American Aviation
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It was established by Jim Bede
Jim Bede
James R. "Jim" Bede is an aircraft designer, who is often credited with the creation of the modern kitplane market. He has designed well over a dozen aircraft since the 1960s, but a string of business failures have kept most of these designs out of widespread use. -Bede Aviation:Bede was raised in...
under the name of Bede Aircraft
Bede Aircraft
Bede Aircraft Corporation was founded by controversial aeronautical engineer Jim Bede in 1961 to produce the BD-1 kit aircraft, which eventually became the American Aviation Corporation's AA-1. The company also created and produced a number of advanced kit planes including the famous Bede BD-5 and...
in the mid-1960s to manufacture and market the Bede BD-1
Bede BD-1
The BD-1 was a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane, the first design of American aeronautical engineer Jim Bede. The BD-1 was designed in 1960 as a kit-built aircraft intended for home assembly by amateur builders. Design goals included a kit price of $US 2500, including a rebuilt...
two seat light aircraft.
During the development of the BD-1 there was conflict between Bede and the other shareholders and Bede was removed from the company. Russ Meyer became the new company president at age 34. The company was re-named American Aviation and the BD-1 was re-designed to become the AA-1 Yankee
Grumman American AA-1
The Grumman American AA-1 series is a family of light, 2-seat aircraft. The family includes the original American Aviation AA-1 Yankee Clipper and AA-1A Trainer, the Grumman American AA-1B Trainer and TR-2 and the Gulfstream American AA-1C Lynx and T-Cat.-Development history:The Yankee was...
.
In 1972
1972 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1972:- Events :* Early in the year, the United States introduces the Walleye II optically guided glide bomb into service, employing it in the Vietnam War. It becomes known as the "Fat Albert."-January:...
the company was acquired by Grumman to become its light aircraft division and was renamed Grumman-American. Meyer later went on to become president of Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
Aircraft.
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Aviation AA-1 Yankee Clipper & AA-1A Trainer Grumman American AA-1 The Grumman American AA-1 series is a family of light, 2-seat aircraft. The family includes the original American Aviation AA-1 Yankee Clipper and AA-1A Trainer, the Grumman American AA-1B Trainer and TR-2 and the Gulfstream American AA-1C Lynx and T-Cat.-Development history:The Yankee was... |
11 July 1963 | 1,820 | two-seat general aviation General aviation General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights... aircraft |
| American Aviation AA-2 Patriot American Aviation AA-2 Patriot -See also:-External links:* *... |
1970 | 2 | four-seat general aviation General aviation General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights... aircraft |
| American Aviation AA-5 Traveler Grumman American AA-5 The US Grumman American AA-5 series is a family of all-metal, 4-seat, light aircraft used for touring and training. The line includes the original American Aviation AA-5 Traveler, the Grumman American AA-5 Traveler, AA-5A Cheetah, and AA-5B Tiger, the Gulfstream American AA-5A Cheetah, and AA-5B... |
1971 | 3,282 | four-seat general aviation General aviation General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights... aircraft |