Tell me about the Grumman Traveler

[SkyHog]

The AA5....tell me about it....2 people, one of which is a lot more than FAA standard, one that is right about FAA standard.

Does it go more than 110knots or 3 hours?
Is it a runway hog like the AA1s?

Any gotchas I should know about?

 

[wsuffa]

Attention: Anthony and Ron!

 

[Doggtyred]

The AA5....tell me about it....2 people, one of which is a lot more than FAA standard, one that is right about FAA standard.

Does it go more than 110knots or 3 hours?
Is it a runway hog like the AA1s?

Any gotchas I should know about?

Older incarnation of a Cheetah. Carries 37 gals of fuel instead of 51 in the Cheetah. Both are 150 hp, 120+ knot airframes. Adding some mods will give you a few more knots. The 180 hp Tiger trued out for me at 145 KTAS.

So you have the speed, kinda, but 150 hp flat out is 11 gph, and 75% is going to be about 8.5 gph (0.45 bsfc for leaned out lyc). Thats 3-4 hrs fuel with marginal reserves.

I've not flown a Traveller, but I've got about 50 hrs in Cheetah's and Tigers. The Tiger was one of the best value GA planes I ever had the pleasure of flying. Sliding canopy, great in everything but a downpour. 4 seats, so really 2 seats plus full fuel plus a bit of baggage. Can open the canopy 6 inches in flight for ventilation, and all the way back when on the ground. Important if you are in Coastal Texas in a heatwave.

Castering nosewheel, steer with differential braking like on a taildragger. You can turn on a dime and give change. Much more maneuverable on the ground than anything with a steerable nosewheel. Some folks line up slightly offset to the right from the centerline for takeoff, so that torque pulls the nose along the centerline about the time the rudder becomes effective.

Bonded (glued) skins, rather than rivets.. There was an AD way back when, but after 30 years all flying airframes should have complied/been fixed. Its clean.. slick. If you fly cessna's and pipers you will need to learn to nail your speeds because its not as draggy... Landing 5 knots fast means you land very long. Landing 10 knots fast at anything but a commercial jetport will have you going around, or off the end of the runway. Slips VERY well with full flaps.

In my Tiger checkout at the flying club many years ago, the CFI demonstrated a short field departure, and pulled back at the proper speed and it levitated... close to 1000 fpm. That was sea level, not hot, and with 180 hp. The Tiger could keep up with a 200 hp Arrow. The Cheetah and Traveler have 150 hp and dont quite have the top end speed, but their bottom end, maneuverability, slow flight, is fabulous.

Its not spin rated. Anything past a full turn and you are a test pilot.

As for gotchas... I cant remember any major ones right off the bat, besides the bonding glue they used. Its an orphan airframe at this point, just like many other 30 year old GA planes.

You should have an STC to put hi comp piston/cylinders on to get 10 extra HP. Check out LoPresti and Knots2u for ways to spend extra money on the airframe.

http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft performance/Grumman/AA5 competitive.htm has a comparative chart for performance specs.

 

[EppyGA]

So you have the speed, kinda, but 150 hp flat out is 11 gph, and 75% is going to be about 8.5 gph (0.45 bsfc for leaned out lyc). Thats 3-4 hrs fuel with marginal reserves.

Figured we ought to fix that.

 

[flyersfan31]

Figured we ought to fix that.

Yeah, I didn't think it had a turbine conversion!!!

 

[Doggtyred]

Yeah, I didn't think it had a turbine conversion!!!

My bad... had 2 hrs of sleep last night.. thanks for the help..

How does the rest of it read?

 

[poadeleted20]

The AA5....tell me about it....2 people, one of which is a lot more than FAA standard, one that is right about FAA standard.

Weight-wise, no problem. Space-wise, well, go sit in one and see. Aince the cabin is identical to the later Cheetah and Tiger, sitting in one of those will do for a fit-check.

Does it go more than 110knots or 3 hours?

72-74 Travelers are good for 115 knots, and 75 Travelers (with the Tiger-style nose) are good for over 120. Fuel capacity is 37 gallons usable, and fuel burn is typically 8.5 gph in cruise at the speeds above.

Is it a runway hog like the AA1s?

Not as bad, but not a plane for short/obstructed/unpaved runways. I'd recommend limiting yourself to 3000 feet of hard surface at sea level (and appropriately longer runways at higher DA's) until you get comfortable with it.

Any gotchas I should know about?

Not really. Some model specifics:

• Pre-75 Travelers have the clunky-looking Yankee-like engine cowling. The '75 models have the Tiger style nose.
• Most 1975 Travelers were built with the "purple passion" glue and should be inspected carefully for delamination, and repaired per the instructions if they have any delamination.
• Pre-74 Travelers have no baggage door (baggage goes in over the back seat).
• 1974-75 Travelers have factory installed wingtip strobe light wiring even if they don’t have the strobes.

For more information, go to www.aya.org and www.grumman.net.

 

[Anthony]

Nothing really to add to what Ron said. The pre-75 Travellers have the "Chipmunk" cowling that Ron refers to as clunky. Some think they're cute but are draggier than the 75 Traveller nose and subsequent Tiger, Cheetah cowlings that follow. The 75 is the gem as its got the Roy Lopresti speed mods that the Tiger and Cheetah have but retains the smaller tail of the Traveller which has even less drag but not quite as much crosswind authority. No biggee either way. They are solid deals if you get a good one with performance similar to a 172 except for takeoff distance.

 

[Richard]

I'm still waiting for EdFred to chime in.

 

[EdFred]

With what?

You and I both know that Grumman is the answer to every "which airplane?" question. They are the fastest plane ever, and they even defy the laws of nature making their own fuel instead of burning it that you can dispense into other aircraft when you get to fields where those unfortunate souls that don't have Grummans show up.

 

[Anthony]

With what?

You and I both know that Grumman is the answer to every "which airplane?" question. They are the fastest plane ever, and they even defy the laws of nature making their own fuel instead of burning it that you can dispense into other aircraft when you get to fields where those unfortunate souls that don't have Grummans show up.

Finally, you get it.

In addition, they use solar collectors to drive a turbine that actually powers the plane without the use of on board fuel. The Lycoming is just for "show" and only gets turned on when other people are around like at T/O or landing. Yeah, I'm not really supposed to tell anybody this, but I just can't keep the secret any longer.