Finding someone to do maintenance on a Grumman Cheetah/Tiger?

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DMD3.

Pre-takeoff checklist
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DMD3.
It’s my understanding that if planning to purchase a Grumman aircraft (in my case it would be a Cheetah or Tiger), you’ll want someone with experience with Grumman experience to do the pre-buy inspection and the maintenance (affectionately referred to as “Grumman Gurus”), and not just any A&P. But if there are no shops or Grumman-savvy A&Ps located close to my home airport, would it be a bad idea to consider owning a Grumman? As Grumman are certified aircraft (just less common than Cessnas & Pipers, etc.), could I let my local A&P do the maintenance and annual inspections every few years, and perhaps every 3rd year or so I find a Grumman guru to go through with a fine-tooth comb?

I’m located in south Ga, so I’m not aware of anyone around here or in the north Fl area who has experience with Grummans, be it a shop or an A&P at an FBO who happens to have experience.
 
Make sure the nose torque tube is in good shape. Everything else is just an airplane.

They are fantastic, economical planes. Very simple. Grumman Guru not needed.
The Grumman fanatics will tell you only Fletchair can work on them or Gary Vought out on the west coast.

I don't recall anything on it other than the nose gear attachment to be so quirky that a specialist was required.

My Piper Comanche needs way more specialist knowledge than my Traveler ever did.
 
kyleb said:
I thought the folks at Valdosta (?) were experts?
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This....Trueflight Aerospace at the Valdosta Regional Airport (https://trueflightaerospace.com/) are the owners of the Grumman type certificates. They are not as active as Fletchair or some of the other Grumman centric shops, but know the type as well as any. I don't think you could want a better maintainer for a Cheetah or Tiger. And they're right in your neighborhood.
 
If you’re in S Ga that’s ideal. The guys at True Flight are great, in fact I’ll be helping my bro drop his Tiger there next week.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Make sure the nose torque tube is in good shape. Everything else is just an airplane.

They are fantastic, economical planes. Very simple. Grumman Guru not needed.
The Grumman fanatics will tell you only Fletchair can work on them or Gary Vought out on the west coast.

I don't recall anything on it other than the nose gear attachment to be so quirky that a specialist was required.

My Piper Comanche needs way more specialist knowledge than my Traveler ever did.
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Tubes. Tubes are the best. :)
 
bkspero said:
This....Trueflight Aerospace at the Valdosta Regional Airport (https://trueflightaerospace.com/) are the owners of the Grumman type certificates. They are not as active as Fletchair or some of the other Grumman centric shops, but know the type as well as any. I don't think you could want a better maintainer for a Cheetah or Tiger. And they're right in your neighborhood.
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Well darn, there was one in my area and I never knew it. According to their website, they have fuel-injected Tiger, and they’re also planning an STC for a constant-speed prop. This sounds like it’d be a good idea to help with the takeoff & climb performance. And according to Wikipedia, they’ve also been claiming to put the Tiger back into production, though they haven’t manufactured a single aircraft despite their claims. I would love to see this happen.
 
DMD3. said:
Well darn, there was one in my area and I never knew it. According to their website, they have fuel-injected Tiger, and they’re also planning an STC for a constant-speed prop. This sounds like it’d be a good idea to help with the takeoff & climb performance. And according to Wikipedia, they’ve also been claiming to put the Tiger back into production, though they haven’t manufactured a single aircraft despite their claims. I would love to see this happen.
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The MT Prop is available via STC for Tigers if you want a constant speed option for better climb. True Flight has been talking about restarting Grumman production for a decade or so, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

As far as needing a Grumman specialist... yes and no. There are a handful of things that really should be done by someone with experience, eg. baffles, fuel tank scraping and resealing, spar corrosion checks, checking bond integrity via "tap test", and inspecting/disassembling the nose gear. In theory any competent A&P/AI should be able to handle other stuff if they consult the maintenance manual and parts list. Unfortunately it's pretty common to find A&P's who just cowboy their way through repairs without really looking at those references.
 
Nothing special about the AA5 series that a normal A&P with some working knowledge of the series can't handle. My AA5 is going into annual tomorrow with a local guy. Sure it's not the "factory" or Fletch, but it hits the highlights.

Just like I don't send my 310Q or my 421C out to Texas...
 
Invest in a Grumman Maintenance Manual and give it to your mechanic when you have your maintenance done. I contains all of the required inspections, as well as approved procedures for doing many routine maintenance, repair, and adjustment tasks.
 
As someone else said, nose gear strut, fuel tank sealing, bond lines, and perhaps windshield install. The rest is pretty much like any other airplane. Brakes are brakes, engines are engines, alternators are alternators, and mags are mags. All that said, I would DEFINITELY get a specialist to do your pre-buy.
 
I had a Tiger for nearly 10 years ... should have kept it based on the demand and price they're getting nowo_O

There's a PDF telling the mechanic how to torque that nose gear (eliminate shimmy) ... they also have to dismantle it at annual to grease it ... if there were a few "lazy mechanic" annuals and that part is stuck on there something fierce, that PDF also showed how to get it worked free.

I only used FletchAir for my pre-buy and when it sold, my buyer also wanted it delivered there as well ... my mechanic had no problems with the Tiger specific items.

If you can't find that PDF let me know as I probably have it in a folder somewhere on the home computer ...
 
My 18 year old learning the finer parts of replacing the bearings on the elevator on my AA5 that he’s learning to fly.


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Ask him to lay a blanket On the surfaces of the plane as he works on it so he doesn’t chip/scratch paint.
 
Rcmutz said:
Ask him to lay a blanket On the surfaces of the plane as he works on it so he doesn’t chip/scratch paint.
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I did make him put a small towel under the screws he was taking out. Last time that airplane saw paint was 1974 though. It needs it so no harm there.
 
Beware of leaky fuel tanks and that nose gear thingy that @SixPapaCharlie mentioned. If those things are good to go, cop the shades and pull the canopy back to the mark because it is a sweet little plane. I will always be a fan of the top loaders fo sho.

Seriously, leaky tanks should probably be a deal-breaker.
 
Rich Holt said:
Seriously, leaky tanks should probably be a deal-breaker.
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Leaky tanks on a Grumman AA series is not that big of a deal. My right wing was leaking. Turned out to be a bulkhead fitting that was a little loose. The hardest part was getting the proseal of my arms after I resealed it.
 
I do use a Grumman expert for my Tiger. That said, unless it has something to do with the unique nature of the Grumman line such as repairing the bonded skin, the honeycomb structure or replacement of a spar, then any competent A&P should be able to handle it With the use of the maintenance manual which you can get on-line for free. Torque tubes can be a problem and leaking tanks can be a nightmare if they are not fixed right. Yankee Aviation in Ohio puts out a series of YouTube videos on Grumman repairs under the heading of Grumman Pilot Association. There are several hundred of them out there and often times you can see a repair done that will give you a clue on how to have your A&P attack the problem. They just sold their project Tiger. Don’t know what it sold for, but they were asking $250K and it went in something like 3 days.
 
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