Hours flown on US-registered private aircraft increased from 26.1 million in 1996 to 26.5 million in 1997, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration. The agency is forecasting an average annual growth rate of 1.4% to 31.3 million hours in 2009.
The FAA uses the number of flying hours flown by private aircraft as a barometer of the health of the industry along with numbers of aircraft and active student pilots, and says all have shown a third straight year of increases. In the latter categories the number of active general aviation aircraft rose from 187,300 in 1996 to 189,300 in 1997, while the number of student pilots rose 1.2% to 96,101 over the same period.
The FAA forecasts the general aviation fleet will be around 212,960 in 2009, representing a 1% annual growth rate, while the number of active pilots is expected to surge at twice the rate to total 791,200 in 2009.
This represents a 2.1% annual growth rate and an increase of almost 175,000 over the 12-year forecast period.
The expansion is reflected in the 1997 aircraft shipments which were the highest since 1985. Total deliveries rose to 1,569 last year, compared to 1,130 in 1996 and 1,077 in 1995.
The largest jump was in piston-powered deliveries, mainly in part because of the rejuvenation of the Cessna line, with shipments totalling 985 last year, up by 64% from 1996.
Source: Flight International
