LSA Market Shares Archives - Page 2 of 8

Special and Experimental Light-Sport & Sport Pilot Kits Compared to General Aviation

By Dan Johnson || February 19, 2020 10 Comments

If you like airplane statistics and facts, this article may interest you. Some pilots don't follow such things while others eat it up (you know who you are). For these readers, we have a new perspective that many may find intriguing. The comparisons below relate to the numbers of Single Engine Piston (SEP) general aviation (GA) aircraft on the U.S. registry compared to an umbrella group including SLSA, ELSA, and kit-built aircraft that Sport Pilots may fly (or those using a different certificate but exercising the privileges of Sport Pilot) …in other words, all the aircraft we cover on this website. Even after more than 15 years of LSA and the kits that Sport Pilots can fly, the GA fleet still seems immeasurably larger. The truth is, we can measure it; in fact, we have up-to-date info and both are as accurate as FAA's database allows.

Which Is Bigger?

The total SEP GA fleet numbers approximately 135,000 aircraft, 15 times larger than LSA/SP kits (by our criteria, about 9,000 aircraft) but the bigger number includes aircraft made since the 1940s and significantly in the '60s and '70s. As most aviators know, the GA fleet averages better than 40 years old where the entire LSA/SP kit fleet is less than 15 years old. It will be decades before LSA/SP kits catch up with the GA fleet, if ever …although that's before the LSA sector undergoes a major transformation and likely expansion in 2023 (more on that here, and we will offer regular updates).

Aero Adventure's Aventura kit aircraft models are part of a gaggle of Sport Pilot kits enjoying solid growth.

The size difference takes on a different view when we compare only the period from 2005 forward. This is when the first LSA started winning FAA acceptance signaling the official start of the industry. Given this history, all our data points start in 2005; we count nothing before even if that aircraft would today be called a Sport Pilot kit aircraft. (To save space, I will use "LSA/SP kits" to represent Special, fully-built LSA plus Experimental LSA plus Experimental Amateur Built Sport Pilot kit aircraft.)

When you go global with these two aviation sectors, you find the USA has 80% of the GA fleet with the entire rest of the globe flying the other 20%. The table is turned upside down for LSA/SP kits, where the USA has about 20% of the global total and all other countries account for 80%. However, the U.S. share appears to be increasing gradually since the recession of 2007-2009. As you can note that recession hit GA very hard; the GA industry has yet to recover to pre-recession registrations.

Since 2005

Viewed in total, the numbers for GA compared to LSA/SP kits are remarkably close. For all of 2019, the LSA/SP kit market registered 690 aircraft (up 8.3% over 2018) while GA registered 729 single engine aircraft (up 3.5% over 2018). Although SEP GA registered about 6% more aircraft in 2019, a major share of that count comes from one brand, Cirrus Design. The Minnesota company alone accounts for close to 40% of all GA airplanes registered last year. Cirrus registrations have been quite steady over the last three years, though 2019 was the lowest of the three. As always, please remember registrations will not precisely equal a manufacturer's reported deliveries perhaps due to year-end paperwork delays that affected at least two producers of light aircraft in 2019.

Take Cirrus out of the count and GA registered 448 aircraft from 15 producers, only 65% as many as all LSA/SP kit producers registered. Although we have clear leaders in LSA/SP kits (see chart), the 690 aircraft come from an impressive list of 171 producers, more than 11 times more manufacturers than for SEP GA aircraft. This clearly illustrates what happens when you free up the design energy and productive spirit of small aviation companies. Given a means of market entry, we saw the arrival of a new batch of manufacturers with a flock of new models to satisfy the diverse interests of pilots: from those seeking speedy cross country cruisers to back country taildraggers to special flying machines like gyroplanes, weight shift trikes, and powered parachutes. Go LSA and Sport Pilot kits!

Again a shout-out to Steve Beste, our supreme "datastician." The GA info presented here was stimulated after an exchange between Steve and General Aviation News publisher, Ben Sclair. All data is from FAA's registration database but, other than the tables and charts, all statements in this article are mine alone.

If you like airplane statistics and facts, this article may interest you. Some pilots don’t follow such things while others eat it up (you know who you are). For these readers, we have a new perspective that many may find intriguing. The comparisons below relate to the numbers of Single Engine Piston (SEP) general aviation (GA) aircraft on the U.S. registry compared to an umbrella group including SLSA, ELSA, and kit-built aircraft that Sport Pilots may fly (or those using a different certificate but exercising the privileges of Sport Pilot) …in other words, all the aircraft we cover on this website. Even after more than 15 years of LSA and the kits that Sport Pilots can fly, the GA fleet still seems immeasurably larger. The truth is, we can measure it; in fact, we have up-to-date info and both are as accurate as FAA’s database allows. Which Is Bigger? The total SEP GA fleet numbers approximately 135,000 aircraft, 15 times larger than LSA/SP kits (by our criteria, about 9,000 aircraft) but the bigger number includes aircraft made since the 1940s and significantly in the ’60s and ’70s.

Full-2019 Market Share Report for Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Kit Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || January 15, 2020 6 Comments

We have a new year upon us. With our new reporting capabilities for LSA and SP kit market shares, we can now quickly report results from 2019.

A huge thanks to our supreme "datastician," Steve Beste for making such swift and accurate reporting possible. I assure you that I've looked high and low for every year LSA have existed to find no comparable information. As always, be advised that our data comes from FAA's aircraft registration database. That means it is impartial — hopefully meaning reliable and dependable — but it also means some massaging of the information is needed to be completely accurate. (See this article for more detail on the effort involved; it is not trivial.) Steve's valuable ability to manipulate database resources combines with his knowledge of light aircraft to make an unbeatable combination. As much as any data allows — and as the saying goes… "you can take this info to the bank." It's solid!

2019 In Review

Overview — Here's the top line view: "It's been a good year," wrote Steve, as he noted aircraft registrations for our categories grew by 793 aircraft in 2019, a 10% increase from the year prior. Counting all types, the fleet enlarged from 8,028 at the end of 2018 to 8,821 by end of year 2019. While not as boisterous as the stock market was last year, this nonetheless suggests satisfying numbers for the light aircraft industry. Compared to 2018, Steve observed, "Sport Pilot kit aircraft are gaining on LSA though not by much; the kit market slightly closed the gap with the LSA market comprised of both Special, fully-built LSA and Experimental, kit-built LSA." Sport Pilot kits do not meet ASTM standards but have less regulations and the owner, having built his or her plane, is allowed to maintain it without oversight by an A&P. As Steve uncovered, the market leaders involve the same seven brands that have been leading the pack.

However, as he added, "All did not have the same experience. Kitfox registrations increased by 60% (as the Idaho company appeared to lose some momentum in 2018). Van's Aircraft grew by 44% and Rans by 20% but Zenair/Zenith and Sonex were modestly off their previous pace (see chart below)." For reference, here is our 3Q19 market share report with additional details you might find interesting. LSA Seaplanes — Icon continues to do well (but see the next paragraph). The last quarter of 2019 was good for SeaMax and Super Petrel. The latter gained two new owners in the last quarter while SeaMax gained three. Both companies are based in Brazil but SeaMax has been working hard on their U.S. presence (see more here) and, apparently, it is paying off.

Steve wrote, "Regarding Icon's numbers, note that historical figures often differ from what was previously reported," in this case with Icon and its A5. He continued, "This happens because FAA continues to perfect its data. For example, for 2018 the agency reported 57 Icon A5s as '2018' aircraft but FAA data clerks switched 11 of those to '2019' once their late-in-the-year paperwork was done. Thus, we now report fewer than 57 Icons for 2018." Despite these necessary adjustments, we maintain the figures used in this report are the best available and are of very high reliability. In fact, the adjustments Steve and I make are proof of the effort to report accurate, dependable data. As always, I offer a loud and heartfelt THANKS! to Steve Beste for his work to make this information available.

