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Payload vs. Range
Fuel on board
Cargo
nm
Range
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En route
Fuel burned
Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
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Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Grumman American AA5
Type certificated 1971 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet
Overview
The Grumman American AA-5 Traveler is a four-seat, fixed-gear, low-wing single built from 1972 to 1975, the first four-place development of the two-seat AA-1 Yankee. It carried the line’s signature engineering up to family size: a bonded aluminum-honeycomb structure with almost no rivets, a tubular-spar wing, and a sliding canopy. American Aviation launched it, and Grumman American continued it after the 1972 merger; more than 800 were built before the refined Cheetah took its place.
The Traveler is the entry point to four-seat Grumman ownership. It runs the same 150 hp Lycoming O-320 as the Cheetah but sells for less and gives up only a few knots, so it cross-shops against the high-wing Cessna 172 and the Piper Cherokee of the same years, trading their strut-braced familiarity for sharper controls, a lower stance, and far better visibility under the canopy. A buyer who wants Grumman handling on the smallest budget, and can live with the early small-elevator pitch sensitivity and the shorter standard-tank range, will find this the cheapest way into the airframe; pilots who fly longer legs or want crisper manners in the flare usually move up to the Cheetah or Tiger.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Sports-car handling for the class. Light, responsive controls and a high roll rate give the Traveler a livelier feel than its high-wing contemporaries.
- Bonded, rivet-free airframe. The metal-bonded wing and honeycomb fuselage produce a clean, low-drag surface that is easy to inspect and wash, and contribute to the type’s speed-per-horsepower.
- Visibility and access. The sliding canopy offers a near-360-degree view and can be cracked open for ground taxi, something neither a Cessna nor a Piper cabin can match.
- Fold-flat cargo. The rear seats fold to open a large flat cargo bay behind the cabin.
Trade-offs
- Pitch sensitivity. The Traveler’s smaller elevator makes it more sensitive in pitch during the landing flare than the later Cheetah and Tiger, which received a larger surface. Transition training matters.
- Standard tanks limit range. With 37 gallons (36 usable) in standard tanks, the Traveler has shorter legs than the Cheetah on long-range tanks or the Tiger. Plan fuel stops accordingly.
- Density-altitude performance. 150 hp moving a true four-seat cabin means climb and takeoff suffer on hot, high days, especially near gross.
See Also
- Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah – the aerodynamically refined successor; a few knots faster on the same 150 hp, with the pitch sensitivity engineered out. Compare
- Grumman American AA-5B Tiger – the 180 hp flagship; markedly quicker and a true load-hauler, at a higher purchase price and fuel burn. Compare
- Grumman American AA-1 – the two-seat ancestor; sportier and cheaper to run, but strictly a two-person airplane with short legs. Compare
- Piper Cherokee – the high-volume four-seat contemporary; roomier and softer in handling, without the canopy visibility or the Grumman feel. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 8 ft
- Length
- 22 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 1,118 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 2,200 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 2,200 lbs
- Useful Load
- 707 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 37 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- 121 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 165 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 130 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 70 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- Source: manufacturer figure 54 KIAS
- Range
- 430 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 12,650 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 660 fpm
- Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
- 1,600 ft
- Landing over 50 ft obstacle
- 1,100 ft
Engine
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Grumman American AA5 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
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Compare the Grumman American AA5 to other aircraft
External Media
Articles and other links
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Wikipedia: Grumman American AA-5 Family History en.wikipedia.org
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AOPA Pilot: Ramp Appeal - The Grumman Traveler www.aopa.org
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Aviation Consumer: AA-5 Series Ownership and Safety Review aviationconsumer.com
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GOP Association: AA-5 Traveler Specifications and Performance aya.org
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Plane & Pilot: 1973 Grumman American AA-5 Traveler Review planeandpilotmag.com