TABLE OF CONTENTS [*]
The Global Positioning System (GPS) will have a profound impact on general aviation. Many observers believe that by the end of the decade, GPS will play an important role in the three principal aspects of flying required to allow flight between two airports without outside intervention or assistance: navigation, collision avoidance, and landing. We look at these three in more detail; however, first we look at the market served and current solutions to these problems.
The term general aviation (GA) usually is applied to all noncommercial aircraft applications. This includes all private, corporate, and business aircraft, but excludes commercial airline aircraft.
The United States dominates the general aviation airplane market. More than 75% of the GA fleet is located in the United States. As shown in Table 1, there are about 265,000 registered aircraft in the United States, of which 212,000 are active.
| Aircraft type | Active GA aircraft | Corporate | Business | Personal | Instructional | Aerial Application | Aerial observation | Other work | Commuter air carrier | Air taxi | Other | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total all aircraft | 212,229 | 10,906 | 35,496 | 120,636 | 19,889 | 6687 | 5302 | 1525 | 1242 | 6188 | 4,358 | 54,115 |
| Piston, total | 187,773 | 3933 | 33,863 | 113,429 | 18,603 | 5402 | 4,011 | 1041 | 643 | 3853 | 2,995 | 46,285 |
| One-Engine | 165,073 | 1412 | 25,615 | 106,868 | 17,686 | 5152 | 3779 | 951 | 303 | 928 | 2,380 | 42,311 |
| Two-engine | 22,606 | 2521 | 8248 | 6559 | 915 | 234 | 228 | 90 | 284 | 2925 | 603 | 3,886 |
| Other... |
