General aviation delivers a smorgasbord of choices
If variety is the spice of life, pilots shopping for new aircraft in 2000 can expect a kimchi-like experience. For the first time in decades, buyers have the opportunity to sample a passel of new designs, try on a few venerable models, and look forward to even greater things with the development of new powerplants.
Powerplant technology has always driven airframe design. Now, with the promise of new diesel engines and a new generation of very light turbines, aerodynamicists are busy penning one new design after another. The marketing staffs for these new companies are always hopelessly optimistic about certification and production schedules. You won’t see any of these new designs for a few years, but there’s still a lot that’s new to satisfy even the most jaded shopper.
Part of the reason manufacturers are able to invest in new designs is because the market for general aviation aircraft has really turned around in the past few years—particularly since the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994. This important legislation granted airframe manufacturers a certain degree of protection from frivolous lawsuits brought on when older, proven aircraft crash. With the hope for stabilized product liability insurance premiums, manufacturers began investing earnestly in their product lines. Not hurting, of course, is the fact that the U.S. economy is now in its longest-running expansion in history. The stock market has been very, very good to many people and they’ve seen fit to do the right thing and invest those profits in new airplanes. It’s a good cause, after all, because today’s new airplanes will be nice used ones for everyone else to buy in a few years.
Our online spec box
With so many new models to choose from, deciding what’s right for you can be a challenge. To help you compare and contrast various models, we’ve updated our online aircraft directory. AOPA staffers Julie S. Walker and Tim Lower, with the help of our Internet Services staff and the GA manufacturers themselves, have compiled a robust database of information that includes general specifications, photos, and related articles for virtually every general aviation aircraft currently available. The database is available on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/aircraftdb.html). From that same area, members also can access a variety of other products to aid them in their aircraft purchases, including free aircraft valuations provided by Vref, insurance and financing quotes, and articles to help determine which aircraft might be right for them.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports that for the first time in history, the industry has enjoyed five straight years of growth in both billings and shipments. U.S. general aviation manufacturers pumped out 2,525 aircraft in 1999, up 13.7 percent from 1998’s 2,220 units. Billings were up an impressive 35.1 percent to $7.9 billion, thanks in large part to Gulfstream’s success with the G-IV SP and G-V. When you deliver 70 aircraft that retail for $30 million to $40 million each, the billings tally goes up quickly. Gulfstream’s billings edged $2.4 billion, but Cessna, Boeing Business Jets, and Raytheon all tipped the scales at more than $1 billion each, with Learjet not far behind.
At the lighter end of the market, shipments of piston-powered aircraft climbed 13.9 percent to 1,747. Within that group, singles accounted for 1,635—also up about 14 percent from the previous year. Multiengine piston aircraft accounted for 112 shipments, a 14.3-percent increase. Turbine aircraft tallied 778 shipments in 1999, a growth of 13.4 percent. Business jets accounted for 514 of the sales, a 23.9-percent improvement. Only turboprops saw a slight decline, to 264 units—six fewer units than the year before, or a 2.6-percent decrease.
Sales by non-U.S. manufacturers are also on the upswing. Socata delivered 40 piston-powered TB airplanes and 21 TBM 700 single-engine turboprops. Falcon Jet has seen record deliveries of its Falcon 2000 business jet and other models. French manufacturers aren’t the only ones doing well. Switzerland’s Pilatus PC–12 racked up record deliveries. In Canada, Bombardier, parent company of Learjet, began deliveries of its Global Express long-range business jet. At the lighter end of the market, Diamond Aircraft, also of Canada, continues to refine its product line—now with the addition of a four-place model, the DA40 (see "Katana+2," January Pilot).
Story-of-the-year status goes to two companies new to the certified aircraft market: Cirrus Design and Lancair. First delivery of the Cirrus SR20 occurred last July (see "Fleet First," October 1999 Pilot). Lancair delivered the first Columbia 300 just a few weeks ago (see "Home Stretch," August 1999 Pilot). Both models represent breakthroughs in performance, price, and comfort, thanks to efficient composite airframe designs. Despite fixed landing gear and big cabins, both achieve remarkable cruise speeds. The SR20 churns out 160 knots from its 200-hp Continental engine, and the Columbia is expected to post 190 kt with its 300-hp Continental.
The SR20, with its unique parachute system, sells for about $188,000, nicely equipped. The Columbia 300 commands a price of about $300,000—including a lot of high-end avionics and multifunction displays. On a price-per-knot basis, few other four-place aircraft can compete.
