 | |
 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1964 |
| Fate | Merged with Grumman in 1972 |
| Successor | Grumman 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.
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]
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. [2]
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. [3]
The Grumman Corporation had taken an 80% share in American Aviation and in 1972 the company was renamed the Grumman American Aviation Corporation. [1]
| 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 |
The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and partners, it merged in 1994 with Northrop Corporation to form Northrop Grumman.
Bede Aircraft Corporation was founded by aeronautical engineer Jim Bede in Cleveland 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 BD-5J. The BD-5J has held the Guinness record as the World's Smallest Jet Aircraft for more than a quarter century. Versions of it saw use in various Budweiser commercials. The tiny jet also appeared in two James Bond movies; Octopussy starring Sir Roger Moore, and later in a cameo appearance, hanging from the wall of Q's workshop in Die Another Day starring Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007.
The Bede BD-5 Micro is a series of small, single-seat homebuilt aircraft created in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede and introduced to the market primarily in kit form by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early 1970s.
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The Grumman American AA-1 series is a family of light, two-seat aircraft. The family includes the original American Aviation AA-1 Yankee and AA-1A Trainer, the Grumman American AA-1B Trainer and TR-2, plus the Gulfstream American AA-1C Lynx and T-Cat.
The Bede 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 100 hp (75 kW) engine and a cruise speed of 130 knots (240 km/h). The prototype N624BD first flew in 1962.
The Grumman American AA-5 series is a family of American all-metal, four-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 Tiger, the American General AG-5B Tiger, and the Tiger Aircraft AG-5B Tiger.
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The Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar is an American all-metal, 4-seat, twin-engined light aircraft. The Cougar was a twin-engine development of the Gulfstream American AA-5B Tiger and traces its lineage to the AA-1 Yankee Clipper and the Bede BD-1.
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James R. Bede was an American aircraft designer. He designed well over a dozen aircraft starting in the 1960s, but a string of business failures kept most of these designs out of widespread use.
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LeRoy Patrick "Roy" LoPresti was an eclectic American aeronautical engineer. He worked on projects as diverse as the Apollo Moon Program and missile design, served as advisor to the US Congress, became as "Mr. Fast" in the general aviation field, and created an aircraft manufacturing, design and support company which is still in existence.
The GY-80 Horizon is a French four-seat touring monoplane of the 1960s designed by Yves Gardan and built under licence, first by Sud Aviation, and later by that company's SOCATA subsidiary.
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