-cockpit flying, and it is well regarded for both — the aerobatic handling is crisp and the AEIO-360 with inverted systems is a proven and well-supported engine, which is a considerable advantage over the genuine 1930s biplanes. The limits are range and load: 26 gallons and 570 lb of useful load make it a local aeroplane. Fabric and wooden wing structure mean hangarage and periodic recovering. The fleet is small and production was intermittent, so some parts are specialist items.
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Put GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2 side by side with up to two other models.
- GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1973 |
| Production end | 1982 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 95 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,100 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 44 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 570 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 414 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,230 lb |
| Usable fuel | 26 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $70,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $450,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $36,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $52,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 143 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 115 |
| Median year built | 1977.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 69.571 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 60.872 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 23 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 203 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 115 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 115 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 115 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 5 of 102 |
| Access | 1.6 of 103 |
| Support | 6.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 20 out of 506 |
These record scores treat GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 20 aircraft registered under WACO CLASSIC AIRCRAFT CORP; includes 1 aircraft registered under GREAT LAKES/FRITZ JOE; includes the record of aircraft once registered under GREAT LAKES-EWERTZ WILLIAM A. 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.