One classic airframe, a fully modern panel — and more on the way as the club grows.
Club Aircraft
The Grumman Cheetah is a fun, honest, low-wing single known for crisp handling, great visibility from its sliding canopy, and an efficient airframe that makes it a favorite for both proficiency flying and cross-country trips.
Our airplane has been outfitted with all-new Garmin avionics across the board, headlined by a G3X glass flight display — giving members a genuinely modern panel in a classic airframe.
Specs
The aircraft is scheduled through a members-only online booking system, so it's easy to see availability and reserve your block of time in advance. Members are expected to help keep the aircraft clean, fueled, and squawk-free for the next person on the schedule.
As membership grows, our plan is to add a second (and eventually third) aircraft to the fleet — keeping the schedule open and dues reasonable rather than letting one airplane get overbooked.
With a 784 lb useful load and 51 gallons of fuel on board, the Cheetah comfortably carries two adults, bags, and full tanks — with room to spare for a third passenger on shorter legs. The 160 HP Lycoming gives it a lively climb, and the Cheetah's bonded, rivet-free wing skin means less parasitic drag than riveted competitors — so it cruises faster than many other 160 HP airplanes in its class on the same horsepower. With roughly 6 hours of fuel on board, it's the best of both worlds: a fast cruiser that can also go the distance.
A Bit of History
The Cheetah's family tree traces back to one of the most storied names in American aviation.
Grumman got its start in 1929 on Long Island, New York, and spent the next four decades earning the nickname "The Iron Works" for building some of the toughest fighters the U.S. Navy ever flew — the F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat of World War II, the F8F Bearcat, and later the F-14 Tomcat. Grumman airplanes had a reputation: they could take a beating and still bring their pilots home. The same company built the Apollo Lunar Module that carried astronauts to the surface of the Moon.
In the early 1970s, Grumman's aerospace engineers turned their attention to the light-aircraft market, forming Grumman American Aviation. They took over the small AA-1 Yankee and, drawing on techniques from their military and aerospace work, developed the AA-5 family — the Traveler, the Cheetah, and the Tiger.
Instead of the riveted aluminum construction used by nearly every other light aircraft manufacturer, Grumman built the AA-5 series using bonded aluminum honeycomb panels — the same aerospace-grade approach used on their fighter jets. The result is a stiff, smooth-skinned airframe with fewer rivets to maintain and a distinctive look on the ramp.
The sliding bubble canopy is a nod to that fighter-plane heritage too — it's part of what gives the Cheetah its excellent visibility and its unmistakable silhouette. Grumman's light-aircraft line eventually passed to Gulfstream American and then American General, but pilots still just call them "Grummans" — a small, devoted piece of the same legacy that built Hellcats and landed on the Moon.
Gallery
A few shots of the club aircraft from the panel, the ramp, and the air.
Maintenance
Club dues and the hourly wet rate directly fund scheduled maintenance, annual inspections, and avionics upkeep — so the airplane you fly is always airworthy, clean, and ready to go.
Oil changes, inspections, and squawks are tracked and addressed promptly by our maintenance coordinator and trusted A&P/IA.
A freshly installed Garmin G3X-based panel means reliable navigation, situational awareness, and dispatch reliability.
The Cheetah is our founding aircraft. Future additions to the fleet will be driven by member needs as the club expands.
Membership is limited while we build our founding group. Apply today to reserve your spot in the club.
Apply for Membership