The easing of general-aviation product-liability legislation in 1994 has left the US light-aircraft industry "...at the threshold of a new era and stands poised for recovery", according to David Burner, chairman of the US General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Burner, president of BFGoodrich Aerospace, notes that piston-powered production lines are re-opening, backlogs and employment are up and new products are being introduced.
Ed Stimpson, GAMA's president, also struck an optimistic note for the industry, reporting 1994 as the best year for deliveries of business jets since 1982. He says that backlogs for turbine-aircraft orders are higher now than they have been since the early 1980s.
Industry billings in 1994 totaled $2.4 billion, up 10% from 1993. The industry shipped 928 aircraft in 1994, down by nearly 4% from the 964 aircraft delivered the previous year, reflecting the downward trend of piston-aircraft shipments, which is poised for reversal.
Exports were also weak - shipments accounting for only 29% of both units and billings, compared with 36% of the units and 40% of billings in 1993.
In 1994, Raytheon marked its best turbine-aircraft sales performance in a decade, and Gulfstream scored the best year in the history of the company in terms of sales. Mooney had more orders than it could handle in 1994 and it has raised 1995 production by 40%. Learjet reports substantial increases in its backlog for 1995 and sales of new aircraft models have risen by more than one-third.
Source: Flight International
