General Aviation Is An Integral Part Of Our Society:

• The US has by far the largest and most effective aviation infrastructure in the world:
  • Nationwide, only 540 larger airports are served by scheduled airline service, but nearly 5,300 public-use airports (like Valkaria Airport) are available for use by General Aviation traffic.
  • There are over 14,500 privately-owned airports and heliports (many of which may be used by the public, with the owner's permission.) This brings the total number of General Aviation airports in the US to over 19,800!
  • There are 5 public, 3 privately-owned, and 3 government/military airports within Brevard County.
• In 2003, there were over 595,000 licensed pilots nationwide (this includes all levels from student to Airline Transport Pilots.) Most of them learned to fly in the General Aviation fleet.
• There are about 1,800 licensed pilots living in Brevard County alone.
• There are nearly 500 privately-owned and over 150 corporately-owned aircraft in Brevard County.
• Of the 211,000 piston-powered general aviation aircraft in the US, the majority are flown for business purposes.
• 166 million passengers a year fly on General Aviation flights... by far, the nation's largest "airline!"
• GA is very safe: In 2005, General Aviation pilots flew 24.4 million hours with only 321 fatal accidents... or only one fatal accident for every 76,000 hours flown. (That's about half the number of people that die while boating.)
• GA is Secure: After 9/11, the General Aviation community voluntarily put into place security initiatives that have served as the model for many other industries, without waiting for legislative intervention. Private Pilots and General Aviation form a strong link in this nation's security. All knowledgeable security experts confirm that General Aviation aircraft and pilots pose virtually zero risk to this nation's security, in large part due to the proactive security stance taken by the entire GA community.

General Aviation plays a huge role in today's society. Next time you see a small airplane or helicopter, remember that it just might be carrying your mail... a neighbor going for urgent medical treatment... or might be training the pilots who will defend us from this nation's enemies.