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

Verified

Plane flies by control tower.

Key Takeaways:

General aviation in 2018 was marked by significant regulatory battles, including successfully stymieing the privatization of air traffic control, addressing the complex integration and regulation of drones, and facing the looming ADS-B equipage deadline.
The year also celebrated key industry triumphs, such as the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet winning the Collier Trophy, advancements in low-cost digital retrofit avionics for GA planes, and a robust hiring frenzy for airline pilots.
Aviation achieved its safest year on record, while simultaneously grappling with emerging disruptive technologies like "Ubers of the Skies" (autonomous air transport) and the persistent issue of high FBO ramp and fuel fees.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10