Just make sure it's not this one landing at Gaston's

http://www.vimeo.com/13320705

I have 200 hrs in one and owned for 3 years. I say this they are a blast. Fun, very maneuverable and just plain good airplanes plus they have great user group support. The primary issue is no rivets, the skin is glued and if not treated with respect delimitation can occur this was prevalent in 1975 when the infamous purple glue was used. A 79 is just fine. If all is well, she will love it, the canopy is very cool.

Rick, I vote for the Tiger for your daughter. She will love it.

My immediately-next-door hangar neighbor has a Tiger and he really enjoys it. He owns a foreign car repair business and says the Tiger is "nothing" in maintenance compared to what comes into his shop from Europe. His annuals run about $600.

He loves his Tiger and has flown it for many years. The sliding canopy is great and should be a really neat feature for your daughter. They are "cool" in appearance and during taxi/run-up operations. Sometimes my neighbor goes up and flies his on local fun flights with the canopy open...wish I could do that.

While the Grummans are not Beech-tough they are fine little airplanes and a lot of fun to fly.

Rick,
My first plane was a a 76 tiger. Have a few hundred hours in one. Lost the engine in one... Twice . The o-360k engine does have a couple of issues. I still loved that plane. It teaches energy management that made the Bo an easy transition. Give me a ring if you you'd like to know a little more about them. I have some great resources to help you in your quest. I would get one over most other 180 hp planes out there.

Tony

I also had a 1979 Tiger as my first airplane and put 5-600 hours on it. It's a great airplane: fast for fixed gear, decent load carrier, and good range. Roy Lopresti was responsible for cleaning up the airplane, and he did a good job. The wheel pants aren't so tight you can't go onto grass. Make sure you get those wheel pants. The pants could probably be fabricated, but mounting gear can't be bought after-market!

I took mine to Belize and Guatemala. Flew four of us between San Diego and the Grand CAnyon with (minimal) overnight gear. The back seats fold down and provide a flat surface. I frequently carried two full-sized bikes and camping gear for two.

The canopy is good for cooling on the ground, but very noisy if opened in flight, and a pain in the rain for entry and egress. Panel space is limited. There's an STC for a different propellor that gets rid of a necessity to avoid certain RPMs

The only serious trouble I had was a leak in the line to the oil pressure gauge. Someone had used a piece of wire covered with paper to keep the static line tidy. The sort of ties used for closing plastic bags they give away in supermarkets. The paper eroded and the iron wire electrolytically eroded the aluminum oil pressure line. It was just a pin-hole, but it near-emptied the engine of oil in 5-10 minutes. My passenger noticed hnis feet were bathed in oil. I pulled the power and landed at a nearby airport. No further damage, but a horrible mess behind the panel.

I never felt good about flying at night or over jungle again. But that applies to any single engine. The Lycoming 0360 is the closest engine to bullet-proof there is. The American Yankee Association is a great resource: join or get your daughter to do so while looking.

Ashley

That guy came in way to hot, and forced it on the runway. It looks like the torque tube was ripped of the firewall with the nose tube and wheel!

My first airplane was an AA5 Traveler (150hp Tiger with early cowl).

It was rugged, reliable, cheap and fun. I got my IFR rating in that airplane.
300+ happy hours flying it around.
I needed to replace the start-relay, battery and brake pads.

My neighbor has a really nice Tiger he doesn't fly.
I keep telling him he needs to sell it. (250 since new engine / 430)
Glad to put you in touch if you like.

Tj

I have 400 hrs. In a Traveller before I bought my G33. it had a 160 Hp upgrade and a Sensenich prop w/ a Powerflow exhaust,it could keep up with any stock Tiger except it had 38 gal fuel cap instead of 54 gal. As far as being built tough compared to a Beech, a tiger went through a t-storm some time ago and landed w/ an additional 3or 5 degree bend in the dihedral. The factory examined it a said it must have well exceeded 6G's ( the spar on Tigers, Cheetahs, and Travellers are a heavy gauge 6" tube, think "big pipe").
Grumans have sports car like response and handling and if you train for instrument rating w one you will have no problems w/ approaches in a Bonanza.

I also bought a Tiger as my first airplane. Mine was a 1991 model, made by American General. I bought it when I had 75 hours in my logbook, earned my instrument rating in it, and flew it for 700+ hours, including trips from North Carolina to Colorado and Arizona as well as trips from North Carolina to Massachusetts and Florida. I concur with the recommendations previously made. The Tiger is a fun, sporty airplane and I think makes a great transition plane when moving up from the C172 or the like. It's got decent speed, good payload and great economy. It's also a blast to fly.