Gulfstream American Aa-5a Cheetah

Single Piston

The Gulfstream American AA-5A Cheetah is a light single-engine touring aircraft that emerged from the Grumman American lineage in the mid-1970s, representing a refined evolution of the original AA-5 Traveler. Built between 1976 and 1979 after Gulfstream American acquired the design from Grumman American, the Cheetah featured a 115-horsepower Lycoming O-235 engine and became known for its distinctive bonded aluminum honeycomb fuselage construction and sliding canopy—a design hallmark inherited from Grumman's aerospace heritage. The type offered a comfortable two-seat-plus-baggage configuration with docile handling characteristics and a cruise speed around 115 knots, making it a popular choice for flight training and personal cross-country flying. Its low-wing configuration and relatively wide cabin provided better visibility and comfort than many competing designs of the era. The Cheetah's operating envelope includes a never-exceed speed of 154 knots and a stall speed of 50 knots in landing configuration, with a maximum takeoff weight of 2,200 pounds allowing for respectable useful load in its class. Though production ended in 1979 when the company shifted focus to the more powerful AA-5B Tiger, the Cheetah remains a sought-after aircraft in the used market for its combination of efficiency, ease of maintenance, and pleasant flying qualities. SkyMeter has tracked 2 flights across 1 airframes and 1 operators, with the largest observed operator.