TRANSPORTATION - BTS - Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Freight also is moved in the cargo-holds of passenger aircraft and in dedicated all-cargoaircraft. To meet the increased demand for air-freight traffic, the fleet of dedicated all-cargo jetaircraft increased from 70 aircraft in 1975 to 1,013 aircraft in 1999 (figure 2-23). The mostsignificant change in the fleet during the 1980s was the extensive use of Boeing 727 freightersdue to the rapid growth of integrated express carriers.General Aviation: Generalaviation—the use ofbusiness and corporateaircraft, personal aircraft,and air taxis—is in a periodof strong growth, with moreplanes flying, more newaircraft being delivered, andmore pilots earning theirlicenses. Even greaterincreases are projected forthe next quarter century[USDOT FAA OAPP 2000].Figure 2-23U.S. All-Cargo Fleet: 1975-991,2001,000800Aircraft600400After a decline in the early1990s, general aviationactivity increased 4.3 percentper year between 1996and 1999 [USDOT FAA2000b]. The turnaround in200019751980 1985 1990 1995 1999Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Working Paperon Aerospace Capacity and Demand (Washington, DC: 2000).general aviation is attributed to the U.S. economic expansion during the Clinton-Goreadministration, in 1993, President Clinton’s first trip to Everett, Washington, focused onbringing the aviation leaders together to foster growth in the industry after a seriousdownturn in prior year profits. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)estimates that more than 7,000 U.S. companies operate business aircraft. Favorable economicconditions have improved the market demand for business jets, especially for larger aircraftwith ranges of more than 6,000 miles. In addition, fractional ownership, aircraft sharedamong several individuals or businesses, has contributed to the demand for business jets[GAMA 2000].Fixed-wing piston aircraft continue to dominate general aviation, currently accounting formore than 79 percent of the active fleet. Currently, the size of the fixed-wing piston fleet issimilar to that of 1975, but the industry is rebounding from a decline in the early 1990s(figure 2-24). The size of the fixed-wing turbine fleet has more than tripled since 1975, totaling12,700 in 1999 (figure 2-25).GAMA has estimated that more than 25,000 manufacturing jobs have been created in thegeneral aviation industry as a result of GARA. GARA limits the number of years for whichmanufacturers are liable for general aviation aircraft. The general aviation industry had beenin a dramatic decline in the 1980s—U.S. companies sold more than 17,000 piston aircraft in1979 and had dropped to less than 700 in 1999—citing the costs of liability insurance forolder aircraft as a major cause in this decline. GAMA also reports increases in generalaviation exports, new general aviation products due to increases in research and developmentby its members, and an increase in the number of student pilots [GAMA 1999].Commercial Space Transportation: Commercial space transportation did not exist in 1975.However, since the mid-1990s, commercial space-launch activities have grown as U.S. com–mercial companies responded to the increased global demand for commercial satellite-launch2-25