There have been other successes as well (I'm too lazy to google it at
the moment)

Grumman Yankee

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NOT EXACTLY, since....
There never was a BEDE Yankee.

It's a long way from a sketch on a paper napkin
to a "GRUMMAN" certified aircraft.

http://www.grumman.net/aya/index.html
"Virtually all of the Gang are members of the American Yankee
Association, an international organization representing about 2000
"Grumman" owners in 17 countries around the world. You will note that
"Grumman" is in quotes. This is because most of the fleet was
manufactured by companies other than Grumman. In order, the
manufacturers we American Aviation, Grumman American, Gulfstream
American and American General and, starting in 1998, TLM Aerospace."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_American_AA-1
Development history
The Yankee was originally designed in 1962 by Jim Bede as the BD-1 and
was intended to be sold as a kit-built aircraft. Bede decided to
certify the design under the then-new FAR Part 23 rules and offer it
as a completed aircraft. No BD-1 kits were ever sold.

The prototype first flew on July 11, 1963 and featured folding wings
for trailering and ease of storage. Bede formed a company, Bede
Aviation Corporation, based in Cleveland Ohio, to produce the
aircraft, but the BD-1 never entered production as a certified
aircraft. At that time the FAA was hesitant to certify a light
aircraft with folding wings. The certification process was complex and
expensive and disagreements arose between Bede and the other
shareholders. As a result Bede was ousted by his business partners and
the company renamed American Aviation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bede
Development dragged on and eventually burned through a tremendous
amount of money without delivering a final design. The investors
finally gave up and forced Bede to leave the company in 1966. They
re-formed in 1968 as American Aviation in order to produce the design
in complete form as the AA-1 Yankee. A number of changes were later
introduced into the design to make it more stable, notably a larger
horizontal tail, and then a more forgiving airfoil on the main wing.
The AA-1 and follow-on designs became fairly popular, notably the
four-seat AA-5 Traveller. The company was later purchased by Grumman,
becoming Grumman American.


- Barnyard BOb -