The General Aviation Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) is an aviation industry trade association. It is the industry trade association representing general aviation (non-military & non-airliner) aircraft manufacturers and related enterprises, chiefly in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an office in Brussels, Belgium.
Light aircraft manufacturers in the United States were typically members of the Aerospace Industries Association (originally called the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce), which represented all aircraft manufacturers in the U.S. catering to military aviation, commercial aviation and general aviation.
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 the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in 1970.
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, Belgium. In 2011, GAMA members voted to open GAMA membership to helicopter manufacturers as well.
GAMA has also expanded its membership to include producers of general aviation engines, avionics, spare parts and related services. The organization claims to represent "over 80" manufacturers.
Purposes and Functions
GAMA serves as a:
Political lobbying group, representing—to governments and the public—the joint interests of manufacturers of general aviation aircraft and components, and related products.
Industry information center (data and information clearinghouse; public relations and reporting service) -- particularly publishing quarterly aircraft production data, as well as the annual General Aviation 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).
Industry partnering organization, providing for joint efforts by general aviation manufacturers towards shared goals. (Among these: various industry promotions, training, scholarships and awards programs).
Issues and outcomes
Issues dealt with by GAMA have included:
Encouraging people to become lightplane pilots
Lobbying for manufacturing and safety standards suiting the GAMA members
Establishment of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund
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, which shields manufacturers of light aircraft 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
(source:Gama Members)
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER
ENGINE MANUFACTURER
Continental Motors, Inc.
GE Aviation
GE Honda Aero Engines
Honeywell Aerospace
Lycoming Engines
Pratt & Whitney Canada
Rolls-Royce Holdings
SMA Engines
Williams International
AVIONICS MANUFACTURER
Aero-Mach Labs
Appareo
Aspen Avionics
Avidyne Corporation
Cobham Avionics, Integrated Systems
Esterline CMC Electronics
FreeFlight Systems
Garmin International Inc.
Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc.
L-3 Communications - Products Group
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation
Sandel Avionics, Inc.
Thales Canada Inc.
Universal Avionics Systems Corp.
COMPONENT MANUFACTURER/SERVICE PROVIDER
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 (d.2009) headed GAMA for 25 years, as its formative President, shaping the identity and role of the organization.
Drew Steketee served as Communications Director from 1980 to 1987.
Pete Bunce is the current President and CEO.
