Aircraft model
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cheetah, the refined version of the Traveler with a reshaped wing root, revised fairings and a cleaner tail. It cruises at 130 knots on 150 hp, which is genuinely efficient, and it flies more pleasantly than the Traveler as well as being a little faster. It is the sensible middle member of the four-seat Grumman family, sitting between the 150 hp Traveler and the 180 hp Tiger.
The canopy is the feature owners mention first — sliding, openable on the ground and at low speed in flight, and giving visibility nothing with a conventional cabin can match. The compromises are a firm ride from the short wing, a cabin that is cosy for four adults on a long trip, and a useful load under 1,000 lb. The bonded honeycomb structure requires a shop that understands it and an inspection focused on delamination and corrosion in bonded joints. The free-castering nosewheel steers by differential braking and takes practice. Parts come through specialist suppliers and the type club rather than a factory network.
Compare with…
Put GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5A side by side with up to two other models.
- GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5A
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-E2G |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1976 |
| Production end | 1979 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,650 ft |
| Climb rate | 660 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 53 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,600 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,200 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 970 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 748 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,230 lb |
| Usable fuel | 37 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $110,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $28,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $40,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 568 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 386 |
| Median year built | 1977.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 11 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 28.51 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 28.52 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 73 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 18.913 |
| 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 386 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 386 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 386 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 5 of 101 |
| Severity | 2 of 102 |
| Access | 2.7 of 103 |
| Support | 7.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 20.7 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- 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.