Revised 25 June 2006
1969 AA-1 Super Yankee

One of the Fastest† 160 HP Certified Planes in the USA
~3277 TT, 1481 SMOH, only ~264 STOH with 4 new Lycoming cylinders.
Outstanding mechanical condition with complete and detailed maintenance records.
Day/Night/IFR Equipped, 12/05 Little Flyers annual.
150 KTAS LOP Cruise (10500', 2700 RPM, 8 GPH), >160 KTAS Top Speed

On The Ramp, 09/04.

† Class Winner 2003 LoPresti Memorial Air Race, 162.1 knots!
Class Winner 2005 Kanab Air R.A.C.E., 161.7 knots (at 8000′ density altitude!).
Class Winner 2005 Big Country Airfest Air Race
Five-time class winner of the Copperstate Dash Air Race
Class winner of the 2002 Golden West Air Race

Roy was right! Life is Short... Fly FAST!

Basic Specs

Avionics

  • ICS Plus Nav/Com with GS and intercom (Installed new 03/05).
  • Backup electric AI. (Installed 08/05.)
  • Narco AT 150 Transponder w/AK350 encoder, IFR certified 01/05.
  • DMA digital fuel flow monitor with totalizer.
  • EI SR-8A 4 cylinder digital EGT/CHT.
  • Questair digital OAT guage.
  • Davtron M811B digital clock.
  • Custom panel mount with power for iPaq-based GPS.
  • Custom antenna connector/switch for back-up handheld in glove box.

Exterior Pictures
Click any picture for a larger image.
Just about on. One piece cowling.
5 gal aux in each wing. Red rudder cap w/strobe.
Intersection speed fairings.
Paint is still very good. Fiberglass elevator tips.
Fly-by for show. Wide Gear!

Exterior Mods

  • Split nose bowl. (Cold weather inlet restrictors are included.)
  • TCB Composites graphite spinner.
  • AA-5 air box and AA-5 oil cooler.
  • Sky-Tec light weight starter.
  • Latchless 1-piece upper cowling.
  • Lower cowling modified with Crosby STC for better cooling.
  • Dual-crossover straight-pipe exhaust system. Fighter-like sound!
  • AA-1C style NACA scoops and cabin air vents.
  • Radio cooling intake installed.
  • Shoulder harnesses installed.
  • Custom intersection speed fairings on vertical and horizontal stabilizers and leading edge of wing root.
  • DMA wheel pants, gear leg and tail spring fairings.
  • Custom lightweight fiberglass tail fairing and elevator tips. (No ABS!)
  • Custom fiberglass brake cover fairings. (No ABS!)
  • Removeable custom intake restrictor.
  • Whelen strobes in wing tips and under Lexan Red Rudder cap, with separate controls.

Interior Pictures
Click any picture for a larger image.

Interior Mods

  • AA-1C instument panel with updated switch and fuse layout.
  • Aux fuel solenoid valves & controls allow exact control of fuel burn.
  • NuLites® added to all primary flight instruments. Great night flying!
  • Overhead LED spot light.
  • Alcor vernier mixture control.
  • Zeftronics voltage regulator with warning light on panel.
  • Yoke grips with push to talk on both pilot and passenger side.

All modifications have been done with either an STC or field approval via Form 337.
The aircraft remains certified in the normal category.

Recent Maintenance History

  • New main tires (Condor 15-6.00x6 6-ply) 06/06.
  • Propeller dynamically balanced, 06/06.
  • New 8" Maule tailwheel tire, 04/06.
  • Installed Casper Labs 90° oil filter adapter. 12/05.
  • Replaced battery and starter contactors. 12/05.
  • Replaced vacuum pump with new Rapco 215CC unit. 12/05
  • Little Flyers annual. 12/05.
  • New canopy cover, 08/05.
  • Replaced turn coordinator with O/H Falcon electric AI. 08/05.
  • Replaced alternator with fresh O/H Kelly ALY8520 unit. 08/05.
  • Replaced 4-row AA-1C oil cooler with higher-capacity 6-row unit. 07/05.
  • Removed all older radios and installed new ICS Plus, 03/05.
  • Transponder/encoder IFR cert, 01/05.
  • Installed/swung new whiskey compass, 12/04.
  • New 25RG battery installed. 12/04.
  • New ELT battery installed. 12/04.
  • Little Flyers annual. 12/04.
  • Main wheel pants, strut covers and spats repainted. 9/04.
  • Complete top overhaul with 4 NEW Lycoming cylinders.
    New ignition harness and J-6113-5 engine mounts installed. 7/04.
  • Little Flyers annual. 12/03.
  • All wing control surface bushings replaced. 12/03.
  • Right wing tip, elevator tips, tail cone and tail spring fairing repainted, 8/03.
  • DMA tailwheel design upgrades installed, 7/03.
  • Aircraft completely treated with ACF-50 corrosion control. 12/02.
  • Fletcher Aviation annual. 12/02.
  • Right wing replaced & repainted at FletchAir, due to previous installation error. 11/02.
  • Elevator trim bungee replaced with new PMA'ed part. 11/02.
  • Eyebrow reinforced internally with .020 aluminum sheet. 9/02.
  • Replaced all oil system ¼″ hoses with new 3/8″ lines.
    Air inlet on baffling opened from 2" to 2½″. 6/02.
  • Art Mattson tip mod STC applied to propeller and repitched. 2/02.
  • Airspeed indicator overhauled and calibrated, 11/01.
  • OHC carburetor installed 7/01.
  • New Sensenich propeller installed 7/01.
  • Zeftronics voltage regulator replaced, 05/01.
  • Sky-Tec starter factory overhauled 10/99.

