Flight Design has been the leader in sales of light sport aircraft since the category launched in 2004, but data recently compiled for sales through 2016 shows that CubCrafters has taken over the lead spot, with a total of 382 aircraft delivered, compared to Flight Design’s total of 378. Third place goes to the Cessna Skycatcher, which is no longer in production, with 269 in the fleet. For sales in the year 2016, Czech Sport Aircraft took the lead spot, with 30 airplanes delivered.
For total sales since 2004, Czech Sport Aircraft and American Legend fill in the top five spots, with total sales of 261 and 211. For deliveries in 2016, the top slots after Czech Sport Aircraft were filled by CubCrafters (17 aircraft), Pipistrel (14), Icon (13) and Tecnam (11). Total sales for the year in the category were 184. The numbers are compiled by Jan Fridrich, director of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association in Europe, and reported at bydanjohnson.com. The data includes all Special LSA airplanes in the U.S. fleet, as reported by the FAA’s registration database. Cessna scrapped about 80 of its unsold Skycatchers, some of those might have been registered to Cessna in the FAA database.
