It was a year filled with big news stories that not only helped to reshape the general aviation landscape but will almost certainly continue to do so for many years to come. The past 12 months have seen aircraft milestones, major changes to FAA regulations and a presidential election unlike any we have witnessed in our lifetimes. How these changes will affect general aviation we won’t fully know for some time, but it’s obvious we are now at a crossroads that will lead us down a new path. Here are the stories and events Flying covered in 2016 that we’ll all look back on as the touchstones for transformative change.
Flying’s Top 20 Aviation Stories of 2016
Key Takeaways:
- Major regulatory changes impacted general aviation, including new commercial drone rules (Part 107), the introduction of Third-Class Medical reform, an ADS-B rebate program, and a significant rewrite of Part 23 aircraft certification standards.
- The year saw the certification and delivery of revolutionary aircraft like the Cirrus Vision Jet and HondaJet, along with various updated models and the completion of the Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey.
- General aviation faced ongoing industry challenges such as the Santa Monica Airport battle and the debate over ATC privatization, while also experiencing increased foreign investment and the potential impacts of the US presidential election.
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