Hi all, First post in here actually. A buddy and I are looking to purchase an airplane to do some time building in, get some real world experience, etc. We've pretty much settled on a Grumman, as it seems to be a pretty safe and economical airplane. We're down to 2 airplanes: an AA1A and an AA5 Traveler. They're almost identical in everything including price and both have low-time engines, the only difference being the AA1 has a nearly brand-new paint job. Figured I'd reach out to everyone to get some advice for a first time buyer as well as from any Grumman owners, since we don't have that much experience with them. To give you an idea, we're both approaching our commercial check rides and we both plan to get our CFI. We've got plans to reach out to local flight schools to wash airplanes, etc. to help offset some costs and we've got a good mechanic friend for the maintenance. Any suggestions or tips or stories are appreciated!
Follow the mail list Grumman Gang - I’ve found to be the best ongoing source of information on AAs. Get a good prebuy inspection. Where in country are you? - there are a few well known Grumman Guru shops around. I have no experience w AA1s or Travelers but love my Tiger.
I bought a Tiger much like you are; to train in. My purpose was to buy a plane that I would be able to use for some years as I obtained IFR and potentially Commercial after my ticket. I went Tiger for performance and resale. Not enough info to comment on the two planes you have in mind but I would not suggest a Yankee to train in (and I love Grummans and Yankees). The Traveler is going to be a lot more forgiving and safe to the common mistakes made in your training. The Yankee is pretty rough if you get slow (the same can be said for all planes; maybe really rough) and the recovery can be complicated. I am pretty sure insurance is going to be less also for the same reasons. If you are buying to train with no plan of using that plane afterwards, you should rent. If you do plan to use it with family and friends, seats and useful load becomes the game changer.
None of this is true. Statements like these are want run the resale value down on Grummans. There is absolutely nothing tricky about stall recovery on any of the Grummans. There is nothing tough about flying a Yankee slow. They fly like any other low hp airplane. That said for training I imagine you two will be flying a lot together to share the cost per hour. This is all but a no go in a Yankee, two modern sized adult men will not allow much fuel if any in some instances. Finding an instructor that will fit weight wise will be an issue too. If you can swing it, get the Traveler. One if the better deals in the 4 place airplane world.
I have owned both an AA1A and and AA5. Both are easy to fly and not the least bit tricky. Both are a bit faster on final approach than a comparable 2 or 4 seat Cessna. That is the only real difference in handling. Fly by the POH and they are pussycats. Like most 2 seat aircraft, the AA1A is easily overloaded with full fuel. While the AA1A is inexpensive to operate and very fun to fly, the heavier useful load and extra power of an AA5 with 2 aboard would be an asset in a training environment. I put over 400 hours in an AA1A as a time builder, then stepped up to an AA5 for IFR training and regional travel. Having said that, I took a lot of long XC trips with 2 aboard in the AA1A when I was trimmer and younger.
