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:

2018 was a mixed year for aviation, marked by significant challenges such as the looming ADS-B deadline, high FBO fees, the closure of Santa Monica Airport, and complex drone integration issues, though attempts to privatize ATC were successfully resisted.
Despite these hurdles, the year saw major triumphs, including the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet winning the Collier Trophy, the widespread adoption of affordable digital retrofit avionics, and general aviation achieving its safest year ever.
The aviation industry also experienced a massive pilot hiring boom due to demographic shifts, while new technologies like electric and autonomous aircraft ("Ubers of the Skies") signaled potential future directions.

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3. Safest Year In Aviation!Ever

Airplane in hanger. — Aviation had safest year ever.

According to the AOPA Air Safety Institute, 2016 was the safest year in GA history. While there are various explanations for why we’ve seen such a decline in accidents—no one seems shy about rushing in and taking credit—the truth is that there are dozens of possible contributors. The bottom line is a wonder to behold. In 2016, accidents were down by 57 percent compared to a baseline standard that averaged accident rates for a five-year period from 2001 to 2005. Fatal accidents in 2016 were 41 percent lower than during that same baseline period. The even better news? Based on data trends, 2017 looks as though it could be safer still.

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