Table 10. Gross State Product Distribution by Industry Group.........................................................................................................................27
Executive Summary
General Aviation (GA) makes a significant contribution to the national economy and to the economy of every state in the U.S. Because of the diverse nature of the U.S. fleet of general aviation aircraft, and the multitude of operations and unique services they perform, GA’s economic contribution has sometimes been overlooked or it is combined with other transportation sectors, masking its own contribution. Also, when defining GA activity too narrowly, economic studies can easily underestimate GA’s economic contribution.
The GA fleet is diverse, as are the reasons for operating the aircraft. GA encompasses the manufacture and operation of any type of aircraft that has been issued a certificate of airworthiness by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), other than aircraft used for scheduled commercial air service1 (airlines) or operated by the U.S. military.
General Aviation includes fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters (rotorcraft), balloons, dirigibles, and gliders. GA activities include the manufacture and operation of aircraft equipped with turbine engines (turbojet, turbofan, or turboprop) or piston engines, and of non-powered aircraft. GA includes flights related to business or corporate transportation of people or cargo, personal transportation (e.g., visiting family), air ambulance, flight training, and many purposes such as fire spotting and suppression and pipeline patrol. GA operations are not determined by the ownership of the aircraft; GA aircraft may be wholly-owned, jointly-owned, rented, chartered, or leased. GA operations are not defined by the airman certificate of the pilot operating the aircraft. The pilot of a GA aircraft may hold a student, private, commercial, or air transport pilot certificate, depending on the purpose of the flight and the number of pilots required to operate it by the manufacturer.
This study breaks new ground by bounding general aviation activity using the FAA’s standard definitions, which are widely recognized by every segment of GA. The study uses FAA’s estimates of annual flight activity and applies industry-derived per-hour costs for operating various types of aircraft. GA’s economic contribution is calculated by putting these costs into regional economic models, widely accepted as valid by economists and available from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
General Aviation is an important element of economic growth in part because it fulfills transportation needs which can not otherwise be met. Only about 350 U.S. communities have scheduled air service; for the remainder, GA is the only option for the movement of persons or cargo by air. Moreover, GA provides specialized air services, such as air ambulance and traffic patrol, to communities that do have scheduled air service.
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