GAMA: Neither the best nor the worst of times
If anyone went to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s annual review and outlook hoping to see light at the end of the economic tunnel, they ha

If anyone went to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s annual review and outlook hoping to see light at the end of the economic tunnel, they had to be disappointed. “This may not be the deepest trough in modern times,” said GAMA chairman Bill Boisture, “but it is certainly one of the longest.”

Total industry billings–which now include non-U.S.-built GA aircraft–fell 14.4 percent last year, from an all-time high of $13.9 billion to $11.9 billion. Shipments of GA airplanes dropped from 2,994 in 2001 to 2,539 last year.