The General Aviation Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) is the industry trade association representing

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

(non-military & non-airliner) aircraft manufacturers and related enterprises, chiefly in the United States.General Aviation Manufacturers' Assn. website
Staff
retrieved May 18, 2013. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an office in Brussels, Belgium.

History

Light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

manufacturers in the United States were typically members of the

Aerospace Industries Association The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, material, and related ...

(originally called the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce), which represented all aircraft manufacturers in the U.S. catering to military aviation,

commercial aviation Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation. Definition Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and ae ...

and

. Increasing division of interests and priorities, and the disproportionate power of the military and commercial aircraft manufacturers, led to the establishment of a new organization to represent general aviation aircraft manufacturers. The organization was established as the Utility Aircraft Council, until its director died suddenly. That organization's public relations man, Ed Stimpson, took the reins and evolved the organization into GAMA in 1970.Steketee. Drew (former GAMA Communications Dir. under Stimpson) "Ed Stimpson A Modest Giant In GA," ''AVweb'' aviation news website, Nov.29, 2009 Initially, GAMA represented general aviation fixed-wing aircraft (not helicopter) manufacturers in the United States only. It has since grown to embrace aircraft manufacturers in other countries, with an additional office in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. In 2011, GAMA members voted to open GAMA membership to helicopter manufacturers as well. Epstein, Curt,
Turbine Aircraft Deliveries Continue to Slide in Third Quarter
''Aviation International News,'' December 2011 GAMA has also expanded its membership to include producers of general aviation engines,

avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...

, spare parts and related services. The organization claims to represent over 80 manufacturers.

Issues and outcomes

GAMA serves as a: * Political lobbying group, representing the interests of the manufacturers of general aviation aircraft and products to governmentsPope, Stephen,
President Obama's $100 User Fee Plan is DOA: Here's Why
" ''FLYING'' Magazine, April 11, 2013, New York. * Industry data and information clearinghouse, public relations and reporting service (particularly publishing quarterly aircraft production data and the annual ''GAMA Statistical Yearbook and Industry Outlook'', which typically contains an annualized summary of the quarterly reports, over several years, with additional general aviation statistics, and analysis)Publications page
GAMA websiteEpstein, Curt ,
GAMA: Bizjet, Turboprop Deliveries Rise in 1Q13
" AINonline, May 9, 2013 * Industry partnering organization, providing for joint efforts by general aviation manufacturers towards shared goals (among these, various industry promotions, training, scholarships and awards programs)Phelps, Mark
GAMA, BuildAPlane Launch Educational Initiative
" Mar 12, 2013, ''FLYING'' Magazine, New YorkPope, Stephen
GAMA, IMC Club Host Oshkosh IFR Forums
" ''FLYING'' Magazine, July 23, 2012.''General Aviation News'' staf
"GAMA awards scholarships"
May 14, 2013, ''General Aviation News'' magazine. Among the issues dealt with by GAMA have been:Epstein, Curt, " Final Flight: Amb. Edward Stimpson" ''Aviation International News'' magazine, January 2010 issue posted online December 28, 2009National Business Aircraft Association, Press Release:
NBAA Marks Passing of Aviation Industry Icon Ed Stimpson
, Nov. 25, 2009, Washington, D.C.McMillin, Molly, senior aviation reporter
Aviation industry veteran Ed Stimpson dies
" from "Air Capital Insider" blog on website of ''Wichita Eagle & Beacon'' newspaper, Nov. 27, 2009Steketee, Drew
Airspeed, airlines and economics, Part 2
''General Aviation News'', April 8, 2013 * Encouraging people to become lightplane pilots * Lobbying for manufacturing and safety standards suiting the GAMA members * Establishment of the

Airport and Airway Trust Fund The Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) provides funding for the federal commitment to the aviation system of the United States of America through several aviation-related excise taxes. It was established on the books of the United States Departm ...

* Allocation of aviation fuel during the Arab oil embargo of the mid-1970s * Dealing with the impact of the PATCO strike by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization that crippled U.S. aviation in the 1980s * Leading the (eventually successful) effort to pass the

General Aviation Revitalization Act The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, also known by its initials GARA, is Public Law 103-298, an Act of Congress on Senate Bill S. 1458 (103rd Congress), amending the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. It was intended to counteract the effe ...

, which shields manufacturers of

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

from lawsuits over crashes of small aircraft that are 18 years old or older (This act, passed in 1994 after several years of GAMA lobbying, is credited with reviving the small aircraft industry, which had been hard hit by a rapidly rising tide of crash-lawsuits) * Corporate risk managers' opposition to corporate aviation * Shortages of aviation fuel for piston-powered aircraft * Government attempts to tax general aviation through "user fees" * The shift of general aviation away from mass-market, piston-powered light aircraft to narrow-market, high-priced business jets and turboprops

Members

Current member organizations are:

Aircraft manufacturers

Air Tractor Air Tractor Inc. is a United States aircraft manufacturer based in Olney, Texas. Founded in 1978, the company began manufacturing a new agricultural aircraft derived from the S-2B aircraft (designed by founder Leland Snow's previous compa ...

, Inc. * Airbus Helicopters *

Beechcraft Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general avi ...

Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in M ...

* Boeing Business Jets *

Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...

Cessna Aircraft Company Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...

