Homebuilt Fleet Size Summary - 2022

[rwanttaja]

Per my usual practice, I downloaded the FAA Aircraft Registration database on the last business day in December. Here are the fleet sizes of aircraft that are registered as Experimental Amateur-Built. Note this does not include examples that are registered as Light Sport, or have a blank in the column where the type of registration is normally listed.

For each year, the fleet size shown is on the last day OF that year.


Type

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022


Air Command

35

31

31

25

19

18

18

18

17


Aventura

68

63

65

57

50

49

50

48

47


Avid

359

343

352

342

296

289

280

278

271


Baby/Junior Ace

228

228

230

225

204

201

199

197

193


Bede BD-4

91

93

92

90

78

82

78

79

79


Bede BD-5

43

40

41

38

34

35

32

31

30


Benson Gyro

218

200

198

158

105

79

64

62

58


Bowers Fly Baby

168

167

167

160

140

139

135

130

132


Carbon Cub (EAB)

46

64

90

119

177

244

308

331

388


Challenger

594

586

593

578

491

480

476

461

447


Christen Eagle

207

206

205

204

194

192

192

193

191


Cozy

160

164

165

163

151

151

156

158

157


Glasair

606

596

603

599

571

571

563

558

565


GlaStar/Sportsman

386

396

407

424

410

424

438

443

450


Harmon Rocket

85

87

85

85

80

77

75

78

79


Hatz

107

110

111

110

112

111

110

113

117


Kitfox

918

936

950

946

875

871

889

887

885


Kolb (Ex-AB)

241

236

235

227

205

198

186

181

177


Lancair (All Models)

847

855

875

866

824

826

834

839

821


Lancair IV

244

259

260

249

236

240

243

244

245


Midget Mustang

240

236

238

233

207

205

204

202

199


Murphy

171

171

176

174

156

161

159

160

158


Pietenpol

313

311

321

319

296

297

289

284

278


Pitts (EX-AB)

613

617

625

608

548

543

534

522

522


Pulsar/KIS

126

124

125

122

107

108

105

102

102


Quickie/Q2/Q200

148

140

143

130

109

103

100

98

99


Quicksilver EX-AB

163

156

162

154

134

127

129

131

129


RAF-2000 Gyro

114

110

111

90

69

69

69

66

62


Rand KR-2

175

167

167

154

132

132

124

115

109


RANS

638

659

677

673

636

651

652

663

676


RANS S-12

129

128

128

121

107

106

109

104

102


RANS S-6

201

208

213

211

204

205

200

198

201


RANS S-7

189

202

206

209

202

210

208

213

217


Rotorway

392

374

380

350

296

296

287

283

274


Rutan Long-EZ

418

416

417

406

379

380

378

369

371


Rutan Varieze

297

286

286

272

243

238

231

222

219


SeaRey

242

242

249

255

241

238

235

236

235


Sonerai

199

194

194

184

156

156

158

155

145


Sonex

420

451

484

497

486

510

527

532

539


Steen Skybolt

246

247

248

235

215

215

215

211

208


Stolp

396

399

402

385

358

349

354

342

337


Stolp Starduster

349

351

352

337

310

302

308

301

294


Thorp T-18

259

259

262

257

239

238

236

238

235


Vans

5956

6110

6293

6414

6447

6634

6779

6960

7115


Vans RV-3

154

158

160

152

149

149

149

149

146


Vans RV-4

956

955

965

958

921

921

921

922

915


Vans RV-6

1783

1775

1795

1796

1731

1742

1737

1750

1756


Vans RV-7

1066

1118

1170

1220

1244

1285

1322

1358

1400


Vans RV-8

1082

1123

1161

1198

1215

1252

1278

1304

1315


Vans RV-9

552

588

611

630

638

658

677

689

702


Vans RV-10

340

366

394

419

434

459

492

530

570


Vans RV-12 (EX-AB)

49

53

63

68

74

75

74

81

82


Vans RV-14

0

0

14

38

66

98

134

182

234


Velocity

237

235

240

236

222

224

228

228

236


Volksplane

95

85

86

76

48

47

48

48

45


Zenair

920

965

1013

1028

992

1013

1028

1066

1091


Zenair CH-601

348

353

367

367

339

332

325

323

313


Zenair CH-701

334

348

351

347

318

328

333

329

339


Zenair CH-750

127

145

171

187

209

229

247

285

306


Overall

27909

28078

28830

28451

26572

26842

26941

27117

27315




Not every homebuilt type is included. I've tried to pick the most-common homebuilts, with a few of the rarer ones as well. If a type isn't listed, it's just because I didn't run the process for that particular aircraft. The above list accounts for about 2/3rds of the total homebuilts.

You can download this as a PDF at:

http://www.wanttaja.com/HB2022.pdf

In the PDF, red text indicates a decrease in the fleet size since the previous year.

Ron Wanttaja

[rwanttaja]

Here's a plot showing the number of Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft on the registry each year since 2000. The "Shark Fin" effect is from the FAA's re-registration process, started in 2010.

9334

Ron Wanttaja

[ironnerd]

Interesting, but I'm not following as well as I think I should.

Is this new registrations per year?

[rwanttaja]

Interesting, but I'm not following as well as I think I should.

Is this new registrations per year?

Total number of EAB registered in the indicated year. There are roughly about 1,000 homebuilts added to the registry each year.

Ron Wanttaja

[Joda]

Thanks for taking time to put together this data Ron. I will use this in a couple of presentations I'm doing this year. Great stuff!!

[prasmussen]

Only 132 of the Fly Baby? Surprising.

[rwanttaja]

Only 132 of the Fly Baby? Surprising.

Older design, and single-seater...not much interest as a general homebuilt. Have lost more than half the Fly Babies on the register since 2000.

Pietenpols are hanging on better, with a drop from ~400 to 278 in twenty years. Probably a reflection on being a two-seat design, and more known for alternate engines.

What REALLY got nailed was the Benson Gyrocopter. 1,053 on the registry in 1998, only 58 now. Lost about 500 just in the first deregistration cycle, from 2010 to 2013. Not sure how accurate that original count was, as far as whether the aircraft actually existed or no. I've always suspected that the first step in the instruction was to request an N-Number from the FAA....

Ron Wanttaja