Cubrafters reports record year in deliveries
January 4, 2013, 02:11 pm
CubCrafters, a light aircraft designer and manufacturer, recently reported that it delivered 58 new airplanes throughout 2012, accounting for a 23 percent increase on a year-over-year comparison and an all-time record amount of units sold.
“We’ve come a long way during the past few years,” said Randy Lervold, CubCrafters General Manager. “Despite the economic climate, we’ve managed to defy industry trends and set CubCrafters on a growth path. There’s certainly more work to be done, but we already expect to increase deliveries in 2013 to 66 aircraft.”
The deliveries spanned across three models, including the Carbon Cub SS, Sport Cub S2 and Top Cub. The company also added that it delivered 24 Carbon Cub EX kits during the same period of time, accounting for another all-time record. In 2012, CubCrafters added a 15,000 square-foot weld and CNC machine shop to expand on its FAA-certified manufacturing facility.
CubCrafters President Jim Richmond said the company has been careful with how they manage growth, stating that overwhelming demand for the Carbon Cub SS tempted CubCrafters to add space and people quickly but they instead increased production incrementally.
Richmond added that when new orders continued to outpace capacity and the company's delivery backlog continued to grow, it was at that point they decided to add the new weld and machine shop.
Aviation sales up overall
A November report by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association showed that in the first nine months of 2012, aviation shipments increased 4.2 percent in 2012 when compared to 2011, while airplane deliveries increased 1.4 percent during that same time period. The improving sales trends are expected to continue in the coming years.
The Aerospace Industry Association’s 2012 Year-End Review & Forecast predicts that sales of general aviation aircrafts will increase during the next five years. The group anticipates that growing demand from business aviation, as well as China, will be the key driving forces in aviation sales in the future.
In the next 10 years, larger business jets will account for 40 percent of all general aviation aircraft sales, according to the National Business Aviation Association.
The NBAA predicts that 20 percent of those deliveries will go to China, up from the current 7 percent of deliveries. In 2013, general aviation sales are expected to reach $10.8 billion, up nearly 14 percent from 2012.
With aviation expected to boom in the coming years, the demand for pilot life insurance will increase along with it, as many will look to secure their own finances.
Are you covered? Are you overpaying? Find out! Get a Quote Now!
| 
