Flying The Tiger

(click to enlarge photo)

I flew the Grumman AA5B Tiger today for the first time. (I bought a 20% share in the aircraft as a half-step towards aircraft ownership). I flew today from the right seat and did two takeoffs and one approach. I'll try a landing after one more lesson like today's. The aircraft's shorter fuselage makes it feel a bit more lefty-righty than a Cessna with it's longer tail. The low wing amplifies the ground effect and the sucker will float 1/2 way down a 4000 foot runway before touching down. Moral of story....watch your airspeed over the numbers! I still have a few things to learn before I can land this airplane in the same distance as a Cessna 152/172. ....but the learning is FUN.

(click to enlarge photo)

Equipped with XM Satellite weather data which includes METARS and TAF's, an STEC-30 auto-pilot, and altitude hold ensures a fun ride on XC flights.

More photos here.

A quick update to this posting:
I landed the Grumman 5 times yesterday! Audio of my first landing is here.


-CT