But innovation is not limited to upstarts. The New Piper Aircraft spent the last half of the 1990s modernizing its airframe designs and installing cutting-edge avionics and engine systems. Now the company is fully focused on the Malibu Meridian, a single-engine turboprop grown from the piston-powered Malibu Mirage. The Meridian sports a new generation of navigation and engine displays from Meggitt and a panel full of the latest Garmin, S-Tec, and Honeywell avionics. The aircraft is set for certification around July 1, and it appears that the project is on schedule.
Mooney has eked new performance out of the Ovation with the change to a two-blade propeller (see "New-Math Mooney," February Pilot). Expect the company to continue to refine its products over the next few years as it prepares to launch an entirely new pressurized airplane—perhaps by mid-decade.
Raytheon has invested in systems and avionics upgrades to the Baron and Bonanza lines, but has put most of its attention on two new products. The Premier I light business jet is scheduled to be certified in a few weeks, with first deliveries later this year. The Premier I promises impressive cruise speeds and a big comfortable cabin, thanks to a unique fuselage spun from strips of composite material. The Hawker Horizon, a new mid-size jet model, uses the same technology for its fuselage. First flight of the Horizon is expected by the end of this year.
Across town at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, Cessna is churning out three new business jet models of its own this year. The CJ1, a replacement for the original CitationJet, should begin deliveries within the next few weeks. It carries a 200-lb maximum gross weight increase over the original, and a new Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. The CJ2, a slightly larger airplane with upgraded Williams-Rolls FJ44-2C engines, is scheduled for certification in a few months. The Citation Encore also will get its flying papers later this year. The Citation Sovereign is on the drawing boards.
On the piston side, Cessna continues to offer two models of the 172 Skyhawk, the 182 Skylane, and normally aspirated and turbocharged versions of the 206 Stationair. But rumors are aplenty that something new is in the works to fill the gap between the 208 Caravan and the CJ1. Will it be a single-engine turboprop, a model using a new generation of piston engines, or even a new very light jet? Cessna officials won’t say, but an announcement may be coming as soon as later this year.
Likewise, New Piper has been exploring new engine technology, and you can be sure that once the engineers get a couple of days of R&R after the Meridian project this summer, they will begin work in earnest on some new project in Vero Beach, Florida.
And while many of the larger companies are looking to new technology to develop new markets, Aviat Aircraft has looked back in time—nearly 70 years back. The company has resurrected the Monocoupe 110 Special, a legendary racer from the 1930s and 1940s (see "Fast Eddie and the Deuce Coupe," p. 86). While production of the rugged Husky continues at record levels, Aviat is also continuing development of a variant on the Globe Swift called the Millennium Swift. Meanwhile, Roy LoPresti is taking a similar approach with another Swift project—the Fury, a much-deviated variant of the Swift.
Other companies have gone retro this year as well. After several years of development, Micco Aircraft recently certified the SP20, a much-updated version of the Meyers 145.
Still other companies are looking to new lightweight jet engines to power their all-new airframes. Safire Aircraft is developing the Safire S–26, a very light, six-seat twin-engine jet. Eclipse Aviation—partnered with engine manufacturer Williams International—recently announced the Eclipse 500, another light jet to be powered by a pair of Williams EJ22 engines. Visionaire and Century have their own light jet projects under development. AASI Aircraft is using a single turboprop engine to power its new Jetcruzer 500.
Not only do prospective buyers have plenty of new models to choose from (or projects in development to invest in), they also have new ways of buying aircraft. Fractional ownership has taken the business jet market by storm. Under a fractional program, buyers purchase only a share or shares of an aircraft. Now, a few companies are trying it for lighter aircraft. CarinaStar Shares, a Hilton Head, South Carolina, company, is putting Raytheon Beech Barons and Bonanzas into a fractional program (see "A Star is Born," May 1999 Pilot). Another new company, AirShares Elite, is buying a fleet of Cessna 182s and 206s to start a similar program in Atlanta, with hopes of someday offering franchises.
And if a new aircraft—fraction or whole—is not in your immediate future, you’ll find that investing in a used aircraft can be just that—an investment. Values for many used aircraft are climbing steadily and reliably, making them a better place to sink your dollars than a lot of certificates of deposit. Take your accountant out for a $100 hamburger. Maybe you can even convince him that your investment makes sense.
So no matter whether you prefer your airplanes bold or bland, the GA industry has a model spiced just right for you.
