Van's, RANS, Lance, and a Lot of Others...
While the general aviation industry has had its ups and downs
over the past 25 years, the homebuilt aircraft segment has shown
steady growth and now comprises more than 15 percent of the
single-engine piston-powered general aviation fleet.
The Experimental
Aircraft Association, which has provided support and activities for
aircraft builders for more than 50 years, sees this trend
continuing as the total number of homebuilts registered has
surpassed 25,000 in the United States alone.
"While EAA has always been open to anyone with an interest in
any facet of aviation, its core constituency has been those who
build their own aircraft," said Tom Poberezny, EAA President. "A
vast majority of those 25,000 homebuilt aircraft builders and
owners are members of EAA, because there they find the information,
support and activities they need. We look forward to serving them
even more extensively in the future, along with the increasing
number of people who discover that a homebuilt aircraft is a safe
and fun to enjoy the world of personal flight."
Since the late 1980s, about 1,000 additional homebuilt aircraft
have received their airworthiness certificates and been added to
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) register each year. In
many of those years, the number of new homebuilt aircraft
registered annually surpassed the number of factory-built airplanes
produced. Even as factory-built aircraft enjoyed a resurgence in
the late 1990s and early in this decade, the number of homebuilt
aircraft continued to grow.
The EAA attributes that growth to a number of factors,
including:
- Impressive and positive safety and operating histories of
homebuilt aircraft;
- The growing number of aircraft kits that allow builders to
create a personal aircraft with enhanced quality and
standardization;
- EAA programs that assist builders with solid, usable
evaluations of an aircraft project and its owner's flying
skills;
- Improved information capabilities, including through
organizations such as EAA as well as informal groups such as those
found on the Web; and
- Exciting new designs and performance standards that fit an
individual's flying preferences.
"What homebuilt aircraft offer are a myriad of choices to the
pilot," said Bob Warner, EAA Executive Vice President. "No matter
what type of flying a person enjoys, there is a homebuilt aircraft
that can help him or her realize their dream. In addition,
the true education and recreation aspects of aircraft building
remain, just as they did when modern homebuilding began more than
50 years ago."
Warner added that he foresees continued growth in the homebuilt
fleet as new models are introduced, including many that will be
eligible within the upcoming sport pilot/light-sport aircraft
standards expected to be published early in 2004.
EAA offers a large number of services for aircraft builders,
such as one-to-one Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor programs;
Aviation Information Services that provides background information
on almost any model of homebuilt aircraft; SportAir Workshops at
many locations throughout North America that teach the key concepts
of aircraft construction and restoration; local grassroots support
through EAA's extensive Chapter network; and many more. A new
program to benefit aircraft builders will debut soon, as EAA has
worked with FAA to develop standards for Designated Airworthiness
Representatives, considerably shortening the time period needed to
receive approval to fly a completed aircraft.