Survey: 66% of GA Maintenance Professionals Expect Parts Supply to Worsen, Average Piston Aircraft Now 53 Years Old

TBX, the company behind Airworthy.com, released its 2026 General Aviation Parts Survey on August 23, 2026, finding that two-thirds of general aviation maintenance professionals expect the parts supply environment to worsen in the near future. The survey was led by TBX CEO Jon McLaughlin and gathered responses from mechanics, shop owners, Directors of Maintenance and other aviation maintenance professionals.

The survey found that time, not price, is among the most significant pressures facing maintenance shops, with respondents reporting substantial hours spent researching part numbers, locating inventory, identifying alternatives and communicating options to aircraft owners. It also found that the average certified general aviation piston aircraft is now 53 years old. Smaller operations tend to use a broader mix of OEM, PMA, salvage and owner-produced parts, while larger and turbine-focused shops remain more reliant on OEM sources.

Respondents identified improved access to parts information, including illustrated parts catalogs, part numbers and technical data, as one of the most actionable changes that could ease industry friction. Jon McLaughlin said maintenance shops are spending too much time searching for parts, finding part numbers, waiting on backorders, and sourcing alternatives, and that as the GA fleet continues to age, improving parts availability, expanding access to technical data, and giving maintainers more options will be critical to keeping these aircraft flying. The survey summary is titled "The Great Parts Squeeze."

This survey captures a fleet-age problem turning into a labor-hours problem: an aircraft population averaging 53 years old means original production runs have ended and suppliers have consolidated, so sourcing a part increasingly requires research and substitution work instead of a simple order.

How a shop absorbs that work depends on its size and its customer base. Smaller shops draw on a wider mix of OEM, PMA, salvage and owner-produced parts to keep older piston airframes flying, while larger and turbine-focused shops lean more heavily on OEM channels, a divide the survey itself documents.

What happens next depends on whether parts-information access actually improves, since respondents named illustrated parts catalogs, part numbers and technical data as the most actionable lever available. Whether TBX, Airworthy.com or parts suppliers act on that finding will determine if the 66% who expect conditions to worsen turn out to be right.