The 'Family Car' That Flies

America's General Aviation (GA) pilots are your friends and neighbors. They're your colleagues and business associates. They're people just like you. And they've invested the time and effort to learn how to fly.

These people use their own airplanes, or more commonly airplanes that they rent, just like you use the family car.

They fly airplanes so that they can visit our nation's tourist spots like Gettysburg, or Cape Cod, or the giant redwood trees of California.

They fly to business meetings and to worksites to save time and money.

And sometimes, they fly just so they can slip the surly bonds of Earth. Ask any pilot you see: People who have experienced the gift of flight know why the birds sing.

Vacation Travel & Daytrips

America is blessed with some of the best tourist destinations on Earth: the Grand Canyon, Colonial Williamsburg, the Giant Redwoods & Sequoias, Cape Cod, Key West, the Las Vegas Strip, Graceland, Monterey Bay, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, the Freedom Trail, Carlsbad Caverns, Gettysburg, the Mall of America, thousands of miles of lighthouse-strewn beaches, and of course all the shopping, dining, and cultural activities available in America’s major cities to name a few.

All of these destinations and thousands more like them can take one or more days to reach by car, even from within the same region of the country. But the 166 million people who fly on small airplanes each year can reach these same destinations in a fraction of the time.

As a result, they can take mini-vacation sightseeing trips during a two- or three-day weekend that would take most families a week or more to complete traveling by car. Or, they can visit regional tourist spots 200 miles away from home, yet be there and back the same day without the added cost or time required of an overnight stay.

If popular tourist sites aren't your thing, then how about being able to fly to a remote fishing camp or going on a wilderness photo safari to a location only accessible by a small airplane?

Family Visits

Many people enjoy traveling to see family and friends. People who fly themselves or that use General Aviation (GA) can make these same trips without the expense and hassles of airline travel.

Because GA pilots can use almost 20,000 airports or heliports, they often can get much closer to their destination than they can by flying into a distant airline hub.

Humanitarian Assistance

Thousands of pilots volunteer their time and their airplanes to fly sick or injured children and adults to life-saving medical care facilities. In many cases, these critically ill patients reside in outlying areas not served by the airlines, or they can't afford the airfares being charged.

By helping someone travel to specialized treatment centers, these pilots are improving the length and quality of someone's life, while gaining a great sense of personal satisfaction in the process.

Flying is for Everyone

You don't have to be rich to enjoy flying. Most pilots and aircraft owners are anything but wealthy; they're just ordinary people who have decided to spend some of their income on a small airplane.

Many small airplanes can be purchased for less money than a car. A typical used two-passenger airplane sells for about $20,000. But, just like cars, aircraft prices vary according to size, style, and accessories.

Small airplanes can be a lot like today's family minivans. Airplanes have heating systems and defrosters, air conditioning, cloth or leather seats, lap and shoulder belts (some even have airbags), CD players, and color moving map GPS navigation systems.

General Aviation offers many ways to enjoy flying. A lot of people build their own airplanes under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration. Others fly ultralights, hang gliders, or gliders. Some enjoy floating along in hot air balloons. And still others share the ownership and split the expenses of a conventional airplane as part of a flying club.

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