Alternative Aircraft (all other than Fixed Wing)

In general terms, Steve noted, "Alternate aircraft offer a mixed picture." He reported, "We have no change from our third quarter 2019 report: Gyroplanes registrations are slowing slightly but are still hot. Trike registrations are holding steady. Powered parachutes registrations are off a bit (nearby chart). Gyroplanes — "The low-cost Tango is coming on strong," said Steve. Tango is quoted quite well equipped for just $43,500. "It used to come with a Rotax 582 but their website says it now has a Yamaha engine that they say provides a four-stroke, three-cylinder, fuel-injected, 1,055 cubic centimeter engine outputting 130 horsepower." That engine is part of the low price tag but even if you added every option shown on their website, you still might not break $50,000. No wonder it is attracting some attention. Of course, until the FAA's new LSA regulation comes out, all gyros — other than AutoGyro's Primary Category entry — must be built as a kit. (See chart below.) Steve notes a new gyroplane entry, "The database now shows Airgyro and their AG-915. It’s a derivative of the Celier Xenon obviously, but with many changes."

Weight Shift Trikes — Looking only at the weight shift trike segment, Steve wrote, "Something strange is happening." He clarified, "Evolution Trikes, a leading producer of trikes, registered none of the top-end Revo models in 2019. Instead, the Florida company's hot models are designer Larry Mednick's Part 103 Rev and his new RevX (2 registrations). Larry told a prospect at Oshkosh that he’s back-ordered for months on both of them." These two models don’t appear in the data we collect because Rev is a Part 103 vehicle and RevX is a single-seat machine that we are not counting as being LSA-like. That shows a bias against single seaters, which we never intended. All aircraft on our SLSA List are two seaters. We will start to include single seaters in the future, though we have no way to add Part 103 vehicles because they require no N-numbers.

"Wild Sky's Goat by Denny Reed has done well," exclaimed Steve! "What on earth are those Goat buyers doing with them? Could they all be flying back country," he asked? Our earlier report and video will tell you more about this trike entry.

About this Report — “SP Kits” means Sport Pilot kit aircraft referring to amateur-built aircraft that can be flown by a pilot possessing a Sport Pilot certificate, or a pilot holding a Private Pilot certificate or higher who is exercising the privileges of Sport Pilot — meaning no aviation medical is required. Since Sport Pilot, as a form of pilot license, only arrived in late 2004, we collect information from FAA's Aircraft Registration database for all applicable kit-built aircraft that can be flown by a Sport Pilot plus, of course, all Special or Experimental LSA. Although some of the same kit aircraft existed before January 1, 2005, we omit them as it cannot be said those older aircraft could be flown by someone with a Sport Pilot certificate. This also evenly and fairly compares SP Kits with SLSA and ELSA. ** When using our online market share reporting system called Tableau Public — please do have a look; it's free! — be advised this website may appear best on your desktop or laptop. Smaller screen smartphones and tablets do not portray the information as conveniently.

We have a new year upon us. With our new reporting capabilities for LSA and SP kit market shares, we can now quickly report results from 2019. A huge thanks to our supreme “datastician,” Steve Beste for making such swift and accurate reporting possible. I assure you that I’ve looked high and low for every year LSA have existed to find no comparable information. As always, be advised that our data comes from FAA’s aircraft registration database. That means it is impartial — hopefully meaning reliable and dependable — but it also means some massaging of the information is needed to be completely accurate. (See this article for more detail on the effort involved; it is not trivial.) Steve’s valuable ability to manipulate database resources combines with his knowledge of light aircraft to make an unbeatable combination. As much as any data allows — and as the saying goes… “you can take this info to the bank.” It’s solid!

What’s Happening in Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Kits? Here’s Our 3Q19 Update.

By Dan Johnson || October 9, 2019 1 Comment

This website seeks to offer a reliable source of market information for Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit aircraft as a service to the light aircraft sector.

If you follow light aviation intently as many readers do, knowing what aircraft and subgroups (within LSA and SP kits*) are thriving or stumbling can be of great interest. Thanks to our fantastic "datastician," Steve Beste, we know more now than we've ever known about aviation's recreational aircraft segment. You simply cannot find this information anywhere else. With Steve's superb help, following are a few stories within the numbers. If you don't care about market shares and just want to hear about aircraft, we won't keep you waiting long. However, for many, these figures are quite valuable and this is the only place you will find them. Let's dive in…

2019 Is a Good Year (so far)

We're only three quarters through the year but extrapolating from the first three quarters and assuming a steady pace (which is not a guarantee, of course), we see that all of 2019 should result in 724 new aircraft registrations in the light aircraft sector defined (by us) as Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit-built aircraft. This is up more than 10% over 2018, which was up over 2017. The industry is having a good year and more pilots are flying these aircraft. One caveat in this positive result is that the fourth quarter of the year is typically slower with winter in the north and plenty of non-flying holiday activities drawing interest.

Why? We don't claim to have all the answers but regular surveying of exhibitors at airshows revealed that many sellers say, "The market is good. People are buying." Of course, this is anecdotal not scientific but we heard it from enough vendors to believe they're feeling good about their enterprises. Many pilots backed up this finding with their own, personal assessment. If you want to do your own analysis, you certainly can using our completely free-of-charge Tableau Public web page** assembled for us and maintained to perfection by Steve. We vigorously encourage you to look for yourselves. Don't take our word for it. The data comes directly from FAA's aircraft registration database, then expertly massaged by Steve so the rest of us can make sense of it. To this data source, I apply my own decades of experience in the sector to make some observations.

Breaking Good

First, let's look at two broad categories: First is a grouping of all Light-Sport Aircraft — both Special (fully built) and Experimental (different from Experimental Amateur Built) — and, secondly, a defined flock of Sport Pilot kit-built aircraft*.

This is the first time you've seen this because earlier, we segmented SLSA from ELSA from SP kits. This made it appear kits were growing faster than the LSA groups. In fact, they are nearly matched with kit-built aircraft. Viewing all light aircraft as a group, Steve noted, "The same six brands continue to lead the pack." He refers to the full fleet of light aircraft a Sport Pilot may fly — led by kit-built aircraft producers: Zenair/Zenith, Van's, Rans, Sonex, and Kitfox plus SLSA builder, Icon. Immediately under these six powerhouses of light aviation are five close contenders Searey-maker Progressive Aerodyne, AutoGyro, Just Aircraft, Powrachute, and Magni Gyro. While Progressive Aerodyne does well in both kits and fully built seaplanes and while Powrachute sells both as well, the rest are all kit makers. To look up any producer to learn more, use our Search capability (especially "Advanced Search") or go to our ever-popular SLSA List. Kit aircraft remain strong in the USA. This segment existed for many years before LSA came along although we only count since 2005*, while Light-Sport Aircraft go back no further than 2005. Honestly, one surprise about SP Kits and LSA is how close the two primary groups are.

Diving Deeper

Steve made a few other worthwhile observations. Among the increasingly active gyroplane community, "The low-cost Tango is coming on strong. It used to come with a Rotax 582 but their website says it now has a Yamaha FI engine. 4-stroke, 3-cylinder, fuel-injected, 1055cc, 130 horsepower engine." AutoGyro, Magni, and U.S.-based SilverLight lead the among gyroplanes but Tango's appearance suggests the market is open to newcomers, especially when they have good pricing.

