In its second-quarter general aviation aircraft shipment report, released this week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, GAMA said shipments increased 4.8 percent to 1,110 units, and billings rose 4.5 percent, to $10.9 billion, compared to the same period last year. “Deliveries of turboprops this quarter were flat, but the encouraging numbers in the piston airplane and business jet segments drive the industry’s optimism about global general aviation growth,” GAMA President Pete Bunce said at Oshkosh. Turboprop sales, which have generally been strong in recent years, fell 1.4 percent over the last six months compared to the same period last year, from 276 shipments to 272. Piston sales rose 4 percent, and business jets led with a 12.4 percent increase.
“There is still a great deal of work that remains to make this recovery sustainable over the long term,” Bunce said. “This includes streamlining certification processes around the globe for both new production and equipage of safety-enhancing technology in the existing fleet. In the United States, we need the leaders of the Department of Transportation to put high priority on their rulemaking processes to meet the December 2015 congressionally mandated deadline for full implementation of the Small Airplane Revitalization Act.” Bunce also announced that GAMA will partner with Build A Plane for a third year to hold the Aviation Design Challenge in 2015. The nationwide competition to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills through aviation in U.S. high schools attracted 79 entries last year, nearly triple the number in 2013.
