• Basic piston-engined singles have been the backbone of GA sales for many years. (Steve Hitchen)
    Basic piston-engined singles have been the backbone of GA sales for many years. (Steve Hitchen)
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Piston-engined singles have led a strong opening to 2019 according to the first quarter shipment figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) late last week.

Cessna's C172SP and PIper's Archer III recorded delivery numbers more than double the same period last year, whilst the Cirrus SR22/T, Diamond DA40 and Piper M350 also booked strong results.

Overall, the piston aeroplane market was up 24% over Q1 2018 with a total of 248 aeroplanes delivered compared to the  200 of last year. Manufacturers were also optimistic about the second half of this year.

"Our airplane segment remains strong,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “Statements by our member companies point to solid order intakes during the first quarter, laying down a positive marker for later in 2019.”

Cessna moved 28 Skyhawk SPs in Q1 2019, compared with 13 for the same period in 2018, and Piper dispatched 35 Archers against the 16 they sent out last year. Diamond Aircraft reported deliveries of 17 DA40s, which is not only 55% up on last year, but also the best quarterly result for the model since Q3 2017.

Likewise, Tecnam shipped eight P2010 singles, which is the best quarterly result since Q1 2017.

Cirrus' SR22 continued to dominate the large piston singles category with a 73% increase in shipments, but demand for the smaller SR20 was soft, with a 55% decrease in deliveries since last year.

The piston twin market showed an all-over contraction in deliveries, with only Piper's Seminole and Diamond's larger DA62 showing any increase over last year. Tecnam's P2006T still leads the category with even figures.

Special mention has to go to the GippsAero Airvan 8, which out-shipped Cessna's iconic C206 for the first time since the first quarter of 2014. The four Airvans delivered also marks the best result for the model since Q1 2017.

Q1 2019 also marks the first time Cirrus' SF50 Vision jet has topped the single-pilot jet market outright. The 14 aircraft dispatched to customers shaded the eight airframes each of the Cessna M2 and the Embraer Phenom 100/300 and the seven Honda HA420s.

Major Shipment Figures

Aircraft Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Change
Piper Warrior III 0 0 -
Cessna C172SP 28 13 115%
Piper Archer III 35 16 119%
Diamond DA40 17 11 55%
Cirrus SR20 9 20 -55%
Tecnam P2010 8 6 33%
       
Cessna C182T 5 1 400%
Beech G36 Bonanza 1 1 0%
Cirrus SR22/T 57 33 73%
Cessna TTx 0 1 -100%
Piper M350/Matrix 7 2 250%
Mooney Ovation/Acclaim 2 4 -50%
       
Beech G58 Baron 0 1 -100%
Piper Seminole 9 5 80%
Piper Seneca V 0 0 -
Diamond DA42 5 17 -71%
Tecnam P2006T 11 12 -8%
Diamond DA62 9 3 200%
       
Cessna Caravan Series 21 12 75%
Quest Kodiak 100 7 7 0%
Pilatus PC12 12 12 0%
Daher TBM 900/910/930 8 8 0%
PAC 750XL 2 2 0%
Piper Meridian/M500/M600 7 10 -30%
       
Cessna Mustang & M2 8 6 33%
Eclipse 550 0 0 -
Embraer Phenom 100 & 300 8 8 0%
Honda HA420 7 12 -42%
SF50 Vision 14 10 40%
Pilatus PC24 5 2 150%
       
Cessna T206H 2 6 -67%
GippsAero Airvan 8 4 1 300%

 

 

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