Using Tableau Public, you can go deep the weeds about any one subgroup by using the blue boxes on the left column to click or unblock lists. The site is amazingly versatile if you spend a bit of time with it. If you own an aircraft included in this analysis, you can absolutely find it; see for yourself. Another newer entry Steve highlighted was the Goat trike. He wrote, "Denny Reed’s [Wild Sky] Goat is a surprise success. He positions it as a super-tough outback machine." Denny is a deeply experienced trike pilot with more than 8,000 hours of instruction given. He finally made his own trike and it is one brute-tough machine. See more in our article and short video. Goat uses wings by North Wing, as do many other trike brands, but the Washington state producer is also having a better year for its SLSA trikes. Evolution Trikes' Revo sales are off a bit but they are highly focused on their fully-built Rev Part 103 trike and their new RevX. The latter is a kit; the former will not show up on FAA's registration database as Part 103 vehicles need not be registered.

Fixed Wingers

Steve is a trike owner and pilot. I also enjoy these "alternative" LSA (trikes, powered parachutes, and gyroplanes). I have enjoyed flying several models of each of these types and find much to love about them …significantly, they can be less expensive than almost any fixed wing aircraft. Are you unsure about "alternative" aircraft? You know the line: "If you haven't tried it, don't knock it."

However, fixed wing continue to be, by far, the biggest group of LSA (partly as very few kit-built aircraft are "alternative" types). Among Special (fully built) LSA, Flight Design continues atop the ranking. They enjoyed a phenomenal start back in 2005-2006 and have never lost their leadership position. American Legend, Czech Sport Aircraft, CubCrafters, Tecnam, and Aerotrek (FAA still uses their Aeropro European brand name) remain very strong players in the top ten. However, some newbies are moving up the rankings. Through their start into serial production was long coming, the slickly-marketed A5 LSA seaplane has moved into the #2 position for 2019 (after Van's, which relies heavily on ELSA). Another up-and-comer is Vashon and their well-priced Ranger. BRM Aero and their Bristell are also making good strides upward. TL Aircraft, rep for the Sting and other TL models, is reviving that much-admired stable of aircraft. Meanwhile, Cessna continues to drop following the company's decision to exit the LSA space and crush all remaining aircraft, engines and all. Remos is another that is fading from its earlier strength.

A Quarter to Go

As we head into the final quarter of 2019 — and the final LSA show of the year, the DeLand Showcase — we will report the full year shortly into January 2020. The good news is that aircraft are selling, pilots are flying more than ever, and safety remains quite good. That's reason for celebration. Blue skies!

* "SP Kits" means Sport Pilot kit-built aircraft. Going deeper, "SP Kits" refer to amateur-built aircraft that can be flown by a pilot possessing a Sport Pilot certificate or exercising the privileges of Sport Pilot (meaning, for one, no aviation medical is required) while holding a Private Pilot certificate or higher. Since Sport Pilot, as a form of pilot license, only arrived in late 2004, we count all applicable kit-built aircraft that can be flown by a Sport Pilot. Although some of the same aircraft existed before January 1, 2005, we omit them as it cannot be said those older aircraft could be flown by someone with a Sport Pilot certificate. This also evenly and fairly compares SP Kits with SLSA and ELSA. ** When using Tableau Public — and please do so! — be advised this may work best on your desktop or laptop. The effort called "responsive" to make pages work on smartphones and tablets does not portray the information as conveniently.

This website seeks to offer a reliable source of market information for Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit aircraft as a service to the light aircraft sector. If you follow light aviation intently as many readers do, knowing what aircraft and subgroups (within LSA and SP kits*) are thriving or stumbling can be of great interest. Thanks to our fantastic “datastician,” Steve Beste, we know more now than we’ve ever known about aviation’s recreational aircraft segment. You simply cannot find this information anywhere else. With Steve’s superb help, following are a few stories within the numbers. If you don’t care about market shares and just want to hear about aircraft, we won’t keep you waiting long. However, for many, these figures are quite valuable and this is the only place you will find them. Let’s dive in… 2019 Is a Good Year (so far) We’re only three quarters through the year but extrapolating from the first three quarters and assuming a steady pace (which is not a guarantee, of course), we see that all of 2019 should result in 724 new aircraft registrations in the light aircraft sector defined (by us) as Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit-built aircraft.

Latest Update on FAA’s Plan to Change Light-Sport Aircraft Regulations — July 2019

By Dan Johnson || July 19, 2019 132 Comments

The update to industry covered a lot of ground but here we've tried to make it a quicker read. Two key points: First, FAA is in the early stages of this rulemaking; at least minor changes are certain. FAA itself does not know all the specific details of the proposed rule at this time. Secondly, the steps reported here come from actual rule writers but their effort has support from top FAA leadership. Driven by a Congressional mandate we know this will go forward.

LSA Is a Success Story

For 15 years Light-Sport Aircraft and their producers have proven themselves, LAMA argued. FAA concurred; the agency has often referred to the safety record as "acceptable," reasonably high praise from regulators. “A lot of [the rule change] is based on the [generally positive] experience with LSA,” FAA noted. They also said the revised regulation will be “less prescriptive, more performance-based.” This is seen as a deregulatory effort by the agency.

Regarding the much-anticipated max weight increase, FAA refers to a "Power Index." This term means a formula-based method to replace maximum takeoff weight in the definition of a LSA, involving wing area, horsepower, and takeoff weight. FAA is also looking at up to four seats, “for personal use and for flight training.” Airspeeds — referring to maximum horizontal and never-to-exceed speeds (Vh and Vne) — may be higher than in the current rule, but will still be limited. Neither will FAA be prescriptive about (that is, tightly defining) powerplants. The 2004 version of the LSA rule prohibited electric motors because rule writers wanted to discourage turbine power and therefore specified reciprocating engines, which knocked out electric. FAA will now consider both electric and hybrid. Yet FAA was clear, “Movement of people for hire (such as the multicopter air taxis proposed by numerous companies) is not part of this.” FAA is also reviewing what type of mechanics (LSR-M or A&P) can do what kind of work on specific systems of aircraft (examples: in-flight adjustable prop or electric propulsion systems).

When Will the New Rule Emerge?

One of the most-asked questions is when will this rule be announced, meaning when will an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) be published for public comment.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 includes a deadline of 2023 for implementing a key mandate that suggests the longest it should take. Once an NPRM is published, a comment period follows to hear from the public after which FAA needs time to address the concerns raised during that comment period. After closure of that comment period, the FAA has 16 months to publish the Final Rule. Throughout the LAMA/FAA teleconference some ideas were repeated by FAA personnel…

“The former (current) regulation “was unnecessarily restrictive.“
FAA wants the revised regulation to “allow the industry to do more.”

Update on LAMA's Specific Requests

Over the last few years LAMA made several specific requests: aerial work or commercial use of LSA; fully built gyroplanes (only kits have been permitted); single lever control for in-flight adjustable props; and electric propulsion. LAMA also supported the idea of increased weight. Each of these was explained via a detailed white paper submitted to the agency followed by more discussions with FAA executive management over several meetings in Washington DC.

“All of these requests are on the table,” FAA acknowledged in the June teleconference. Of course, this does not mean all are certain to be included, but they represent a “huge opportunity [for industry and for pilots].” Gyroplanes — Special LSA (fully-built) gyroplanes are part of what is being considered for the new regulation but this remains a work in process. LAMA presented new arguments, assembled safety data that FAA requested, and kept up the pressure resulting in its inclusion in the proposed new regulation. Weight Increase — Yes, weight will increase. The often-mentioned "3,600-pound gross weight" number is irrelevant, however, because FAA will use the power index as mentioned above.

Under this more performance-based approach, LSA manufacturers would have more flexibility in making trade-offs among these parameters to meet a new power index limit. That new limit is intended to allow for up to a safe, robust, four-seat airplane. “All this is seen [within the agency] as relieving on industry; enabling, not tightening the screws,” said FAA. Aerial Work / Commercial Use — The topic of for-hire work in LSA involves another group — Flight Standards Service. Most of the proposed changes originated with Aircraft Certification Services office.

