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FAA Issues 18-Month General Aviation Airports Study By Daniel Baxter |
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May 18, 2012 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a study called General Aviation Airports, A National Asset. The FAA conducted the 18-month study to capture the many diverse functions of general aviation (GA) airports. As a result, the general public will have a better understanding of GA airports in the community and within the national air transportation system. General aviation (GA) is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights. The majority of the world's air traffic falls into this category, and most of the world's airports serve general aviation exclusively. |
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Over the last century, GA airports have evolved from unpaved
landing strips to aviation hubs. This in-depth analysis
highlights the pivotal role GA airports play in our society,
economy, and the entire aviation system. The FAA has conducted
previous commercial service airport studies, and now has
analyzed both aviation segments with the completion of this GA
study.
This strategic tool will help the FAA, state aeronautical
agencies, and airport sponsors make planning decisions. The FAA
worked with aviation-industry stakeholders including state
aeronautical agencies, aviation associations, aviation user
groups, airport directors, airport authorities, airport
planners, academia, other federal agencies, and local councils
of government.
GA airports can serve many different functions and advance the
public interest, ensuring that Americans nationwide have access
to medical flights, search and rescue, disaster relief, aerial
firefighting, law enforcement, community access, commercial and
industrial activity, flight instruction, and air cargo. The
study also aligns the 2,455 GA airports based on their existing
activity levels ? national, regional, local, and basic. The categories reflect the current aviation activity at the airport, such as the number and type of based aircraft, number of passenger boardings, and the type of flights. |