Only Segment To See Gains In Shipments

As promised, ANN is giving you the breakdown of GAMA'S 2003 shipment statistics released Wednesday. Piston-engine airplanes rose 6.3 percent in 2003 and were the only category of aircraft to see gains in shipments by U.S. manufacturers last year.

These increased shipment numbers in the face of declining billings was the strength of the piston-engine market. Through the first three quarters of 2003, GAMA reported that piston shipments were only slightly ahead of 2002 totals.

But with a very strong fourth quarter, piston shipments finished the year up a whopping 9.5 percent to a total of 1,896 airplanes. Shipments of U.S. manufactured piston airplanes increased 6.3 percent to 1,590 units.

GAMA, and many in the industry for that matter, claim this stability in piston aircraft is somewhat attributed to a rise in pilot training. According to statistics provided by the FAA, the student pilot population actually grew 1.5 percent in 2003, which is pretty impressive considering that in 2003 the industry faced, among other things, a weak economy and war. As reported last week, the BE A PILOT campaign has been a success over the last twelve months and is continuing to connect prospective pilots with flight training institutions.

As ANN reported Thursday, AIR, Inc. reported that 68 percent of the pilots hired by commercial airlines last year came from general aviation, showing a noticeable decline in recruitment from the armed forces.

While, piston aircraft was the first segment of general aviation to feel the downturn in 2001, GAMA believes the impressive strength of the piston segment in 2003 is an early indicator of a broader turnaround in all segments of general aviation. Looking back on 2003, it was clearly a challenging year for manufacturers. Nevertheless, there were some real bright spots, like the substantial increase in piston shipments, which, as GAMA put it "will prove to be the building blocks of a better 2004."

FMI: www.gama.aero