General aviation (GA) has been defined as a civil aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport flight operating to a schedule. Although the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) excludes any form of remunerated aviation from its definition, some commercial operations are often included within the scope of General Aviation (GA). General aviation refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial.
In 2003 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was established as the central EU regulator, taking over responsibility for legislating airworthiness and environmental regulation from the national authorities. [1]
General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights. The sector operates business jets, rotorcraft, piston and jet-engined fixed-wing aircraft, gliders of all descriptions, and lighter than air craft. Other commercial GA activities are aerial work, such as surveying and air ambulances, and flight training.
The International Civil Aviation Organization defines general aviation as "an aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport operation or an aerial work operation." It defines commercial air transport (CAT) as "an aircraft operation involving the transport of passengers, cargo or mail for remuneration or hire", and aerial work as "an aircraft operation in which an aircraft is used for specialized services such as agriculture, construction, photography, surveying, observation and patrol, search and rescue, aerial advertisement, etc." [2]
Organisations in the United Kingdom (UK) describe GA in less restrictive terms that include elements of commercial aviation. The British Business and General Aviation Association interprets it to be "all aeroplane and helicopter flying except that performed by the major airlines and the Armed Services". [3] The General Aviation Awareness Council applies the description "all Civil Aviation operations other than scheduled air services and non-scheduled air transport operations for remuneration or hire". [4] For the purposes of a strategic review of GA in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) defined the scope of GA as "a civil aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport flight operating to a schedule", and considered it necessary to depart from the ICAO definition and include aerial work and minor CAT operations. [5] The major part of the General Aviation is the Sport and Recreational Aviation.
Facts 2005: 26,000 GA aircraft registered. between 1.25 and 1.35 million hours flown. 28,000 Private Pilot Licence holders (for 47,000 Licences in total), 10,000 certified glider pilots. Some of the 19,000 pilots who hold professional licences are also engaged in GA activities. more than 1,800 aerodromes and landing sites, ranging in size from large regional airports to farm strips, over 80 per cent of GA activity is conducted at 134 of the larger aerodromes.
There are an estimated 27,000 civil aircraft registered in the UK, 96 per cent of which are engaged in GA activities.
In 2005 the GA fleet comprised 9,000 fixed-wing aircraft, 4,100 microlights, 1,300 helicopters, 1,800 airships/balloons, 2,500 gliders and some 7,000 hang gliders.
Estimates put the number of foreign-registered GA aircraft based in the UK at 900. [6]
The objective of regulation is to "promote high standards of safety in all aspects of aviation". Efforts focus on assuring appropriate standards of airworthiness, pilot licensing, the rules for the movement of aircraft and equipment to be carried.
In 2003 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was established as the central EU regulator, taking over responsibility for legislating airworthiness and environmental regulation from the national authorities. Proposed developments seek to establish EASA as the single authority throughout the EU, taking over from individual member states the power to regulate all aviation other than that specifically excluded from the scope of EASA. [7]
The EASA launched a working group to update of the regulation. This MDM.032 working group was tasked with developing a concept for better regulation in General Aviation.
European Light Aircraft (ELA).
The main focus is on standards of airworthiness and pilot licensing, and the objective is to promote high standards of safety. At the lighter end of the GA spectrum some regulatory authority is devolved to representative bodies, with gliding currently in transition from a self-regulatory model to more formal governance by EASA.
Airspace regulation necessary to protect an increasing number of commercial air transport (CAT) operations has reduced the area in which GA flights can be freely conducted. The growth in CAT is also making access to larger airports more difficult for the GA sector, and smaller aerodromes are vulnerable to closure and re-development for more profitable uses. The UK planning system has no remit to consider the national significance of GA public transport operations, and generally does not favour the development of smaller aerodromes catering to the GA market.
The single most common class of aircraft is the fixed-wing light aircraft associated with traditional GA, but the main area of growth over the last 20 years has been in the use of more affordable aircraft, such as microlights, amateur built aeroplanes, and smaller helicopters. The most important recent developments for small aircraft been the introduction of advanced avionics (including GPS) that were formerly found only in large airliners, and the introduction of composite materials to make small aircraft lighter and faster. Ultralight and homebuilt aircraft have also become increasingly popular for recreational use, since in most countries that allow private aviation they are much less expensive than certified aircraft.
About three accidents per day are reported in Europe. As the reporting of every GA accidents and incidents is not mandatory everywhere, these figures may be higher. However, most major accidents are likely to be reflected due to involvement of outside authorities. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the civil aviation authorities of each country support and encourage the collection of light aircraft accident data in order to provide more in-depth statistics and analysis.
