Strong Survive, Even Thrive in Another Slow Year
By Dan Johnson, November 21, 2010
Accompanying this article is our customary chart showing market share of the entire fleet of LSA. I've received a few comments over recent months that we should emphasize current-period results. Market share for many products, computers, for example, are given as total market share ("Windows has 90% of the market."). *** In truth, I have reported current-period results in the article text for the last few updates. We've collected
all market reports to make reviewing them easier. Here's a look-back with emphasis on results only for 2010. *** With 83% of the year (10 months) accounted for,
Piper's legacy brand is convincingly
leading the market. At
43 airplanes registered in 2010 (24% of all registrations), the Vero Beach, Florida company is rising rapidly.
Note as always that these figures do not match actual sales activity at companies. *** Following Piper,
CubCrafters is enjoying a strong year, said Jim Richmond at AOPA as his company added
37 LSA registrations (20% of all '10 LSA). The company also has a Part 23 line and does service work on Cub-types, so the enterprise is surviving well in this downturn. *** No one should be surprised that
Cessna added 29 Skycatchers (16%) to FAA's registry (the source of all figures for this report). Other reports suggest Cessna should ship about 150 LSA for 2011, which will sharpen an already-
close battle for second place. *** Looking at overall fleet share, American Legend, Czech Sport Aircraft (Piper), and CubCrafters are within a few aircraft of one another. Tecnam is within easy catch-up range, and Cessna will likely join this club in 2011.
Remos may resurge and the
Jabiru/Arion group is also tantalizingly close. All these brands trail perpetual market leader
Flight Design by a wide margin. *** Back to 2010... industry stalwarts Flight Design and
Tecnam are having OK years at 17 (9%) and 14 (8%) respectively registered in the first 10 months of the year. Next up is newer arrival, the Lightning with 9 (5%) new registrations, followed by
American Legend at 6 and
Paradise at 5 registered.
All other producers may be specialty or smaller manufacturers but they account for
258 aircraft - or one in seven LSA! - including some rising stars like
Arion's Lightning LS-1.
photo courtesy Arion Aircraft
*** Honorable mentions for registration activity in 2010 go to
TL/SportairUSA for adding four new Sirius;
Aerotrek with four new A-series LSA;
Skykits with four Savannah,
FPNA with three A-20 series models; and,
3Xtrim with a pair of Navigator 600s. *** At 182 registrations and projecting to a full year, I estimate
218 new registrations in 2010, down 4% from an also dreadfully slow 2009. After two years of waiting for greater certainty in the economy, several industry veterans believe buyers could unleash some pent-up demand in 2011.
