Business Aviation Recovery Expected to be Slow

George Larson This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The consensus among the aircraft manufacturing chieftains gathered at the Aero Club of Wichita, Kan., yesterday was that general aviation has stabilized as a much smaller industry, and further, that growth in orders and production rates won't happen anytime soon.

Cessna CEO Jack Pelton, Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture, and Bombardier Learjet VP and general manager David Coleal represented the general aviation and business aircraft manufacturers, while Jeff Turner of Spirit AeroSystems spoke for the airline and heavier commercial industries and Scot Oathout, Boeing director of B-52 programs, addressed the view from the defense side. Flying magazine editor Mac McClellan moderated the discussion.

Pelton said, "We don't like what it looks like, low production and orders for some time." Boisture added, "2010 will be a difficult year" but was thankful for Hawker Beech's commercial and military products, such as the T-6 trainer and special mission King Airs. He said the crux of the problem is that banks won't lend money for an airplane purchase because the value of the collateral asset is "unknown in this economy."

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