Is the Grumman Tiger still being built?

No. AG-5B Tiger production at American General ended in 2005. The fleet today is supported through the American Yankee Association type club and FletchAir, which provides parts and engineering support for the bonded-honeycomb airframe.

The American Yankee Association (AYA) is the long-running type club covering all AA-1 Yankee, AA-5 Traveler, AA-5A Cheetah, AA-5B Tiger, and AG-5B Tiger variants. Membership provides access to maintenance know-how, type-specific safety data, and the annual AYA convention.

How is the bonded-honeycomb airframe maintained?

The bonded honeycomb construction is unusual among trainers and requires an MRO familiar with the bonding process and the type's specific bond-line-inspection requirements. FletchAir provides the canonical parts and engineering support; many active operators build a maintenance relationship with FletchAir rather than relying on a generic Part 145 / Part 65 shop.

Can the AA-5B Tiger be used for IFR training?

Yes. The AA-5B / AG-5B Tiger is IFR-capable when appropriately equipped; many active airframes have Garmin G5 / G3X / GFC 500 retrofits to bring the panel up to a modern IFR standard. The 180 hp Lycoming O-360 and 139 kt cruise make it a practical IFR airframe alongside its 172 / Archer / DA40 contemporaries.

Grumman American / American General

AA-1 / AA-5 family (Yankee, Cheetah, Tiger)

Single-engine piston · Trainer and personal aircraft · Pre-1980 classic

discontinued

Power: 180 hp
Cruise: 139 kt
MTOW: 2,400 lb
Range: 660 nm
Fuel: 100LL avgas

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)139 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)174 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)53 kt
Climb rate850 fpm
Service ceiling13,800 ft
Range660 nm
Endurance5 h
Takeoff roll865 ft
Landing roll410 ft

Weights

MTOW2,400 lb
Empty weight1,500 lb
Useful load900 lb
Baggage capacity120 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan31.5 ft
Length22 ft
Height8 ft
Cabin width41 in

Powerplant

EngineLycoming O-360-A4K — 180 hp · 100LL · 9 gph
Total horsepower180 hp
Primary fuel100LL avgas
Unleaded pathG100UL eligible (STC available)

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeanalog
Autopilot commonly availableYes
Typical packages
- Six-pack analog with KX-155— as-delivered
- Garmin G5 / G3X retrofit— common modern retrofit

Certification

RegulatoryFAR Part 23 (CAR 3 origin)
Certified rolesNormal category · Utility category
IFRYes
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)No
High-performance (FAR 61.31)No

Why is the AA-1 / AA-5 family (Yankee, Cheetah, Tiger) popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Production volume

Approximately 3,289 airframes built across the AA-1 / AA-5 / AG-5B production runs ending in 2005 — niche but real fleet at flying clubs and Part 61 schools, particularly in the US Gulf Coast and Northeast.

Parts and MRO ecosystem

Type-club support through the American Yankee Association and FletchAir provides parts and engineering coverage for the bonded-honeycomb airframe; FletchAir is the canonical AA-5 maintenance shop and gives the type a near-factory parts pathway.

Pedagogy and handling

Sliding canopy gives exceptional cockpit access and visibility; distinctive operational feature versus the side-door PA-28 / 172 and a familiar configuration for pilots transitioning from glider or military training.

Fuel future-proofing

Lycoming O-360-A4K (Tiger) is on Lycoming's list of engines compatible with G100UL once supply is regional, giving the active Tiger fleet a path off 100LL without engine swap.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Schools and clubs running AA-5 / AG-5B Tigers typically configure them in Aviatize with type-club / FletchAir maintenance scheduling and a bond-line-inspection cycle tracked as a recurring maintenance item. Engine reserves track against the Lycoming O-360-A4K 2,000-hour TBO.

schedulingtraining managementaircraft maintenancebilling

Editorial confidence

High confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-05

3 primary sources cited (POH / TCDS / type-club). Spec data and regulatory positioning are well-attributed; narrative synthesis is editorial.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceFAA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/A12EA
FAA TCDS A12EA covers AA-5 / AG-5B variants.
Primary sourceType Club·Retrieved 2026-05-05
American Yankee Association
https://www.aya.org/
American Yankee Association — type club covering all AA-1 / AA-5 / AG-5B variants.
Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-05
FletchAir
https://www.fletchair.com/
FletchAir — primary parts and engineering support for the AA-1 / AA-5 line.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Specific fleet figures, fleet wins, and recent production status changes are research-backlog candidates and should be verified against primary sources before flipping verified: true.

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