Important industry numbers
Pilots will come across a lot of other numbers, too: figures for things like student pilot starts, hours flown, and new aircraft shipments.
"What do those numbers have to do with me?" you may well ask. They aren't likely to have much of an effect on your next flight. But these industry data do serve as an important indication of the health of the entire general aviation industry, and it's good to have an idea of how the industry is faring.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), a trade organization that represents GA aircraft manufacturers, recently issued its annual industry review and outlook, which provides a snapshot of GA aircraft production in the United States.
The number of GA aircraft manufactured in this country can vary significantly from year to year, history shows. The highest number ever shipped in a year was 35,000 during 1946-aircraft produced rapidly to fill a postwar demand that never really materialized. By 1949 the figure had plummeted to 3,405 aircraft. But the number climbed steadily through 1979, when more than 17,000 aircraft were produced-then the bottom fell out again. In 1983, the number was down to 2,691, and by 1994 it had dropped to 928.
During 2003, according to GAMA, manufacturer shipments of piston-engine aircraft increased 9.5 percent over the previous year, to 1,896. That strong growth helped to offset a drop in turboprop and business-jet shipments.
More piston aircraft is a good thing for all of us. In the short term it may mean newer or more airplanes available to rent from the local flight school. Higher production volumes can lead to economies of scale that should help to reduce the costs of some aircraft components. At these production levels we won't see aircraft prices drop by huge percentages, but cost savings will help to stave off price increases.
General aviation manufacturers believe that "the impressive strength of the piston segment in 2003 is an early indicator of a broader turnaround in all segments of general aviation," said Clay Jones, GAMA's chairman. Other data support that statement. Preliminary FAA figures indicate a 1.5-percent increase in the number of student pilots from 2002 to 2003.
And the Be A Pilot program, an industry-backed effort to encourage people to learn to fly, recently reported that it generated 1.3 percent more student pilot prospects in 2003 than 2002. That year-end result is particularly significant considering that prospective-pilot numbers were lagging by 25 percent during the war with Iraq in the spring of 2003.
What can we do to help keep these new students?
We need to make sure that our flight schools are welcoming to newcomers. Several years ago AOPA produced Successful Strategies to Land and Retain New Students, a videotape for flight instructors that showed a woman walking into a flight school, where she stood at the counter while employees talked on the telephone-and with each other-before acknowledging her presence. As unbelievable as it may sound, that kind of poor customer service really does exist within the general aviation and flight training communities. I hope it's not the case at your flight school.
Aviation educators John and Martha King have also noticed the lack of good customer service. But instead of complaining about it around their office coffeepot, they decided to do something about it. Their company, King Schools, has produced a 56-minute DVD course titled Creating Outstanding Customer Relationships.
The course clearly communicates the philosophy that has contributed to King Schools' success, emphasizing both customer service and salesmanship. It conveys much wisdom from the Kings' 30 years of business experience, including some lessons learned the hard way. Years ago, "we went broke in a business for which we had no passion," John King said.
Every King School employee who interacts with customers takes the course. "Marketing is something everybody in the company needs to be thinking about all the time," Martha King observed. The course is available from King Schools (or 800/854-1001) at an introductory price of $99 through June 30.
All of us can help by encouraging new students. Still a student yourself? No problem. All it takes is a smile and some kind words to help someone feel welcomed into the pilot community.
