General aviation is driven by myriad forces. A strong or soft market overall can dramatically influence any given airplane’s success, quite apart from how it looks or performs. Pricing, too, carries an outsized influence—get the value proposition right, even at a relatively high cost, and customers will show up waving cash.
Then there’s the sales and marketing footprint. Why do you think Cessna became the GA leader back in the day? It had dealers everywhere, stock on hand, and profitable leaseback opportunities. Plus, you know, the airplanes were pretty OK.
Life hasn’t been that simple in the light sport sector, which has, since 2005, been sending a wide range of two-seat, modest-performance airplanes into the world. Many of them have come from beyond U.S. shores, where the temptation of much…
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Plane & Pilot (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2025