Market Intelligence · FLYING Finance
Quarterly analysis of aircraft financing rates, GAMA shipment data, FAA registry trends, and economic indicators — what is actually happening in the market and what it means for buyers right now.
Market Coverage
381 piston aircraft of 667 total civil shipments. The data behind the breakout and what it means for used market values and financing.
How premiumization of luxury assets is reshaping the financing landscape and how to position for it.
Full-year look at 2025 financing conditions, rate environment, and the market forces that set up 2026.
GAMA Shipment Data
Source: GAMA · gama.aero · Updated quarterly (Feb/May/Aug/Nov)
Q1 2026 Manufacturer Deliveries
Piston Aircraft
| Manufacturer | Key Models | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Cirrus Aircraft | SR20, SR22, SR22T, SF50 | 196 |
| Textron Aviation | 172S, 182T, T206H, Baron | 156† |
| Piper Aircraft | Archer, Seminole, M350 | 51 |
| TECNAM | P2008JC, P-Mentor, P2010 | 48* |
| Diamond Aircraft | DA20, DA40, DA42, DA62 | 34 |
*Includes LSA/ASTM models. †Textron piston only. Source: GAMA Q1 2026.
Turbine Aircraft
| Manufacturer | Key Models | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Gulfstream | G280, G500/600/700/800 | 38 |
| Textron Aviation | King Air, Citations, Caravan | 156† |
| Bombardier | Challenger 350/3500/650, Global | 24 |
| Embraer | Phenom 300E, Praetor 500/600 | 29 |
| Pilatus | PC-12, PC-24 | 24 |
†Textron combined piston + turbine total across all categories. Source: GAMA Q1 2026.
FAA Registry
Source: FAA Civil Airmen Statistics · faa.gov · Updated annually (April/May)
Rate Environment
Source: FLYING Finance / Federal Reserve FRED · Aircraft rates live via WPCode
Market Conditions · Q2 2026
Certified Piston
Inventory tight. Q1 2026 piston surge not yet reflected in used supply. Pre-owned Cirrus and late-model Skylane prices remain elevated.
Updated Q2 2026
Turboprop
Geopolitical uncertainty creating hesitation. TBM and PC-12 inventory has loosened slightly from 2024 highs. A window is open for prepared buyers.
Updated Q2 2026
LSA / MOSAIC
Legacy LSA pricing soft ahead of July 24 MOSAIC manufacturer certification date. Window narrows after July 24 as new certification sets a pricing floor.
Updated Q2 2026 · Review after July 24
Regulatory Calendar
October 2025
FAA expanded Sport Pilot privileges. Pilots may now fly heavier, faster LSA aircraft under the Sport Pilot certificate.
July 20, 2026
FLYING Finance at FLYING Magazine Booth 2004, July 20 through 26. Get pre-approved before you land. Aircraft purchased at Oshkosh can close before you leave Wisconsin.
July 24, 2026
Manufacturer certification requirements become effective. Affects new LSA pricing and financing eligibility. Legacy LSA buyer window closes at this date.
December 31, 2026
Aircraft must be purchased and placed in service by December 31, 2026. October is the last comfortable entry point. 194 days remaining.
Common Questions
GAMA — the General Aviation Manufacturers Association — publishes quarterly data on worldwide civil aircraft shipments by category (piston, turboprop, business jet, rotorcraft) and manufacturer. It is the definitive public dataset for GA production volume, published each February, May, August, and November.
Rates update automatically via FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) through a live WPCode integration. The 5-year Treasury rate — the base for all loan categories — updates daily when markets are open. The spread added to that base reflects FLYING Finance's current lending program and updates when market conditions change meaningfully.
The One Big Beautiful Budget Act reinstated 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying business aircraft. A qualifying aircraft must be used more than 50% for business purposes and placed in service by December 31, 2026. 100% bonus depreciation allows the full purchase price to be deducted in the year of purchase rather than depreciated over time. Consult your CPA for your specific situation.
Aircraft loans are priced as a spread over a benchmark Treasury rate. FLYING Finance uses the 5-year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate (DGS5) as the base for all loan categories, then adds a spread — currently ranging from 1.92% for certified piston to 3.00% for experimental — to arrive at the starting rate for qualified borrowers. When Treasury rates fall, aircraft loan rates follow.
Individual quarters are noisy — Q4 always runs high as manufacturers push year-end deliveries. Rolling 4-quarter totals smooth that seasonality and show the underlying trend in production. The current rolling period shows piston at 1,805 (slightly below the prior period's 1,834), turboprop contracting to 585 from 651, and business jets growing strongly to 875 from 740.
Source Data
Primary source for all shipment charts and manufacturer tables. Quarterly worldwide civil aircraft shipments by category.
Updated quarterly · gama.aero
Live source for all rates and macro indicators. 5-yr Treasury, Fed Funds, SOFR, Prime Rate, WTI Crude. Updates automatically via WPCode.
Updated daily to monthly · fred.stlouisfed.org
Annual count of active certificated pilots. 887,519 total active pilots in 2025, including 174,155 private pilots. Source for the pilot trend chart.
Updated annually (April/May) · faa.gov
OBBBA reinstated 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying business aircraft through December 31, 2026.
Updated per legislation · irs.gov
Tax policy coverage for business aviation including bonus depreciation advocacy and ownership structure guidance.
Updated continuously · nbaa.org
Live via FRED · WPCode
Live via FRED · Auto-updates
December 31, 2026
Aircraft must be purchased and placed in service by December 31, 2026. October is the last comfortable entry point for a December close.
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GAMA data, rate movements, and regulatory updates — published quarterly. Subscribe to receive each update when it drops.
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