General aviation (abbr. GA) is one of the two categories of civil aviation, encompassing all aircraft flights other than scheduled airline activity. It includes both private and commercial flights. Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ...

It includes everything from privately-owned light single-engine aircraft to business jets, news gathering, police, pipeline patrol, emergency medical flights, crop-dusting, rotorcraft, gliding, sport ballooning and many other aerial activities. An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Business jet (slang, Bizjet) is a term for a jet aircraft, usually of modest size, designed for transporting small groups of business people for commercial reasons at a time convenient to their business needs. ... A modern glider crossing the finish line at speed. ... Balloons are often used or given on special occasions, like cards or flowers. ...

A general aviation scene at Kemble airfield, England. The aircraft in the foreground is a homebuilt Vans RV-4

Much of the traffic in general aviation is flown under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in contrast to airline traffic which is nearly always flown under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Under IFR, air traffic control provides separation from other IFR flights (and in class A, B, C, and D airspace, from VFR flights as well) to prevent mid-air collisions. Vans RV4 light aircraft (G-PIPS). ... Vans RV4 light aircraft (G-PIPS). ... Also known as amateur-built aircraft, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by one or more persons for whom this is not a professional activity. ... The Vans RV-4 is a small homebuilt aircraft supplied by the Vans corporation. ... Visual flight rules (VFR) are a set of aviation regulations under which a pilot may operate an aircraft, if weather conditions are sufficient to allow the pilot to visually control the aircrafts attitude, navigate, and maintain separation with obstacles such as terrain and other aircraft. ... The Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR - Spaceflight Society) was an association of amateur rocket enthusiasts active in Germany from 1927 to 1933. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Schiphol Airport Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a service provided by ground based Controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air to ensure safe, orderly and efficient traffic flow. ...

The ground facilities needed for most general aviation flights are generally less sophisticated than those required by the most military aviation or airlines operating scheduled flights, but there are many differences between the smaller grass aerodromes and those capable of accepting the larger corporate aircraft on long-distance and/or international flights. Some of these differences simply reflect the different speeds and capabilities of aircraft types in common use, whilst others reflect regulations imposed to safeguard the safety of pilots, passengers and nearby communities. USS Abraham Lincoln rides out a storm in the Arabian Sea while on station in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ... Aerodrome can mean: A series of aircraft constructed by Samuel Pierpont Langley. ...

Most public-use airports, including airports which are served by commercial carriers, have some general aviation traffic, although GA users are sometimes subject to user fees at the larger airports.

Hindrances to GA advancement

GA has tremendous potential to revolutionize the way people transport themselves. With thousands of airports across the United States, people could theoretically get far closer to their ultimate destination with GA than with traditional hub and spoke airline travel. The most significant obstacles GA must overcome are: The Spoke-hub distribution paradigm derives its name from a bicycle wheel, which consists of a number of spokes jutting outward from a central hub. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ...

• The price of GA is prohibitively high, with the cost of aircraft often running into the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars and the price of Avgas traditionally running far higher than automotive gasoline. The FAA requires that production, or "certified," aircraft meet stringent safety and performance requirements. These high standards mandate extensive testing and engineering, the costs of which are spread over a relatively small (compared to automobiles, for example) number of aircraft produced and sold. Homebuilt aircraft do not have to demonstrate the same level of engineering and safety, and are deemed airworthy under the much less stringent "experimental" category. These "Homebuilts" are usually significantly less expensive than fully certified production aircraft. With these factors contributing to the price, earning a pilot's license usually costs US$5,000 - US$8,000. Additionally, the maintenance costs of keeping aircraft in airworthy condition add up very quickly. In the United States especially, general aviation manufacturers pay high premiums for product liability insurance, reflecting the many lawsuits - exemplified by the United States' liberal tort system - resulting from aircraft accidents, most of which do not result from actual failures of the product. This drives up the cost of aircraft, insurance, and maintenance.

• The ability to reach a destination on schedule greatly depends on the weather. GA aircraft and pilots operating under Visual Flight Rules are unable to fly safely (or legally) in weather that commercial aircraft operate in routinely. Additionally, GA aircraft and pilots operating under Instrument Flight Rules often do not have access to the deicing equipment and weather radar available to scheduled commercial flights.

