The General Aviation Manufacturers Association has published the shipment report for the first quarter of 2015 and the numbers are not looking good. The shipments included 678 airplanes and rotorcraft for a total value of $5.3 billion. That may not sound bad, but the numbers represent declines in total billings of 12.6 percent for airplanes and 17.9 percent for rotorcraft compared with the same period last year.
The numbers were particularly disappointing for the rotorcraft industry, which had a tough year in 2014 with an overall decline of $400 million over the previous year. The numbers were not quite as alarming for the airplane segment since it had a good year in 2014, with the exception of the turboprop market, which decreased by 6.5 percent. Turboprops saw the lowest decline this year so far with an 8 percent drop.
