“A lot of them have come from aviation are going to come back and we’ve got a lot of automotive companies that are diving into this space very rapidly - international automotive companies. You have three dimensions to work in versus two.’ Those experts are telling us, ‘boy, we’d love to be in aviation,’” Bunce added. “When we talk to the auto industry they say, ‘You have a simpler problem to solve. And those vehicles use some technologies that are borrowed from aviation. “And I think if we as an industry are smart, there’s a lot of development and new technologies and new products that we can look into and that’s very exciting for the years ahead.”Īfter all, Caldecott added, the concept of autonomous cars is creeping closer and closer to application. “It’s really something that’s close to the heart of European aviators because of the environmental issues which is really concerning Europe, noise abatement,” he said. With his company based in Luxembourg, he noted Europeans are keen on the idea of futuristic aircraft, as well. As did fellow panelist David Van Den Langenbergh, Luxaviation Group CTO and GAMA airworthiness and maintenance committee chair.
Simon Caldecott, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft, agreed with this sentiment, as the immediate past GAMA chairman sat on Bunce’s panel. Things like envelope protection are leading to types of autonomous operations, he said. What we’re trying to do is give the pilot more information, relevant to when they’re operating.” “When we talk about simplified vehicle operations, it’s really about, in my mind, and I say this as a pilot - the pilot is probably the weakest link in the loop. “I don’t have the best crystal ball, but I can tell you that the building blocks of achieving that are in what we’re doing now and today,” Straub said of urban air mobility. While the industry has a long way to go, it’s doing all the right work, right now. GAMA continues to view urban air mobility as an opportunity that can be accomplished. “Not since the dawn of the jet age do I think we had opportunity like we have now,” Bunce said, “with being able to look at what electric and hybrid propulsion and simplified vehicle operations can do for aviation and where potentially this could go.” That, paired with the worldwide pursuit of innovation, makes for an exciting time not only rotorcraft, but aviation as a whole. If 2018 follows the 2017 trend, the rotorcraft industry could see an increase in demand. “So, I think now there’s some refresh going on in the industry that’s made us all go, ‘Keep it going! Keep it rolling!’ It’s pretty good.” “Tt’s a more complex mechanical type of operation than the normal fixed-wing aircraft,” he said. He explained too that the “refresh rate” on rotorcraft is stimulating the market. “As we did the analysis on the data, were excited about what’s happening in the emerging markets that are out there,” “I wish every sector was up as much as we’ve seen on the rotorcraft side,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO. Piston rotorcraft shipments were at nearly 350 in 2013, while the same year saw nearly $7 billion in turbine rotorcraft billings.īut double-digit increases are noteworthy. Rotorcraft shipment and billings numbers for 2017 were small in comparison to 20 numbers. Shipments increased by 3.9% to 662, while billings increased 1% to $3.6 billion. The preliminary numbers for turbine rotorcraft shipments and billings also showed increases, although small in comparison. Piston rotorcraft billings experienced a 12.6% increase in billings at $107 million.Īudible gasps of amazement, excitement or unbelief - perhaps a combination thereof - erupted from the previously silent crowd. Piston rotorcraft shipments experienced an increase of 17.9% in 2017, with 264. Straub explained that this could be attributed to aircraft mix. The audience silently listened along.īusiness jets experienced a 1.3% increase in shipments and a 3.9% decrease in billings.
Turboprop airplane shipments saw a decrease of 3.3% and a 12.6% decrease in billings. “The segment had one of its better years since the end of the recession,” Straub said to a silent audience.