Grumman American AA-5 Tiger

Grumman American · United States · first flew 1974 · light aircraft

The Grumman American AA-5 Tiger is a sleek four-seat all-metal tourer whose sliding canopy and bonded construction give it sports-car looks and near-retractable speed on fixed gear.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	6.71 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Aft-sliding bubble canopy over a four-seat cabin
Low wing with squared-off tapered tips
Short fixed tricycle gear sitting low to the ground

The forward-sliding bubble canopy is the giveaway, paired with the low wing, squared tapered tips and a low-slung fixed tricycle stance.

Specifications

The Grumman American AA-5 Tiger has a length of 6.71 m (22 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.6 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 274 km/h (170 mph).
Typical crew: 1 pilot + 3 pax.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The AA-5 family grew from the two-seat AA-1 Yankee, and the 180 hp Tiger arrived for the 1975 model year as its highest-performance member. Piston Tiger production ran to 1979, with the type later revived by American General and Tiger Aircraft.

Variants

The line runs from the AA-5 Traveler through the cleaned-up AA-5A Cheetah to the more powerful AA-5B Tiger, later reborn as the American General AG-5B. All share the bonded-aluminium structure and signature sliding canopy.

Where you'll see it

A cult favourite among UK owners and group-share syndicates who want speed and a fighter-like canopy on a club budget, the Tiger is rarer than Cessnas and Pipers and prized accordingly, turning up at fly-ins and on private touring.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.