In the UK, there were 27 fatal accidents involving GA aircraft in 2007, resulting in the loss of 48 lives. These compare with 16 accidents claiming a total of 19 lives the previous year, and although the 2007 statistics are higher than average, they are not exceptional. [8]
Flag | Member States | National Aero Clubs | Micro-light associations | Gliding associations | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EU-28 | Europe-airsports.fai.org | EMF | * | .eu | |
Austria | Austrian Aero Club | -- | -- | .at | |
Belgium | Koninklijke Belgische Aëroclub/Aero Club Royal de Belgique | -- | -- | .be | |
Bulgaria | - | Bulgarian Association of Light Aviation | -- | .bg | |
Cyprus | Cyprus Airsports Federation | -- | -- | .cy | |
Czech Republic | Aero Club of the Czech Republic | Light Aircraft Association of the Czech Republic | -- | .cz | |
Denmark | Denmark Royal Danish Aero Club | Danish Ultra Light Union (DULFU) | -- | .dk | |
Estonia | - | -- | -- | .ee | |
Finland | Finnish Aeronautical Association | Experimental ja Ultrakevyt Toimikunta (EUT) Finland | -- | .fi | |
France | Fédération Française Aéronautique | Fédération Française de Planeur Ultra-léger Motorisé | -- | .fr | |
Germany | German Aero Club | Deutscher Ultraleichtflugverband e.V. | -- | .de | |
Greece | Hellenic Aeronautical and Airsports Federation | -- | -- | .gr | |
Hungary | Hungarian Aeronautical Association | -- | -- | .hu | |
Ireland | National Aero Club of Ireland | -- | -- | .ie | |
Italy | Aero Club of Italy | -- | -- | .it | |
Latvia | Latvian Aero Club | -- | -- | .lv | |
Lithuania | Lithuanian Aero Club (LAK) | ULOPF, Ultralengvų orlaivių pilotų federacija | Lithuanian Gliding Sport Federation | .lt | |
Luxembourg | Luxemburg Aeronautic Federation | -- | -- | .lu | |
Malta | - | -- | -- | .mt | |
Netherlands | KNVvL, Royal Netherlands Aeronautical Association | -- | -- | .nl | |
Norway | Norwegian Air sports Association | -- | -- | .no | |
Poland | Aero Club of Poland | -- | -- | .pl | |
Portugal | Aero Club de Portugal (AeCP) | Associação Portuguesa de Aviação Ultraleve (APAU) | -- | .pt | |
Romania | Romanian Aeroclub | - | -- | .ro | |
Serbia | Aeronautical Union of Serbia | -- | -- | .rs | |
Slovakia | Slovak National Aeroclub | -- | -- | .sk | |
Slovenia | -- | -- | .si | ||
Spain | Royal Aero Club of Spain | -- | -- | .es | |
Sweden | Swedish Airsports Association | -- | -- | .se | |
United Kingdom | Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom | British Microlight Aircraft Association | -- | .uk |
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other purposes. However, for statistical purposes ICAO uses a definition of general aviation which includes aerial work.
Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. Its areas of responsibility include:
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monitoring. It collects and analyses safety data, drafts and advises on safety legislation and co-ordinates with similar organisations in other parts of the world.
Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. They are issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in each country, establishing that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. This includes taking a flying test. The certified pilot can then exercise a specific set of privileges in that nation's airspace. Despite attempts to harmonize the requirements between nations, the differences in certification practices and standards from place to place serve to limit full international validity of the national qualifications. In addition, U.S. pilots are certified, not licensed, although the word license is still commonly used informally. Legally, pilot certificates can be revoked by administrative action, whereas licensing requires intervention by the judiciary system.
Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
An Airworthiness Directive is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be corrected.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is Singapore's civil aviation authority and a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. Its head office is located on the fourth storey of Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 2.
Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) functions as the regulatory body for all aviation related activities in Bangladesh. It is the civil aviation authority operating under the Ministry of Civil Aviation & Tourism. All nine operational airports are operated by the CAAB. A member of International Civil Aviation Organization, it has signed bilateral air transport agreement with 52 states. It is headquartered in Kurmitola, Dhaka.
An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees, and the general public. The certificate will list the aircraft types, and registrations to be used, for what purpose and in what area – specific airports or geographic region.
General aviation in the United Kingdom encompasses a variety of commercial and non-commercial aviation activities.
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices for civil aviation through that agency.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the Republic of Poland, as a civil aviation authority, is an agency of the Polish government under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, economic and efficient air travel. The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for providing and maintaining safe and efficient aviation services to, from and within Poland. The President of the CAA performs functions of aviation administration and aviation supervision authority in the following areas among others:
Aviation in the United Kingdom refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight in the United Kingdom, in both civilian and military contexts.
A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is a statutory body of the Government of India to regulate civil aviation in India. It became a statutory body under the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the DGCA investigates aviation accidents and incidents, maintains all regulations related to aviation and is responsible for issuance of licenses pertaining to aviation like PPL's, SPL's and CPL's in India. It is headquartered along Sri Aurobindo Marg, opposite Safdarjung Airport, in New Delhi. The Government of India is planning to replace the organisation with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), modelled on the lines of the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was established in 1996 by Federal Cabinet Decree to regulate Civil Aviation and provide designated aviation services with emphasis on safety and security and to strengthen the aviation industry within the UAE and its upper airspace. The main office is located in Abu Dhabi and the regional office is located in Dubai to serve the northern Emirates. The GCAA, which is the sole authority for the control and regulation of civil aviation in the UAE, is responsible for the provision of en-route air navigation services and all aspects of flight safety. In late 2009, the GCAA opened its new Air Navigation Centre, The Sheikh Zayed Centre, which is considered the largest and busiest air traffic management facility in the Middle East as well as one of the world's most technically advanced centres in terms of its design.
United Kingdom aircraft registration is a register and means of identification for British owned and operated commercial and private aircraft, they are identified by registration letters starting with the prefix G-.
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or Drones, is generally regulated by the civil aviation authority of the country. Nevertheless, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) began exploring the use of drone technology as far back as 2005, which resulted in a 2011 report. France was among the first countries to set a national framework based on this report and larger aviation bodies such as the FAA and the EASA quickly followed suit, which eventually led to influential regulations such as Part 107 and Regulation (EU) 2019/947. As of January 2022, several countries are working on new regulations, ranging from BVLOS operations to UTM activities, which include the US, the EU, India, South Korea, Japan, and Australia among others.