“The Flight Standards people are considering [aerial work],” said FAA. This important topic has been a priority for LAMA because it could become a vital activity to keep manufacturers healthy by expanding their capabilities and the markets they can serve. Pilots could also gain as this would provide more compensated flying jobs and business opportunities. Electric Propulsion — Not only is electric fully on the table, but hybrid power involving both gasoline and electric is envisioned as well (though ASTM standards for hybrid have yet to be composed). Notably, the discussion did not involve batteries. Single Lever Control (in-flight adjustable prop) — The concept for Single Lever Control (SLC) is that the prop adjusts automatically based on information supplied by instruments and the engine such that the system “knows” what prop pitch might be optimal. A pilot puts the throttle where needed (full forward for takeoff) and the prop adjusts. At altitude, the system also knows this and can adjust to a cruise setting. While SLC is more complex and currently more costly, LAMA believes continued development will lower costs. However, SLC does not raise the workload of the pilot, thereby staying with the “simple, safe, and easy-to-fly” mantra. LAMA is "very pleased with the FAA’s open attitude and willingness to consider important changes that industry and the flying community seek."

Many have asked about progress on FAA’s proposed rewrite of the Light-Sport Aircraft regulations. Following a lengthy teleconference at the end of June 2019, LAMA, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, provided another update. The update to industry covered a lot of ground but here we’ve tried to make it a quicker read. Two key points: First, FAA is in the early stages of this rulemaking; at least minor changes are certain. FAA itself does not know all the specific details of the proposed rule at this time. Secondly, the steps reported here come from actual rule writers but their effort has support from top FAA leadership. Driven by a Congressional mandate we know this will go forward. LSA Is a Success Story For 15 years Light-Sport Aircraft and their producers have proven themselves, LAMA argued. FAA concurred; the agency has often referred to the safety record as “acceptable,” reasonably high praise from regulators.

Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Kit Market Shares in 2019

By Dan Johnson || June 8, 2019 4 Comments

A funny thing happened on our way to quarterly reporting of LSA and Sport Pilot kit market shares.

Our first quarterly report in many years should have come about April 1st. It did not. That date came as Sun 'n Fun was getting underway separated by only one day from the German Aero show. So involved were we in those season-starting events that we just blew past the date.

Five Months In Combined Report

The first chart reflects both LSA and SP kit registrations through May of 2019 and also depicts the equivalent performances for the full years of 2017 and 2018. What the chart suggests is that 2019 is a solid year with the light sector on track to hit 725 aircraft for the year, up about 5% over last year and up more than 10% over 2017. For space reasons the chart only shows ranks 1–18 but all are available on Tableau Public.

Digging deeper, the chart shows that longtime market leader Zenith/Zenair lead by a substantial margin in 2017 and 2018 but that gap may be narrowing for 2019. Please keep in mind that a kit company completes a sale long before the aircraft gets registered and appears on FAA's database. Also, a kit sold may never be finished. Conversely, Icon's 27 registrations this year are for ready-to-fly aircraft although that does not mean they were registered by the end customer. The leading LSA builder so far in 2019, Icon is on pace to register 65 aircraft this year, up 38% over last year. American Legend, which operates both in the RTF and kit business, is ticking upwards. They may hit 29 registrations, up 140% over last year. Arion is another both-ways manufacturer looking to have a much improved 2019 while newcomer Vashon should double last year's registrations.

Strong SP kit suppliers include Kitfox, Vans, and Rans — no real surprises but here's a couple observations. Kitfox is on a pace to hit 70 registrations this year, up about 80% over 2018. Van's Aircraft is headed to 60, up 50% over last year. Rans will remain about even. Remember, we only count aircraft that can be flown by a Sport Pilot or a higher-certificated pilot with no medical. Van's, for example, sells many more kits but most won't meet that criteria.

Separating LSA from SP Kits

Flight Design continues its recovery, on pace to increase from last year's low number by 50%. Now that we can separate CubCrafters RTFs from kits, the CT maker is back atop the all-years SLSA rank list. Number two producer, Czech Sport Aircraft should be about even from 2018 but is well off their 2017 registrations. Powrachute and AutoGyro slipped from stronger performances in recent years. On the downside, Glasair suspended production for their Merlin that never found reception in the market.

Looking at cumulative registrations, Zenith/Zenair clearly holds the top spot among Sport Pilot kit aircraft sellers. Rans, Sonex, and Kitfox are the next big producers in the light kit space, followed by Quad City and Just Aircraft, trailed a bit further back by Searey maker Progressive Aerodyne, CubCrafters, and Quicksilver.

One More Thing: ELSA Factor

You might see that kits appear to be the larger enterprise over fully-built LSA. That's correct, but consider the kit companies have been building their business and networks for far longer and they have lower price points …although you obviously must invest a good many hours to complete a project and some will get discouraged along the way and never finish the job.

Yet the real surprise comes when you look at our final chart of this article. Kits appear ascendant since 2013, especially when compared to Special LSA that seems to have found a stable registration rate of around 200 aircraft per year. However, when you combine SLSA with Experimental LSA, you can see that all LSA types number closer to 300 units per year, compared to all SP kits at just shy of 400. Specialty registrations like Experimental Exhibition are steady but at a far smaller unit count.

Any ELSA must be shipped from the factory as a bolt-for-bolt copy of the SLSA model, as required under the regulation. No producer can sell an ELSA without first getting approved for a SLSA, so to my mind, combining SLSA and ELSA makes for a fairer comparison to Sport Pilot kit aircraft. If you love these numbers, please visit Tableau Public. You can learn a lot more about the vibrant light aircraft sector. Enjoy! Disclaimer: These reports rely on FAA’s registration database. We believe this to be a reliable resource but it presents data that are different than what any company reports in sales or deliveries. Over time, these two sets of data draw closer but will not precisely mirror one another. Data presented on Tableau Public are arranged according to a defined method explained on that page (see button labeled “Where the numbers come from”).

A funny thing happened on our way to quarterly reporting of LSA and Sport Pilot kit market shares. Our first quarterly report in many years should have come about April 1st. It did not. That date came as Sun ‘n Fun was getting underway separated by only one day from the German Aero show. So involved were we in those season-starting events that we just blew past the date. Five Months In Combined Report The first chart reflects both LSA and SP kit registrations through May of 2019 and also depicts the equivalent performances for the full years of 2017 and 2018. What the chart suggests is that 2019 is a solid year with the light sector on track to hit 725 aircraft for the year, up about 5% over last year and up more than 10% over 2017. For space reasons the chart only shows ranks 1–18 but all are available on Tableau Public.

MORE Light Aircraft Now Included in Our Count of Fun Flying Machines

By Dan Johnson || January 14, 2019 6 Comments

Update 1/15/19: Thanks to reader feedback — a resource we value very highly — we have updated our statistics to correct another naming challenging. "Zodiac" turned up 53 more registrations since 2005: 52 601s and one 650. "Of the 53 additions, four were registered in 2018. That bumps our total fleet to 8,027," wrote Steve Beste. Check Tableau Public for the latest data. —DJ "What about my plane," a number of you asked? "I didn't see [XYZ brand] of aircraft," a few others wrote. "How come you didn't include what I fly," several inquired? You spoke (or wrote). We listened. The result? 7,974 aircraft (up from 6,305) is our refreshed count of all Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft flying machines registered in America. My advisor and consultantant in this deep data dive, IT expert Steve Beste and I decided to enlarge the "universe." While sticking to the 2005 date when FAA accepted the first SLSA, we can now broaden the aircraft registration database search to include brands like Kolb, Quad City, Sonex, Titan, Murphy, Aero Adventure, Sport Performance and more, plus additional kit aircraft models from companies that do both SLSA and Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) deliveries. If you think we missed any, please let us know. Clarifying, this decision means we also include models from brands previously included but which models never went the ASTM standards compliance route.

