Aircraft model
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1B
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The AA-1B, sold as the Trainer and as the TR-2, is Grumman American's two-seat sports trainer with a sliding canopy you can open on the ground and taxi with. It is fast for 108 hp, responsive, and far more fun to fly than a Cessna 152, which is most of the reason people buy them.
It is also less forgiving. The short, high-loading wing gives an abrupt stall and the family's spin characteristics have a documented accident history; intentional spins are prohibited and a proper checkout with someone who knows the type matters more here than in a 152. The free-castering nosewheel means all ground steering is by differential braking, which wears brakes and takes getting used to. The bonded aluminium honeycomb construction avoids rivets and corrosion in the usual places but brings its own inspection requirement — delamination and corrosion in bonded joints — and repairs need a shop that understands it. Parts support has improved but remains thinner than for a Cessna.
Compare with…
Put GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1B side by side with up to two other models.
- GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1B
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 | 1973 |
| Production end | 1976 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 113 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 400 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 715 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 | 575 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 443 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,560 lb |
| Empty weight | 985 lb |
| Usable fuel | 22 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $32,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $70,000 |
| 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 | 519 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 231 |
| Median year built | 1974.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 25.971 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 12.992 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 55 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.813 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 231 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 231 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 231 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 7.5 of 103 |
| Support | 8.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.6 of 105 |
- 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.