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:

Aviation in 2018 saw both triumphs, such as the Cirrus Vision Jet winning the Collier Trophy and general aviation experiencing its safest years on record, along with the introduction of more affordable digital avionics.
The industry faced significant challenges, including a successful fight against ATC privatization, persistent issues with excessive FBO fees, and the looming ADS-B equipage deadline with many aircraft still unprepared.
New technologies like drones emerged as a major disruptive force, prompting ongoing regulatory and safety debates, while concepts for autonomous "Ubers of the Skies" gained attention for future air mobility.
The airline industry experienced a major pilot hiring frenzy driven by demographic trends and increased demand, leading to significantly improved wages and benefits for pilots.

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7. A Long Goodbye For Santa Monica

Aerial view of Santa Monica airport — Santa Monica closed down its small GA airport.

After a harrowing back and forth with the city of Santa Monica, the FAA and the general aviation community, the city of Santa Monica, which clearly hates GA and cares not a whit for its rich aviation heritage, “won.” The FAA, which had previously been pushing Santa Monica to keep its small oceanfront GA airport open, swapped sides and without warning gave in to the city’s evil plan to shut down KSMO. The negotiated plan is for the city to lop off a third of the runway (to keep most light jets away) and to bulldoze the strip altogether by 2028, allowing pilots to enjoy SMO for another nine years before it becomes the latest downtown GA airport to go away.

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