GPS-Derived Guaranteed Performance

With 74(-¾)DM6-66(+) Propeller, Mattson Tip Mod,
(All antennas in place, air filter in place, no waxing, no taping.)
Density Altitude Engine RPM Knots True
7100
2350
131
7100
2500
141
9500
2500
139
9500
2650
149
2500
2800
160

More Information

This highly-modified AA-1 offers nearly RV-6 cruise performance, in a utlity-category, certified airframe, at a much lower price. She has been all over the continental U.S., from Key West to Yellowstone, and offers reliable, high speed, low cost transportation. Highlight is a recent complete top overhaul with 4 new Lycoming cylinders, new baffle seals, new ignition harness and new engine mounts. During the top, the cam was carefully checked and found to be in excellent condition.

The AA-1 was originally a Jim Bede design - the BD-1. It uses a fully bonded aluminum construction, with a honeycomb fuselage and large tubular wing spars that also serve as the main fuel tanks. The wings use a laminar-flow airfoil for maximum efficiency, but stalls are sharp and the aircraft is placarded against intentional spins. Full flap, power-off stall speed is about 65 mph (57 kts). Patterns are done at 100 mph on downwind, 95 base and 90 mph on final. Wheel landings go on at 75-80 mph. I use 3000' of runway as my no-wind minimum for wheels, 2500' for 3-points.

Handling characteristics are crisp and enjoyable in the air, and the plane is well-suited to formation flying (non-aerobatic) with planes like the AA-5B Tiger, EZE's and RV's. The stiff, wide, forward-swept conventional gear is definitely a design compromise, however. With the small rudder and elevator, crosswind takeoffs and landings require a careful touch. (OK, I'll say it straight out - This plane is not easy to land.) Therefore, the plane is recommended only for an experienced taildragger pilot, preferably under 6' tall and under 200 pounds. Dual instruction can be arranged here in Arizona, in the Houston area or in the Tampa area. Depending on your experience level, you should expect to take between 2 and 8 hours to transition comfortably.

With all the modifications, the plane no longer flies similar to the POH specs. The engine really likes to run with the throttle wide open to get the best mixture distribution, so optimum long range cruise altitudes are up high, 8500' and above. Up there, you can leave the throttle all the way in and control RPM with the mixture. The engine can comfortably run 50-100 rpm lean of peak, and you can get the fuel flow down to 7.2-7.5 GPH doing >140 KTAS. At lower altitudes, I usually cruise at 2400-2500 rpm.

Best initial climb speed is about 110 knots and gives about 1300 fpm, solo with full mains only, and about 1000 fpm at max gross. The current propeller is pitched for high cruise. A reduction of 1 - 1½″ of pitch would make the plane a rocket off the ground, at the cost of a couple of knots off the top end. Howver, even with this cruise prop, you can turn 2700 RPM to well past 11000′ density alitude. I have never had the plane past 14500′, but there was still climb available there!

The complete logs are available for both airframe and engine from the day it left the factory. There is some damage history (notably an argument with a tall runway light), which has all been carefully repaired at Fletcher Aviation (the Grumman American experts) and fully documented. Prospective buyers are welcome to contact Little Flyers at (800)262-9644 to discuss the plane with the IA (Roger Stern) who has done most of the maintenance for the past 2 years.

The tail number was changed in January 2004 from N48DE to N481HY. (So you can say "One Hot Yankee" on the radio!) The change was done with striping tape, under the assumption that the smaller 3″ numbers would be used at the next repaint, someday.

N481HY is currently tied down and can be viewed at Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, AZ. (Covered Parking #42.) For more information contact Andy Elliott (480)985-2239. E -Mail aelliott@alum.mit.edu The asking price is $36,500.