Aircraft shipment figures for the third quarter of 2016 do not show the general aviation recovery that the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) was looking for.
The GAMA shipment report issued last week shows that aircraft deliveries for year-to-date 2016 were down 3.5% compared with the same period last year. Notably, the total value of all aircraft shipped is down 16.5%, representing a drop in sales value of $US3.2 billion to the industry.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat the fact that these numbers are not what we had wanted to see,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “Unfortunately, they reflect the instability of the used aircraft market coupled with complicating global economic and geopolitical factors.
"What is encouraging is that every GAMA airplane and rotorcraft manufacturer has a new product development program recently completed or currently underway, so optimism for the future runs high.
“Now that the US elections are behind us, we look forward to working with the incoming administration and the new Congress, as well as their counterparts across the globe, to highlight the importance of a vibrant general and business aviation industry with manufacturing, maintenance, and overhaul jobs at its core."
The decline has been felt most strongly in the helicopter sector, which has been a manufacturing star over the past few years. Piston helicopter deliveries fell 17.6% and turbine helicopters dropped 15.3% against the same year-to-date figures for 2015.
In the piston aeroplane sector, the Cirrus SR22/T continues to dominate the sales books with 97 aircraft delivered. Cessna's re-introduced C182T is making ground with an improved sales performance and the C172SP is still the clear winner in the trainer class. The Piper Archer III logged one of it's best results over the past five years with 22 deliveries; it was the only outstanding performer for Piper in a clearly soft quarter at Vero Beach, where no Senecas or Seminoles rolled out the doors.
Major Shipments
| Aircraft | Q3 2016 | Q3 2015 | Change |
| Piper Warrior III | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cessna C172SP | 33 | 29 | 14% |
| Piper Archer III | 22 | 0 | - |
| Diamond DA40 | 5 | 19 | -73% |
| Cirrus SR20 | 9 | 8 | 12% |
| Tecnam P2010 | 5 | 4 | 25% |
| Cessna C182T | 14 | 8 | 75% |
| Beech G36 Bonanza | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Cirrus SR22/T | 97 | 79 | 22% |
| Cessna TTx | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Piper M350/Matrix | 4 | 11 | -63% |
| Mooney Ovation/Acclaim | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Beech G58 Baron | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Piper Seminole | 0 | 7 | -100% |
| Piper Seneca V | 0 | 1 | -100% |
| Diamond DA42 | 9 | 20 | -55% |
| Tecnam P2006T | 8 | 5 | 60% |
| Diamond DA62 | 8 | - | - |
| Cessna Caravan Series | 26 | 19 | 36% |
| Quest Kodiak 100 | 7 | 8 | -12% |
| Pilatus PC12 | 20 | 19 | 5% |
| Socata TBM 900/930 | 14 | 11 | 27% |
| PAC 750XL | 4 | 3 | 33% |
| Piper Meridian/M500/M600 | 10 | 7 | 42% |
| Cessna Mustang & M2 | 13 | 9 | 44% |
| Eclipse 550 | 1 | 2 | -50% |
| Embraer Phenom 100 & 300 | 13 | 21 | -38% |
| Honda HA420 | 6 | - | - |
| Cessna T206H | 11 | 13 | -15% |
| GippsAero Airvan 8 | 1 | 4 | -75% |