• The perceived safety of small private aircraft is relatively low across the general public (and safety requirements for most general aviation aircraft and pilots are indeed less stringent than scheduled airlines). In reality, the safety of any given flight is largely dependent on the pilot's judgment and knowledge of his or her own limitations. Mechanical failures play a role in only a small percentage of GA fatalities, and are usually compounded by pilot error.

• The difficulty in getting from destination airports to their final destinations poses another problem to pilots and passengers. Car rental companies have tried to fill this void by placing small rentals around at small airports, but have met with mixed success.

An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Avgas is a high-octane fuel used for aircraft and, in the past, racing cars. ... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ...

Uses of GA

Because of the hindrances listed above, the use of GA has remained limited to pleasure flying for private pilots, and business aviation (or BizAv) often on highly expensive business jets for high ranking executives.

Private Piloting

Most general aviation pilots are private pilots. These pilots are allowed to fly by themselves or with passengers, provided the weather meets certain criteria and they do not accept compensation for their services. Pilot certification in the United States is under the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ...

Some pilots also pursue an instrument rating which allows them to fly by Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) so that they may navigate by reference to their aircraft instruments in visibilities lower than the minimum required under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), and at altitudes above 18,000 feet. However, even under instrument flight rules, smaller airplanes often do not reach that altitude; most smaller airplanes lack pressurized cabins, requiring the pilots to breathe oxygen from a tank above 10,000 feet, or 5,000 feet at night, and there is a limit to the altitude at which carbureted airplane engines can operate. Instrument Rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). ...

Becoming a private pilot usually requires about 50–70 hours of flight training, a rather rigorous curriculum that encompasses meteorology, navigation, simple aircraft maintenance, study of the applicable regulations, and best practices in the cockpit, along with aircraft maneuvering, followed by knowledge and flight examinations. Private pilots can rent aircraft from flight schools or from flying clubs or buy one of their own, sometimes in a partnership with other pilots.

Business Aviation

Business aviation (or Bizav) occupies a large place in the GA community. Most Bizav users fly highly sophisticated, expensive, luxurious and complex aircraft with well trained crews. Because of a variety of factors including better aircraft, more experienced crews (typically professional pilots instead of private individuals), and a larger support group, business Aviation has a much better safety record than the rest of GA.

Fractional Ownership

Fractional ownership is a relatively new segment of the Bizav market. Pioneered by NetJets, a fractional operator provides shares of aircraft (typically expensive ones) for a "fraction" of the price. Typically, a fractional share owner is allotted a certain number of flight hours per year for the number of years in the contract. After the contract expires, the owner can sell back his share at market value minus a service charge. Some controversy has arisen lately because of the fall in business aircraft values. Some owners claim salespeople "promised" a higher value for their aircraft share, although more often than not, that price was not written into a contract.

Recent Advances

With the introduction of Very Light Jets or VLJ's, larger, faster, better air-taxi operations have been envisioned. The low operating cost of the VLJ's is purported to allow customers to fly private jets to the thousands of small airports across the country for not much more than the price of a coach airline ticket. Some of the major VLJ's in production are;

• Eclipse 500
• Adam 700
• Citation Mustang

And some of the larger players in the new air-taxi arena are;

• POGO Air-Taxi
• DayJet Air-Taxi

Safety Factors

General aviation does not enjoy the same safety record as the commercial airlines, who have proven themselves safer than any other form of transportation (including walking). This safety record continues to be hindered by pilot error, not mechanical or other causes. With over 3/4 of all GA accidents classified as pilot error of skill or judgment, most of the effort spent on improving the record of GA (for example the AOPA Air Safety Foundation or ASF) is spent in the areas of pilot awareness, training, and judgment.

Crash Site

Image File history File links light airplane crash site File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links light airplane crash site File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Resources

• FAA factbook

See also

• List of aviation topics
• List of UK Airfields

0-9 $100 hamburger A Accidents and incidents in aviation ADF Aerobatics Aerodynamics Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) Aeronautics Aileron Airband Aircraft Aircraft engine controls Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Airfield Airfield traffic zone (ATZ, and MATZ) Airfoil Airline Transport Pilot License Air navigation Airport Airship Airspace classes... This is a simple alphabetical list of UK airfields and their ICAO codes (4 character) and IATA codes, if they have one. ...