American Aviation Corporation
IndustryAerospace
Founded1964 (1964)
FateMerged with Grumman in 1972
SuccessorGrumman American

American Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1960s, which produced light single-engine aircraft. In 1972, it became the Grumman American Aviation Corporation.

History

The company was formed in 1964 to build a production version of the Bede BD-1, a two-seat light aircraft designed and built by Jim Bede and first flown on July 11, 1963.[1][2]

During the development of the BD-1 there was conflict between Bede and the other shareholders, and in 1965, Bede was removed from the company. Attorney and former Marine fighter pilot Russ Meyer became the new company president at age 34.[3]

The BD-1 was re-designed for production with a lengthened fuselage, greater wingspan and larger engine, the company also introduced metal-to-metal bonding of components, a new technique in general aviation.[1] The new aircraft was named the AA-1 Yankee and first flew on March 2, 1967, gaining type certificate approval from the FAA in July 1968.[4]

The Grumman Corporation had taken an 80% share in American Aviation and in 1972 the company was renamed the Grumman American Aviation Corporation.[1]

Aircraft

Model name First flight Number built Type
American Aviation AA-1 Yankee Clipper & AA-1A Trainer 1967 1,820 Two-seat general aviation aircraft
American Aviation AA-2 Patriot 1970 2 Four-seat general aviation aircraft
American Aviation AA-5 Traveler 1971 3,282 Four-seat general aviation aircraft

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Simpson 1991, pp. 24–25.
  2. ↑ Davisson, Budd: "Bede's BD-4," March, 1991, Air Progress, (as OCR-scanned and posted on the author's website as "Jim Bede's High-speed Packing Crate: the BD-4: A classic, fast mover," retrieved June 24, 2023
  3. ↑ Harris, Richard. "Yankees & Cats: A quick history of Grumman/American Aircraft." Aviation History & Industry, May 10, 2012. Retrieved: December 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Keck, Gary. "Gulfstream Tiger/Cheetah AA-5B/A." grumman.net. Retrieved: December 20, 2014.

Bibliography

  • Simpson, R.W. Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1991. ISBN 978-1-85310-194-6.
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