The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published the 2017 third quarter shipment and billings for general aviation aircraft.

General aviation airplane shipments increased by 1.7% and rotorcraft shipments increased by 7.7% year-to-date. Airplane billings, however, declined slightly to $13.2 billion, a 2.8% decrease compared to 2016, while rotorcraft billings increased by 8.8% to $2.7 billion.

“The third quarter shipment and billing numbers continue a similar pattern for the industry this year: mixed, with some bright spots that continue trending upward, particularly in the rotorcraft market,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “We’ve been very focused on streamlining certification and validation processes around the world, which will help our member companies continue bringing new and safer products to the market and hopefully spur growth in future quarters.”

Continued momentum in the rotorcraft segment resulted in an increase in piston helicopter shipments from 168 to 190 units, a 13.1% increase, in the first nine months of 2017 compared to last year. Turbine helicopter shipments increased by 5.6% to 471 units. Piston airplane shipment increased by 4% to 724 units compared to 696 in 2016.

The industry shipped 434 business jets in the first nine months of the year. Turboprop shipments declined slightly from 382 to 374 airplanes shipped, a 2.1% decline.