* Cirrus Aircraft * CubCrafters, Inc. *

DAHER-SOCATA SOCATA (later EADS Socata and DAHER-SOCATA) was a French producer of general aviation aircraft propelled by piston engines and turboprops, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft stru ...

Dassault Falcon The Dassault Falcon is a family of business jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation. July 2017 saw the 2,500th Falcon delivered – a Falcon 900LX – since the first Falcon 20 was handed over to a customer in 1965. The fleet has accumula ...

Diamond Aircraft Industries Diamond Aircraft Industries is a Chinese-owned manufacturer of general aviation aircraft and motor gliders, based in Austria. It is the third largest manufacturer of aircraft for the general aviation sector, and has manufacturing facilities i ...

Eclipse Aerospace Eclipse Aerospace was an American aircraft manufacturer, maintenance and upgrade company. The company provided maintenance and upgrades to the Eclipse 500 fleet and was the manufacturer of the Eclipse 550. The company was formed specifically ...

* Embraer * Flight Design GmbH * Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation * Nextant Aerospace, LLC *

Piaggio Aero Industries Piaggio Aerospace, formerly Piaggio Aero Industries, is a multinational aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Villanova d'Albenga, Italy. The company designs, develops, manufactures and maintains aircraft, aero-engines, aerospace ...

S.p.A. * Pilatus Aircraft, Ltd. * Piper Aircraft, Inc. *

Quest Aircraft The Quest Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer located in Sandpoint, Idaho. Quest was started in 2001 to design and provide aircraft suitable for humanitarian applications. Its sole product was the Quest Kodiak, Kodiak single ...

Company *

Sabreliner The North American Sabreliner, later sold as the Rockwell Sabreliner, is an American mid-sized business jet developed by North American Aviation. It was offered to the United States Air Force (USAF) in response to its Utility Trainer Experimen ...

Corporation *

Thrush Aircraft Thrush Aircraft, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Albany, Georgia. It currently manufactures the Thrush series of agricultural aircraft. History Rockwell International originally built the facility in 1965 and operated it unt ...

Inc. *

Universal Hydrogen Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

Co.

Engine manufacturers

Continental Aerospace Technologies Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and own ...

GE Aviation GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. GE Aviation is among the top aircraft engine suppliers, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of t ...

GE Honda Aero Engines GE Honda Aero Engines LLC is a joint venture between GE Aviation and Honda Aero based in Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and terr ...

, LLC * Honeywell - Business & General Aviation * Lycoming Engines * Pratt & Whitney Canada *

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

* SMA *

Williams International Williams International is an American manufacturer of small gas turbine engines based in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It produces jet engines for cruise missiles and small jet aircraft. History Dr. Sam B. Williams worked at Chrysler on t ...

Avionics manufacturers

* Aero-Mach Labs * Appareo *

Aspen Avionics Aspen Avionics is an American aircraft avionics manufacturer. Aspen specializes in producing aftermarket EFIS display systems that retrofit into certified general aviation aircraft. The Evolution Flight Display system family is the company's ma ...

Avidyne Corporation Avidyne Corporation is an avionics company based in Melbourne, Florida. Avidyne is developer of Integrated Avionics Systems, multi-function displays, and traffic advisory systems for light general aviation (GA) aircraft. Headquartered in Melbou ...

* Cobham Avionics, Integrated Systems * Dynon, Inc. * Esterline CMC Electronics * FreeFlight Systems * Garmin International Inc. * Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. *

L-3 Communications L3 Technologies, formerly L-3 Communications Holdings, was an American company that supplied command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( C3ISR) systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training d ...

- Products Group * Collins Aerospace * Safe Flight Instrument Corporation * Sandel Avionics, Inc. * Thales Canada Inc. * Universal Avionics Systems Corp.

Component manufacturers and service providers

* ATP * Avfuel Corporation * Aviall, Inc * B/E Aerospace, Inc. * BBA Aviation * Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. * Bosch General Aviation Technology GmbH * BRS Aerospace * CAE SimuFlite * CAV Aerospace, Inc. * Duncan Aviation * Extant Components Group * FlightSafety International, Inc. * ForeFlight, LLC * General Aviation Modifications, Inc * GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems Inc. * Greenwich AeroGroup * Hartzell Propeller, Inc. * ICE Corporation * International Communications Group (ICG) * Jeppesen * Jet Aviation * Jet Support Services, Inc. * Kaman Corporation * Meggitt Safety Systems Inc. * Meggitt Sensing Systems * NORDAM * Parker Aerospace * PATS Aircraft Systems * PPG Aerospace * Redbird Flight Simulations, Inc. * SimCom International * StandardAero * Stevens Aviation * Taylor-Deal Aviation LLC * Teton Aviation Group, LLC * Triumph Group, Inc. * UTC Aerospace Systems * Wipaire, Inc. * Woodward, Inc.

Leadership and key people

Ed Stimpson (died 2009) headed GAMA for 25 years as its first president and shaped the identity and role of the organization. Drew Steketee served as communications director from 1980 to 1987.Dedications & Reunions
by Drew Steketee, on General Aviation News, March 2011.Aviation Pioneers: Drew Steketee
" ''Wings Over Kansas'' Pete Bunce is the current president and CEO since 2005.General Aviation Manufacturers' Assn. website
Staff
as downloaded May 18, 2013.

References

External links

* {{Aviation lists Aviation organizations