Go Exploring — ALL the Aircraft!

To go roam around the ocean of info about light aircraft, click or tap to this NEW Tableau Public page*. On it you will find the familiar "Dashboard" as you arrive at the website. At the top of the page, look for a row of tabs. You will now find two new tabs labeled, "This-Yr Ranking" and "All-Yr Ranking." I think they are pretty self-explanatory.

A pair of Just Aircraft SuperSTOL SPK Kits. photo by Jean-Marie Urlacher

You can still tweak these depictions any way you wish. For example, once you click on the "This-Yr Ranking" tab you will see two tables. One has a ranking by brand only. The right-hand table has ranking by model, that is, the most registered models. Then, you can go to, for example, the third blue box on the left edge and click off Kit/Other to see only SLSA or click off SLSA to see only Kit/Other entries. The larger blue box above helps you focus on one or more selected brands. Click off "(All)" and then pick the brand or brands you want to examine. Likewise you can also select a type of aircraft (top box) or a method of FAA approval ("Choose Certification" in the fourth blue box), or zero in on amphibious aircraft in the lowest blue box. Back on the Tableau home page, some of you found — and apparently enjoyed; we heard from several of you — that you can go find your own aircraft. Every single one of the 7,974 aircraft making up this review can be viewed. Pretty cool, huh?

Why Did We Make This Change?

Simply put, you asked and we want to be responsive. We also want to include ALL aircraft that a Sport Pilot (or someone using a higher certificate to exercise the privileges of Sport Pilot) may fly. I think we have all of them now, but if we find more, we will include them in ongoing reporting.

Kolb is a brand now counted in our more inclusive tally.

EABs and ELSA — while not demonstrating compliance to ASTM standards — are still very legitimately part of what this website endeavors to cover. Our tagline is "News & Video on Light-Sport Aircraft, light kit aircraft, and ultralight aircraft" and we mean to cover all those types. Of course, we cannot count Part 103 ultralights as they are never given N-numbers but we want to gather all the other appropriate producers and owners in our tent. New phrase: "Sport Pilot Eligible Kits" — which I will start abbreviating as SPE Kits — denotes kit-built aircraft, either Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) or Experimental, meaning kit, Light-Sport Aircraft (ELSA). We only count kits, or SLSA, after 2005 as that's when the first SLSA was accepted by FAA. Before that, we had no Sport Pilot certificate, so no kit aircraft model could consider itself Sport Pilot Eligible. Steve Beste and I believe our current Tableau Public page title — "Light Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot Eligible Kits, and Modern Gyroplanes" — best reflects the energy, diversity, design variety, and uniqueness of this sector of aviation.

Our former, familiar chart of aircraft. Good as it was, we left out too many aircraft and have now solved that shortcoming while adding more groups and models.

One More Thing: Of personal satisfaction to me, this refreshed effort strengthens a claim in this chart that the USA has about 13,000 LSA or LSA-like aircraft. One difference between the 8,000 we can accurately count and which appear in Tableau Public are 4,000 or so "fat ultralights" that were converted to ELSA, a program that ended in 2010. The small difference still remaining can mostly be filled with Part 103 ultralight vehicles, so that 2015 survey looks even more solid and reliable. I wrote "accurately" and we do believe we have done this correctly. However, when you get into kits the problem can be more difficult because a kit-built aircraft may be registered with the model name "Bob Jones Flyer," when in fact it was an airplane built from an Avid Flyer kit but modified in ways that our theoretical Bob wanted to immortalize by assigning his name to the model. That's perfectly OK with FAA but makes identifying it somewhat harder. Nonetheless, we think the new-and-improved list on Tableau Public is now even more informative. This information is not well covered by anyone else but we felt it was worthwhile and we hope you agree. * Note that Tableau presently works best on a desktop or laptop computer with a larger screen. Tableau arranges some of the data for tablets and somewhat less for smartphones as insufficient screen area exists to portray it all. Steve will be working on these mobile device presentations soon.

Update 1/15/19: Thanks to reader feedback — a resource we value very highly — we have updated our statistics to correct another naming challenging. “Zodiac” turned up 53 more registrations since 2005: 52 601s and one 650. “Of the 53 additions, four were registered in 2018. That bumps our total fleet to 8,027,” wrote Steve Beste. Check Tableau Public for the latest data. —DJ “What about my plane,” a number of you asked? “I didn’t see [XYZ brand] of aircraft,” a few others wrote. “How come you didn’t include what I fly,” several inquired? You spoke (or wrote). We listened. The result? 7,974 aircraft (up from 6,305) is our refreshed count of all Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft flying machines registered in America. My advisor and consultantant in this deep data dive, IT expert Steve Beste and I decided to enlarge the “universe.” While sticking to the 2005 date when FAA accepted the first SLSA, we can now broaden the aircraft registration database search to include brands like Kolb, Quad City, Sonex, Titan, Murphy, Aero Adventure, Sport Performance and more, plus additional kit aircraft models from companies that do both SLSA and Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) deliveries.

Gyroplanes Are Big Overseas — First Market Share Info for the USA

By Dan Johnson || September 24, 2018 17 Comments

Updated September 26, 2018 — This article has been updated to include more producers. See at bottom. —DJ

Over many years, you have found LSA market share information on this website. Many have found this of interest …from businesses learning more about their market; to customers doing careful investigation before paying tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new aircraft; to government fulfilling its task of regulating industry; to insurance companies assessing risk of providing their product; and many other actors in the blockbuster movie that is light, recreational aviation. I will have more to say about the broader LSA market share reports below but now I want to present the best information I have seen for Light-Sport Aircraft Gyroplanes. …uh, except for one problem. No such aircraft category exists, SLSA gyroplanes, that is.

SilverLight Aviation's AR-1; photo by Amy Saunders

FAA has denied fully-built Special LSA status to rotary winged aircraft such as gyroplanes. LAMA thought this was on track for a solution as recently as two months ago (see report), but today, the matter is back in doubt, truly a shame as these aircraft are thriving around the world. Rotax has reported for some time that they sell more 9-series engines to gyroplanes as a specific category than to other groups. Indeed, sellers like Germany's AutoGyro have more than 2,500 units flying. FAA's rotorcraft personnel are living in the past, remembering the problems of early machines like the Bensen Gyrocopter. Before training and before design evolution, those aircraft did have a undesirable safety record. However, that has been remedied… long ago, actually.

Our new associate, Steve Beste, wrote an excellent article for his club newsletter and I will summarize that piece in another post. In his article, he wrote, "[Along with better training] the other change since those days is the large horizontal stabilizer, mounted well aft. Some machines were prone to PIO, pilot-induced oscillations in pitch. The pilot would chase the oscillations, only making them worse until the gyro did a fatal bunt over. The large tail that Magni invented – as is used on all modern gyros – has fixed that."

Welcoming Steve Beste

"I'm a retired computer guy and trike pilot who loves databases," Steve told me. He used his special set of skills to download FAA's aircraft registration database to compile statistics on gyroplane registrations, focused on the new European-style gyroplanes.

As you can see, AutoGyro is the clear market leader at 52% with 163 aircraft of 312 gyroplanes registered with FAA. The German builder is trailed by Magni in the #2 slot at 18% with 56 registrations. A new American manufacturer, SilverLight Aviation, has quickly tied Spanish producer ELA for third at 8% with 26 aircraft registered for each. After that it trails off more quickly as Steve's chart shows. More details about other brands will be chronicled in an article to follow. For 2018 through July 23rd, Magni shows its strength by slightly beating AutoGyro U.S. registrations. As always, note that confirmed sales and registrations may not match precisely. In addition, much more of 2018 remains. In slightly more than half a year, gyroplanes registered 58 aircraft putting them on track to exceed 100 for the year. To offer perspective, this figure is approaching half as many as SLSA fixed wing registrations in recent full years.

