Background

The broad term "general aviation" includes a number of categories of flight activity:

Executive: use of a corporation-owned aircraft, flown by a professional pilot, to transport executives of that corporation

Business: individual use of personally or company-owned aircraft in a business

Personal: individual flying for recreation, transportation, or other personal ends

Instruction: pilot training with a flight instructor

Air taxi: scheduled or on-demand carriage of passengers or cargo in small aircraft

Aerial application: spray or dusting of chemicals by air for agricultural or health reasons; also aerial fighting of forest fires

Industrial/special: gas or oil pipeline patrol, aerial photography, aerial hoisting of equipment or machinery (helicopter), border patrol, highway patrol

Other: research and development testing, demonstration flights, carriage of sport parachutists, banner towing.

General-Aviation Aircraft. The types of aircraft used in the many general-aviation activities cover an equally broad spectrum. In 1983 the active general-aviation fleet in the United States included more than 213,000 aircraft. (Commercial air carriers operated a total of approximately 2,750 aircraft.) Sixty-six percent of the general-aviation fleet consisted of single-engine piston airplanes, and 16 percent were multiengine piston airplanes. An increasingly important role in general aviation was played by the 12 percent of the fleet made up of turboprop and business jet airplanes and the 6 percent that were helicopters.

The world total of general-aviation aircraft, according to estimates by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), amounted to 291,000 in 1981. Of these about 77 percent were located in North America, 7 percent in Central and South America, 11 percent in Europe, and the remaining 5 percent in Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle E. The ICAO estimated that the world fleet of light noncommercial aircraft grew by about 121,000 since 1970. The bulk of the increase came from U.S. production of new aircraft. Between 1970 and 1980 U.S. manufacturers built about 13,226 general-aviation airplanes each year for domestic and export sale. However, because of economic conditions in the early 1980's, deliveries shrank to 2,438 by 1984.

The U.S. general-aviation fleet flew an estimated total of more than 40 million hours in 1981 while air carrier operations were estimated to total more than 7 million hours. ICAO member countries recorded close to 51 million hours of flying by private aircraft in 1981. (Total flying time for the world's scheduled airlines in that year was 14.6 million hours.) The United States accounted for about 90 percent of the total private flying time.

Dominant U.S. manufacturers include Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft. Each offers aircraft ranging from two-seat trainers to turboprop business aircraft. Gates Learjet provides small and medium-sized business jets. Gulfstream Aerospace produces the world's largest business jets, the G-III and G-IV, each with a range of more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km). Fairchild Aircraft specializes in commuter planes.

During the 1980's business aircraft dominated the industry. Advances in technology were responsible for longer ranging, higher flying business jets and turboprops; some, such as the Beech Starship I, were of revolutionary design. A single-engine piston-powered aircraft, the Piper Malibu, can carry up to six people 1,700 miles (2,740 km) at 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) and 250 miles (400 km) per hour.

In the early 1980's the "light planes" traditionally associated with general-aviation were increasingly available on the used aircraft market. New single-engine aircraft ranged in price from $30,000 to $300,000 depending on model and equipment. Speeds ranged from just over 100 mph (miles per hour) to 250 mph (160-400 kilometers per hour).

Twin-engine, piston-powered general-aviation airplanes cost from $150,000 to $500,000 or more. Seating capacities ranged from four to 11 and cruising speeds from about 200 mph to almost 300 mph (320-480 kilometers per hour). Turbocharging and cooling technology for piston engines allowed high-altitude, high-speed flight. Oxygen systems and pressurized cabins permitted extended high-altitude flight, often above 20,000 feet (6,100 meters).

Manufacturers in the United States, Great Britain, France, Brazil, Japan, West Germany, Israel, and Canada offered a variety of turboprop and fanjet aircraft for executive and commuter airline use. A boom in business aircraft in the late 1970's and early 1980's fostered intense competition by overseas manufacturers in the U.S. market. Executive planes ranging from four to 10 passengers plus crew to 50-passenger commuter turboprops were offered. Prices began at $1 million and nearly $2 million respectively. The largest business jet cost more than $11 million.

Prices of used aircraft were considerably lower. A basic two-place single-engine airplane for personal use could, for example, be purchased for $6,000 to $10,000 in 1984; a family-type four-place single-engine airplane could be purchased for $10,000 to $25,000. Prices for all models, however, vary considerably according to condition, age, and radio equipment.

Rental, flying clubs, and joint ownership offer attractive alternatives. A typical new two-place aircraft rented for $30 or more per hour in 1984, and a four-place model for $40 or more per hour. (Rates varied depending upon model and geographic area.) Flying clubs and joint ownership provide a means to share the fixed costs of ownership--depreciation, insurance, storage, and taxes--among several pilots. In addition, flying clubs often have instructor-pilots.

Pilot Certification. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets minimum standards for pilot training and is responsible for issuing pilot certificates and ratings. In 1984 the minimum number of flight hours required was 35-40 for a private license and 250 for a commercial license.

A private pilot may operate, for personal or business use, any aircraft for which he or she is rated. A commercial pilot's certificate is required to fly "for hire." An instrument rating is required of any pilot to operate under conditions of reduced visibility or low cloud ceiling. Of a total of 722,376 individuals who held FAA certificates on Dec. 31, 1984, 150,081 were student pilots; 320,086 were private pilots; and 155,929 were commercial pilots. Instrument ratings were held by 256,583 pilots.

Airport Facilities. FAA records showed a total of 15,996 airports, heliports, and seaplane bases in the United States by 1984. The great majority of these airports were open to the general public. Many did not have lighted or paved runways, and more than half had runways less than 3,000 feet (900 meters) in length. (Big commercial jets require from 6,000 to 11,000 feet [1,800-3,400 meters].) Scheduled airline service was provided only at about 500 airports, and the major scheduled airlines served only 232.

Safety. The large number of general-aviation airports and the limited runway-length requirements of general-aviation aircraft tend to produce a natural segregation of the bulk of general-aviation and air carrier takeoffs and landings. Although more turbine-powered aircraft enter the general-aviation fleet each year, the vast majority are piston powered and operate at lower altitude than airline jets. At 22 major U.S. cities, terminal control areas (TCA's) provide segregation and radar separation of traffic within about 20 miles (32 km) of major airports. Airport radar service areas (ARSA's) provide similar service near other cities.

The majority of general-aviation aircraft had radio communications and navigation equipment and a transponder for radar identification. Advances in electronics for point-to-point and overseas navigation are often implemented in general aviation first.

The accident rate for U.S. general-aviation in 1983 was estimated at 9.4 accidents, of which 1.67 were fatal, per 100,000 flight hours. While this was higher than airline rates, the safety record for corporate executive aviation rivaled that of the airlines. The overall record of general aviation was drawn down by hazardous industrial flying, bush flying, and drug smuggling, yet showed a 40 percent improvement between 1972 and 1982, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.