Top 10 General Aviation Stories Of The Year

Here are the blockbuster aviation stories of a remarkable 2018 for GA.

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 05:08 AM ET

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Plane flies by control tower.

Key Takeaways:

General aviation in 2018 saw a mix of challenges and successes, including the successful defense against ATC privatization, a record-setting year for aviation safety, and the Cirrus Vision Jet winning the Collier Trophy, contrasted with concerns over the ADS-B mandate deadline and FBO fees.
The aviation landscape is rapidly changing with disruptive technologies like widespread drone integration, which presents significant regulatory and safety hurdles, and the speculative development of autonomous "Uber-of-the-skies" urban air mobility.
The airline industry experienced a major hiring boom due to pilot retirements and increased air travel, creating a high demand for ATPs and leading to improved wages and benefits for pilots.

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2. Cirrus Jet Wins Collier

Cirrus Aircraft SF50 Vision Jet, photographed on March 27, 2017 from Wolfe Air Cessna O-337.

It’s not often that general aviation gets a big win, but in April Cirrus Aircraft took home aviation’s highest honor when it was awarded the 2017 Collier Trophy for its groundbreaking SF50 Vision Jet. Competing against a field of nine aircraft and spacecraft, including the favorite for the prize, the Boeing 737 MAX, and several other noteworthy nominees, the Vision Jet became the first light aircraft to take home the prize since 2005, when the Eclipse 500 twinjet won the honors. Cirrus delivered the SF50 in December of 2016 and has by now delivered almost 100 of the jets and has orders for hundreds more.

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