Magni Gyro's M24 Orion

So far this year, Magni has 15 registrations to AutoGyro's 14 for 26% and 24% shares totaling half of total U.S. gyroplane registrations. SilverLight has registered 8 aircraft in 2018 for a 14% yearly share of 2018 to date. A less well recognized U.S. producer, Tango, is having a respectable year, with 9 registrations accounting for 16% in 2018 so far. Tango is trailed by ELA with 6 registrations (10%), Australia's Titanium and Italy's Brako tied at 3 for 5% each. One interesting point: only Tango and Brako offer a single place gyroplane; all others are two place machines.

Much More Data to Follow!

Steve Beste and I have been discussing him providing database research to allow this website to continue providing LSA Market Share Info. Many visitors have written to ask; indeed, we are way behind on this effort.

ELA's 10-Eclipse

The delay is ending. After Steve gets time to study the previous work and methods, he has proposed some wonderful improvements. About the special skills he can offer, Steve wrote, "I'm a retired computer guy and trike pilot who loves databases." Well, that certainly sounds perfect to me. "I'm also the president of Flying Club 1, which was the original USUA Chapter 1," Steve added. "Regarding the FAA database, I'd very much like to reach beyond just [fixed wing] airplanes, partly because I'm a trike pilot, myself. I think that's entirely possible." Given this background, his obvious enthusiasm for this work, and the keen interest of many in light aviation, I am exceedingly pleased to welcome Steve to this website.

"[However, FAA's] data is not clean," Steve observed. I am well aware of this problem. Uncertainty about data accuracy of "alternative" LSA is why we have reported fixed wing Special LSA, only offering guesses for weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, gyroplanes, motorgliders, and more. However, we hope that will now change and our market share reporting will be more inclusive. Hurray!

Problems in FAA's database is not caused by incompetent clerks. Agency personnel must sort through inconsistently-reported aircraft. If, as Steve pointed out in one example, the registered name of the aircraft is slightly different, it won't show up on a casual investigation. He added, "There's no end of that kind of thing …just so we know the limitations on this exercise. But with that understanding, I love this kind of thing, I have the skills to do it, and would be honored to support your good work for the sport." All such reporting will be available on the home page when fresh and catalogued on its own space found by this link. Wonderful, simply wonderful! Please welcome Steve Beste as a new contributor to ByDanJohnson.com!

UPDATE September 26, 2018 — In the article above, I inadvertently suggested SilverLight and their American Ranger gyroplane was the first or only U.S. producer of such aircraft. That is not what I intended but some readers viewed it that way. Allow me to bring your attention to two other producers.

Sport Copter & Rotor Flight Dynamics

Based in Oregon, Sport Copter is a long established, second-generation family business started in 1958. Chuck Vanek was one of the early pioneers of gyroplane design and development beginning his work in 1957.

Chuck's son Jim Vanek took over the business and revamped the Vancraft designs. He said his "award-winning, world’s-first, two-place gyroplane took the prestigious Charles Lindbergh award at the Oshkosh airshow in 1985." The company also reports his Sport Copter II design was voted as one of the Top Ten Best Designs at AirVenture in 2011. An airshow performer, Jim said he wrote the parameters and guidelines for gyroplane looping for the FAA in 1998 after performing the world’s first loop in a conventional gyroplane, in 1997. The company's website reports, "He is the only gyro pilot in the world that holds an International Council of Air Shows card for gyroplane looping and rolling." Don't even think about trying this yourself, however. Rotor Flight Dynamics, founded and run by Ernie Boyette, produces a two place and single variations of their Dominator line. Sold as kit aircraft, the two-place model can be powered by Hirth four-cylinder engines, Subaru/AutoFlight EA-81, or the 115-horsepower Rotax 914 Turbo.

The company said, "We offer 22 thru 28 foot rotor blades of our own design with a lift capability from ultralight thru 1,200 pounds gross weight." They added, "We are the only manufacturer that test flies all blade sets prior to shipping." For export, Rotor Flight will fully build their aircraft but in the USA, FAA will only permit them to deliver kits, the same as all gyroplane producers. As with all the modern gyroplanes, Rotor Flight uses a substantial tailplane. "The Dominator [series of one and two-place machines] incorporate the Tall Tail design for stability." Asked how their product differs, the company's website states, "What makes the Dominator so unique is its high profile design. It sits up very high off the ground."

Updated September 26, 2018 — This article has been updated to include more producers. See at bottom. —DJ Over many years, you have found LSA market share information on this website. Many have found this of interest …from businesses learning more about their market; to customers doing careful investigation before paying tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new aircraft; to government fulfilling its task of regulating industry; to insurance companies assessing risk of providing their product; and many other actors in the blockbuster movie that is light, recreational aviation. I will have more to say about the broader LSA market share reports below but now I want to present the best information I have seen for Light-Sport Aircraft Gyroplanes. …uh, except for one problem. No such aircraft category exists, SLSA gyroplanes, that is. FAA has denied fully-built Special LSA status to rotary winged aircraft such as gyroplanes.

Light-Sport Aircraft Market Shares for Fleet and 2016

By Dan Johnson || May 1, 2017 9 Comments

A dozen years after FAA created aviation's newest sector, we have a new leader among manufacturers of fully built Light-Sport Aircraft. CubCrafters has been moving upward with several years hitting 50 deliveries. In 2016 the west coast builder finally topped perennial leader Flight Design, which slipped to second place. The CT builder had occupied the #1 position since the beginning of Light-Sport Aircraft. Only four aircraft separate the two brands. Note: this article has been updated twice; see at end. —DJ In the single-year race, Czech Sport Aircraft won convincingly with almost double the next closest producer. The Czech builder performed well in 2015 but significantly increased last year. Congratulations to both companies.

Our well-known SLSA Market Share chart illustrates the size of the entire fleet since the beginning of the newest category.

To explain further, our "whole fleet" market share chart — the one we have published going back to 2006 — keeps track of all Special LSA (SLSA) airplanes in the U.S. fleet. Regretfully, we are unable to properly account for weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, gyroplanes, or motorgliders because the database is too variable. This does not mean to criticize FAA data entry clerks; for example, how should they list a trike that uses a different ASTM-compliant wing? Does it deserve a different model name? Also, gyroplanes must be sold as kits in the USA (for now) even while fully built models are selling strongly overseas. We believe all the sub-categories of LSA could increase the fleet count by an additional 25% but we only show fixed wing airplanes in our chart. Likewise, we give a small reference to Experimental LSA (ELSA) when we can account for them with good accuracy. Finally, many two-place ultralights converted to ELSA before 2010 are not counted. Add all these types and the U.S. market for LSA or LSA-like aircraft probably exceeds 10,000 flying machines and even that does not include ultralights. For more on this accounting dilemma read this article or this one (see chart at end). The numbers come directly from FAA's registration (N-number) database. Besides the difficulty for FAA to correctly identify many makes and models, mistakes or changes happen. Entry errors can occur. Airplanes may be sold out of the USA. Mishaps can remove an aircraft from the database. These possibilities can cause our numbers not to identically match what a producer may show as American sales. Despite these disclaimers, we know our information is the best available and we work hard to assure the most accurate information we can find. For this effort, I am deeply grateful to LAMA Europe director, Jan Fridrich, who has faithfully maintained this information for more than a decade. Jan expertly does this tedious database work even as his job with the Czech Light Aircraft Association has taken him to China nearly two dozen times in the last couple years as he and his nation attempt to help China grow its recreational aircraft community. After producing the fleet chart for several years, people wanted to know how various companies had done only in the last year. For the last few years, we have broken out these figures in our calendar chart. Of course, this list faces he same challenges and our numbers may not exactly agree with what producer records show. Over time, both charts tend to get closer. We have and will continue to omit some brands from our Top-20 market share ranking if the supplying company leaves the business and no one absorbs their production. For example, Cessna has nearly 300 examples flying in America. However, since you can no longer buy a new one, even this famous brand may one day be dropped from the list.

