Aircraft model
GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Grumman Ag-Cat is an agricultural biplane, designed by Grumman and built under contract by Schweizer, with a radial engine, a chemical hopper between the engine and the cockpit and a structure built to survive low-level work. It is one of the most numerous purpose-built ag aircraft ever made.
It is working equipment and is bought as such: hopper capacity, engine time, airframe hours and cycles, and above all corrosion from years of chemical exposure, which is what ultimately retires these airframes. The biplane layout gives it good low-speed handling and a short turning radius, which matters in field work. The R-985 radial is well supported by warbird standards but expensive to overhaul. It operates in the restricted category. Agricultural flying requires a commercial certificate, specialist training and an insurance market that wants documented ag experience.
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- GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164A
What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney R-985 (radial) |
| Horsepower | 450 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1957 |
| Production end | 1979 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 90 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 50 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,800 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,452 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,400 lb |
| Usable fuel | 58 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 25.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $125,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $70,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $120,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 683 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 150 |
| Median year built | 1974.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 15 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 1001 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 02 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 28 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 18.673 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 150 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 150 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 150 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 9.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 3.6 of 102 |
| Access | 2.4 of 103 |
| Support | 7.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.