A Century in Review: The 1970s
The decades that preceded the 1970s were propelled by a lust for technological progress measured in speed, altitude and range.

The decades that preceded the 1970s were propelled by a lust for technological progress measured in speed, altitude and range. The 1970s marked a sea change for aviation, brought on largely by the rude realization that cheap and freely available
fuel could no longer be taken for granted. The commercial mission, which continues to this day, then became that of transporting ever more people on the least amount
of fuel.

The 1970s were general aviation’s halcyon decade, with deliveries of new airplanes peaking at nearly 18,000 in 1978. As the decade closed, a slide was beginning the plummet that would almost kill off small-airplane production by the late 1980s.
The alphabet groups in Washington found their feet, and the stands they took in defense of aviation established them on the path to their current stature.