Changes in the Rankings

Besides the leaders, the Top-5 brands remained steady with CubCrafters, Flight Design, Czech Sport Aircraft, American Legend, and Tecnam holding their highest rankings.

Our newer Calendar-Year SLSA Market Share table reveals which companies had the strongest performances in 2016.

Jabiru moved up one notch, while Remos slipped one. Aerotrek (another year-after-year gainer) climbed another rank while Evektor fell one. Nonetheless the top five, these last four, and Cessna are the only brands breaking into triple digits. Although Pipistrel gives us challenges to count (some are registered as Experimental Exhibition), the Slovenian company has also exhibited an even climb and now ranks 11th in the fleet or 3rd for calendar 2016. One fooler is SportairUSA, which markets both TL Ultralights and Zlin. Neither has broken 100 yet but when combined SportairUSA has and that's before fresh excitement over their new Outback Shock. Van's continues to make more fully built RV-12s with their partner Synergy Air. Progressive Aerodyne, builder of the Searey approved in both USA and China, has had and still boasts solid years. The central Florida company is the clear leader in LSA seaplanes even while Icon's A5 finally began to show up with 13 new registrations in 2016. Finally, while our main chart focuses on the top brands, note that the largest single percentage are registrations from “All other producers.” The same is true in our calendar year chart. Sometimes called "boutique brands," these companies continue to find customers. Even as Light-Sport Aircraft matures as a niche in the aviation industry, its promise remains strong. As our ongoing reporting from Aero and Sun 'n Fun shows, new models continue to be developed and governments in more countries are embracing the ASTM standards to approve these aircraft. No wonder the general aviation world wants what LSA has. Unlike legacy aircraft producers — those making general aircraft that have changed little over half a century — the LSA space continues to supply interesting, innovative, modestly priced, good performing, superbly equipped, and yes! …safe aircraft. Now that most manufacturers have seen BasicMed has not materially affected their business the American LSA segment grows steadily while worldwide sales continue to eclipse new GA single engine piston deliveries by multiple times. Update #1 — May 1, 2017: After this article was posted, Pete Krotje of Jabiru North America wrote, "Your 2016 LSA chart shows Jabiru North America with five units last year. The number is actually seven (N733Y, N766J, N768J, N72TA, N773J, N218KC, and N772J (a J170-D)." We love when vendors aid our effort to achieve accuracy. This information was shared with Jan Fridrich. Update #2 — May 2, 2017: After Tecnam's U.S. base got a number of calls about this article, we exchanged email about the process. While we can only reliably count FAA registrations and these numbers may not precisely match a seller's data, Tecnam USA observed, "FAA registers us in different ways. Sometimes just Tecnam, sometimes Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam, and sometimes Tecnam SRL C.A. So that might be why not all the Tecnams sold were included." Their sales records show the following 17 SLSA were sold in 2016: 7 Astore models, 8 P2008s, and 2 P92s. Thanks to Tecnam for sharing this and again, we forwarded the numbers to Jan.

A dozen years after FAA created aviation’s newest sector, we have a new leader among manufacturers of fully built Light-Sport Aircraft. CubCrafters has been moving upward with several years hitting 50 deliveries. In 2016 the west coast builder finally topped perennial leader Flight Design, which slipped to second place. The CT builder had occupied the #1 position since the beginning of Light-Sport Aircraft. Only four aircraft separate the two brands. Note: this article has been updated twice; see at end. —DJ In the single-year race, Czech Sport Aircraft won convincingly with almost double the next closest producer. The Czech builder performed well in 2015 but significantly increased last year. Congratulations to both companies. To explain further, our “whole fleet” market share chart — the one we have published going back to 2006 — keeps track of all Special LSA (SLSA) airplanes in the U.S. fleet. Regretfully, we are unable to properly account for weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, gyroplanes, or motorgliders because the database is too variable.

SLSA Market Shares Report & Commentary for 2015

By Dan Johnson || April 21, 2016 2 Comments

Updated 4/26/16 - This chart was updated to correct a formula error. The changed line refers to the "All other producers..." figure. It was 429 airplanes and 14.7% and that was incorrect.

SportCruiser by Czech Sport Aircraft, sold in the USA by U.S. Sport Aircraft, moved up again with a solid 2015.

While repeating another respectable year of SLSA sales (in addition to their kit sales), Searey may have become the best-selling LSA in China.

Article Updated 8/8/16 — The second chart appearing below for Calendar 2015 results had errors in the spreadsheet formula. They have been corrected below. —DJ My associate in Europe, Jan Fridrich of LAMA Europe, has been the source for a database search for many years as I seek to report market share statistics in the USA. He scours the FAA registration information and laboriously assembles the numbers. As he and I work to produce accurate info, Jan often makes contact with selected companies when questions arise, as they often do. I also reach out to producers in our effort to make the best possible use of the registration data to create our rankings. Jan has been one of his country's representatives in the Czech Republic's official work with the Chinese to help that nation build its lighter aviation infrastructure. He's made many trips to China in the last two years. Along with frequent travel in his job for the Light Aircraft Association time is short for him to find the hours it takes to review FAA's data. For 2015 data, he completed the effort as I headed to Sun 'n Fun and then to Aero, so... finally, here is our report with hearty thanks to Jan for doing this tedious work. The summary view is that American LSA registrations have remained very consistent over the last three years (2013, 2014, and 2105). Most industry players believe we should be seeing higher figures but the LSA results closely mirror trends reported by GAMA for type certified aircraft. Likely reasons for lower numbers may include pilots still uncertain what will happen with the medical and a large fleet of still airworthy though increasingly older used aircraft — the average age of which is around 38 years — that are available at lower cost than a new Light-Sport Aircraft. Since I am in Europe as this is written, I can pass along that several Europeans see a similar picture here, albeit without the medical issue. As 2016 began, America had just shy of 3,000 LSA airplanes in the registry. As we've said for years, this figure does not include weight shift aircraft, powered parachutes, motorgliders, or gyroplanes, which, if they could be accurately counted, would conservatively add 20%. Also, the figure also does not count many ELSA and should not count Experimental Amateur Built even if those aircraft are nearly identical to Special LSA. See this 2014 article for an effort to give a more accurate total of the LSA, LSA-like aircraft, and Sport Pilot-eligible aircraft operating in the United States. Our main fleet chart above reflects all SLSA airplanes ever sold in the USA, less any that have been removed from the registry, for example, if sold outside the USA or lost in an accident. As you can see, CubCrafters continues their climb and is now hovering just below Flight Design. Czech Sport Aircraft, American Legend, and Tecnam continue their growth making up the top five names. We leave Cessna on the chart for now but most readers know Skycatchers are no long being produced so they will climb no further. However, companies like Icon made their first tiny impact on the list with a single registration in 2015. I visited with Kirk Hawkins at Aero; he invited me to see their production facility in a month or so. When that California airframer begins serial production, their large number of orders should thrust them upward at an increasing pace (troublesome contract problems notwithstanding). In recent years our main chart also attempts to at least mention ELSA ad EAB where we believe we can rely on the numbers we find. Our more recent chart of single year performance is lead again by CubCrafters although even their pace slowed for 2015. The Western U.S. producer remains well ahead but others have done credibly well: Czech Sport Aircraft, Pipistrel, Progressive Aerodyne (Searey) and Van's. SportCruiser registrations were up from 2014 as were Pipistrel's while Van's, American Legend, Aerotrek, and Flight Design were down. Tecnam's numbers reflect only registrations of their LSA models but the company reports selling a similar number of type certified aircraft so their total American market presence is greater than our charts reflect. One you haven't seen at airshows in the last couple years is the Phoenix Air motorglider, an elegant machine but one in too-short supply, said U.S. importer Jim Lee. He has not been attending shows and will drop his advertising as delivery delays have stretched out too far despite interest he has found from American soaring enthusiasts. As noted, Icon added only one SLSA registration in 2015, Cessna is gone, and Quicksilver experienced their own drop from 2014 as that company reorganized. However, honorable mentions are deserved for Super Petrel (4 added), Sling (3), Brazilian Paradise is returning to the market after an absence (2 in 2015) and Topaz continues to build modestly (2). Another interesting development just announced includes the return of Zenair and their popular CH-750 STOL aircraft that will again be assembled as a ready-to-fly SLSA by M-Squared Aircraft in Alabama. Those readers fascinated with these numbers may wish to compare 2014 and 2013 info, so click those links to read those earlier reports. We dropped Allegro from the top-20 ranking even though their aircraft still has a good count as we've done with a few other brands over the years. Finally, while our main chart focuses on the top brands, note that the largest single percentage are registrations from "All other producers." So-called boutique brands still have their place in the LSA spectrum. As always, our disclaimer is that we only count FAA registrations and only those from the USA, which leaves out the rest of the world that accounts for most sales of LSA-type aircraft. Our statistics will not be identical to what companies reports as sales and do not include aircraft retired from service for any reason. Lastly, I repeat we cannot accurately count a share of new aircraft sales that might amount to 20-25% more if the data were reliable. These observations combine to make a more conservative report than may actually be factual but we prefer to err on the side of caution.

