Fact Sheets from the General Aviation Awareness Council

 Fact Sheet 1 - What is General Aviation?

What is General Aviation?

·        General Aviation (GA), together with Aerial Work (AW), covers all civil aircraft activity other than that carried out by the commercial air transport (CAT) sector.  It is the largest part of the UK aviation community.

·        Whilst the CAT sector operates about 900¹ aircraft and uses 25 airports, the GA fleet exceeds 9,000¹ conventional aircraft, including helicopters, and extends to 12,500² if gliders, microlights and balloons are included. 

·        The number of GA aircraft represents a growing proportion of the total aircraft on the UK register.  GA in the UK uses 143 aerodromes licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and between 350 to 500³ unlicensed flying sites.

·        Whilst 85%⁴ of filled seats on airlines are occupied by people flying for leisure purposes, more than 70%⁵ of flights carried out by GA/AW have some business or safety connotation.  These include business flights, pipeline work, police and pollution patrols, traffic surveys, medical flights, newspaper and postal flights, aerial surveys, civil search and rescue operations and pilot training.

·        The airline industry depends very heavily on GA to provide a supply of new junior pilots, many of whom start by learning to fly for pleasure and who later decide to opt for flying careers.  These people, most of whom train at their own expense, must be able to fly without undue restrictions, from aerodromes that are within easy reach of their homes or their places of work.

·        In 1988, 43%⁶ of new entrants to the airline profession qualified via the club and private flying route.  By 2001, this figure had risen to some 70%⁷ and a recent survey, by a team of professional industry researchers, has now confirmed that 86%⁸ pay their own way for airline entry to the profession.

November 2004

1.             UK register of Civil Aircraft, CAA (updated annually).

2.             Microlights on CAA register, gliders registered by BGA, balloons registered by BBAC.

3.             Estimate derived from Pooleys, Lockyears Farmstrip Guide and practical knowledge.

4.             Press release issued by BAA in 2001, subsequently increased but no figures available.

5.             AOPA survey.

6.             Survey by Air Training Association, 1988.

7.             AOPA survey, 2001.
8.             Report in Aerospace International, October 2004, on Airline Training Partnership Scheme run by CTC.

General Aviation Awareness Council

RAeS House, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7670 4501

This is one of a series of Fact Sheets available from the GAAC.

For further information please contact the above address.

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