After a short hiatus, market information on Light-Sport Aircraft and light kit aircraft, including gyroplanes, is one again available for review on ByDanJohnson.com.
The data were last reported for the calendar year 2016.
Besides being the earliest report ever issued, the 2018 report is significantly more complete, according to Johnson, who writes the SPLOG (Sport Pilot Blog) for GeneralAviationNews.com.
The data shows which companies are registering the most aircraft and how fleet numbers were affected in 2018 performances.
For many years, ByDanJohnson.com has reported market share information and assembled the data so readers could see which brands were leading the charge in light aviation. This information was not only eagerly welcomed by the airframe producer and equipment manufacturer communities, but also by aircraft owners, prospective buyers, insurance and other companies, member organizations, and even by government.
The new resource is referred to as LSA Market Info 2.0. It is available now and is free of any charge.
Additions to LSA Market Info
In the past, only ready-to-fly Special Light-Sport Aircraft were reported because data on “alternative LSA,” such as weight shift trikes or powered parachutes were unreliable using the methods available then, according to Johnson.
LSA Market Info 2.0 includes all aircraft types that are built to completion by the manufacturer using ASTM standards and commonly accepted best practices.
However, to bring a more accurate and full portrayal of all “LSA-like” aircraft, the new report includes full data on kit-built aircraft, including both Experimental Amateur Built and Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft.
“The results may be surprising to those reviewing the tables and charts,” Johnson says.
The data do not rely on reports from companies about their deliveries. Instead, using the FAA aircraft registration database, the data have been assembled covering fully manufactured Special Light-Sport Aircraft and light kit aircraft. The latter are included if the manufacturer has ever declared compliance to ASTM standards for a model and if the FAA has accepted that model as a compliant aircraft.
However, to fully report the category, modern gyroplanes were also included as they are enjoying strong sales despite the FAA continuing to disallow them as Special LSA. They can only be offered in kit form at this time.
Did You Know This About LSA?
Around the globe, surveys show more than 66,000 LSA-like aircraft, a number that is approximately one-third of all type certificated single engine piston general aviation aircraft in the world. The vast majority of these aircraft have been delivered since 2000. Nearly all are two-seat aircraft.
The USA has about 80% of type certificated single engine piston general aviation aircraft in the world, with all other countries accounting for about 20% of the total.
The USA has about 20% of all LSA-like aircraft, with the rest of the world accounting for 80%.
The Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft regulation is approaching its 15th anniversary. Safety has been repeatedly acknowledged by FAA as “acceptable.” A growing number of countries now accept ASTM standards as a means of approving aircraft for flight.
Note: The report does not include two-place ultralight vehicles that were grandfathered in as ELSA (ending in 2010) because those aircraft did not declare or prove compliance to ASTM standards. This is not a negative bias against them, but they are too difficult to accurately identify and no more will be produced, Johnson says.