Demand for piston trainers driven by the world’s unquenchable thirst for new pilots drove deliveries to numbers not seen in a decade, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association announced February 19. Business jet sales also soared to a 10-year high.

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce has seen a few rough years since 2008, and appeared visibly enthusiastic about the 2019 market data presented during an hourlong State of the Industry event in Washington, D.C. The 16.4-percent increase in piston airplane deliveries and 15.1-percent increase in business jet deliveries each provided happy news to build on a message of the day that also included a new study on general aviation’s positive effect on the overall economy and jobs.

It also gave Bunce and GAMA Chairman David Paddock (the president of Jet Aviation), who tag-teamed delivering the briefing and leading subsequent discussions, some positive talking points to offset an 11.3-percent decline in turboprop sales (driven largely by reduced demand for aircraft used in agriculture and firefighting), and a much sharper decline in helicopter sales. Piston helicopter deliveries were down more than a third, and turbine helicopters posted an 8.3-percent decline from 2018 to 2019. Read More