Warbird Information Exchange

I've been going through my old boxes of magazines and found my two copies of the Sept. 1977 issue of FLYING, the 50th Anniversary issue. and on page 25 is an ad for the Grumman American line. the lead picture (actually an artists concept) in the ad is for the twin engined COUGAR. I don't recall ever seeing a real one, were any ever built beyond a prototype or two, and do any survive?

I know a couple of WING DERRINGERS still survive.

Several were built, a flight school in San Antonio was using one just a few years ago. Ryan, you know any more???

At that time, the Grumman line was owned by Gulfstream American. The Cougar was known as the GA-7. The FAA database lists 53 of them. Unknown how many of those still actually exist. The Wiki page indicates 115 were built.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulfstream ... A-7_Cougar

The aircraft looks a lot like a Beech Baron.

Now I know what scared the PIPER SENECA 1!!!

Obergrafeter wrote:Several were built, a flight school in San Antonio was using one just a few years ago. Ryan, you know any more???

I think that has flown in and out of Uvalde a couple times. It catches my attention from the sound.

Fletcher Aviation at Houston-Hobby had a couple of them. I rented one a few times probably 15 years ago. Flew like a Seminole or Duchess (as expexcted). Not sure what happened to them after Flectcher moved to the Hill Country a few years back...maybe those were the ones in San Antonio.

The Inspector wrote:I've been going through my old boxes of magazines and found my two copies of the Sept. 1977 issue of FLYING, the 50th Anniversary issue. and on page 25 is an ad for the Grumman American line. the lead picture (actually an artists concept) in the ad is for the twin engined COUGAR. I don't recall ever seeing a real one, were any ever built beyond a prototype or two, and do any survive?

I know a couple of WING DERRINGERS still survive.

Actually got my multi engine rating in one and flew it some after that. Would have been a pretty nice airplane with more than 150 a side. Gulfstream had plans to upgrade the design but the general aviation bust in the late 70's early 80's ended that. As it was, it was a nice flyer.

Sort of like a sleeker stock PIPER 'APACHE'? where progress is classified as 'majectic', and losing an engine will assure a steep descent?

There's one flying with the flight school at Ellington. Since they haven't fixed the Seneca that had a prop strike on take off, the Cougar does all of their multi engine training.

Why? did someone sell the DUTCHESS?
Thanx to all who've answered my sort of off the cuff question I'd assumed since GA had gone the way of the STUDEBAKER that few to none made it out into the sunshine, and find that some are still earning a living three and a half decades later is sort of a miracle!

The first and only time I saw one, was during my visit to Morón airfield in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I pictured and also did a video of it, registered LV-AMH while was performing touch and go's as it belongs to a flight school.

I only one once - at the old Pan Air West hangar not long after you left town.