SLSA N-Number Registrations in First Half 2015

By Dan Johnson || September 10, 2015 Leave a Comment

Pipistrel's long-winged Sinus did quite well during the first half of 2015.

Florida-based Progressive Aerodyne is surging in sales since winning SLSA acceptance. They have also cracked the Chinese market.

The U.S. market for Special Light-Sport Aircraft continues to grow at steady pace, modestly better than the trend for single engine piston certified aircraft as reported by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association for the first half of 2015. SLSA deliveries in the half-year period totaled 97 units, with 91 of those coming from 15 manufacturers, showing that the famous 80/20 rule still generally applies ... more than 80% of the market is supplied by less than 20% of the builders. It also implies the majority of those companies who previously earned FAA acceptance for their LSA models are either quite slow or inactive in the U.S. market. We'd prefer to describe vigorous growth but the so-named Great Recession seems to be lingering on; at least it appears the much-talked-about recovery has left most of aviation still looking for improved business. Evidence of a still-troubled global economy is even clearer when you consider the wild stock market gyrations of recent weeks. Even while some sectors and companies continue to struggle, some are more successful. In this first half 2015 LSA market share report, we'll hit some highlights and save a more detailed analysis for the full 2015 year report early next year. One LSA businessman asked, "I know some companies out there may be claiming [many sales]." Yet other than Icon — and previously Cessna — I have never heard of any company that claimed to have sold large numbers of airplanes. Most of the more successful producers have moved steadily forward without any big leap in sales. The laborious research done so faithfully by my friend and LAMA Europe business associate, Jan Fridrich, allows me to report first half 2015 numbers. Jan's study of FAA's N-Number registration database shows four companies with decent results. Of course, "decent" is a relative term. If you compare airplane sales — at any level from hang gliders to bizjets — to automobile sales or smartphone deliveries, the numbers look microscopic. Remember, the entire world has somewhere over one million pilots and only one in four of them might own an airplane bought any time in the last quarter to half century. Building airplanes is not a volume business and aircraft production is probably closer to that of exotic supercar manufacturers. One hundred sales in a year is a great performance and very, very few companies hit or exceed that. Special LSA registrations are running almost identical to 2014's figures. This can be viewed positively in the sense that it is better than GAMA's reported 12% decline for the first half of 2015. Regretfully, both sets of numbers show continued softness in aviation, whether general or sport/recreational. Figures for the LSA industry appear to be about a quarter of GAMA's Single Engine Piston category that compares most accurately with SLSA registrations. However, as I've often observed, the U.S. market is by far the largest for general aviation airplanes where sport and recreational sell better outside the USA. When you consider the rest of the world, LSA or LSA-type aircraft may sell two to three times the number of certified aircraft sold in America. Unfortunately, widely differing national systems make it very difficult to count aircraft in other countries. We prefer to report solid information rather than guesstimates even if it makes the industry look smaller than it is. For a look at global figures see this article and this one, which was updated here. Our numbers also reflect only fully manufactured LSA as those are the only aircraft we can reliably count when researching FAA's registration database, regretfully omitting weight shift, powered parachutes, motorgliders, and of course, gyroplanes. Nonetheless, we do have some valid information for ELSA (at least for the most recognizable companies, such as Van's Aircraft). Adding known ELSA and those Experimental Amateur Built models boosts the total. In the first half of 2015, CubCrafters remains the strongest seller logging 23 new registrations or about one a week. The western U.S. producer is steadily approaching Flight Design's once-unassailable #1 spot although Icon is a company that could dramatically alter the market share ranking if they are successful at serial production of their large order book. Pipistrel registered 17 SLSA in the first half of 2015, which looks to be the second best performance after CubCrafters. The European company also sells a fair number of motorglider types registered differently from SLSA. Indeed 14 of the 17 were their long winged Sinus that offers interchangeable wing extensions (see video). Progressive Aerodyne has also accelerated smartly since winning FAA acceptance of their SLSA version of their popular Searey that has been quite successful as a kit-built model. The Florida seaplane producer has also cracked the China market and may soon become the number one LSA seller in that country. They've already sold a dozen Seareys and have several more orders in the pipeline. If China grows as many anticipate, this American company could move forward quickly, especially in a region where airports remain in short supply. Other companies that did reasonably well in the first half of 2015 include Jabiru (who also reported good sales at Oshkosh that should show up in our report covering the second half of 2105), Tecnam, SportCruiser, Flight Design, Aerotrek, American Legend (with their powerful Super Legend), Rans (S-7LS), and the lovely Phoenix LSA motorglider. Postscript — I don't know how many of you saw AOPA writer Al Marsh's article, but the following appears to show a fairly rosy future for Light-Sport and Sport Pilot. Of course, as Al notes, FAA cannot see the future better than anyone else. Nonetheless, here's what he wrote: "Where is general aviation headed? The truth is, nobody knows, but the FAA is paid to try to predict the future. Earlier this year the FAA released these numbers that are as good as any at predicting the future." 593,499 Total number of pilots in 2014 — predicted to increase to 617,000 in 2035 174,883 Number of private pilots in 2014 — predicted to drop to 163,600 in 2035 120,546 Number of student pilots in 2014 — predicted to drop to 112,200 in 2035 44.8 Average age of a U.S. pilot in 2014 (Note: LSA pilots tend to be markedly older) 139,890 Number of aircraft in the piston-engine fleet in 2014 — predicted to drop to 125,935 in 2035 198,860 GA fleet total in 2014 — predicted to increase to 214,260 in 2035 2,200 Estimated Light-Sport Aircraft fleet in 2014 • — predicted to increase to 5,360 in 2035 5,157 Number of Sport Pilots in 2014 — predicted to grow to 14,950 by 2035 • I do not know where FAA found this number since their own database shows more than 2,750 SLSA through December 2014 based on a study of the agency's registration data.