Business flying provides American companies with the speed and efficiency to succeed domestically and to compete globally. Companies use airplanes to visit their factories and suppliers, make sales calls, and transport employees between different facilities.

Indeed, business aviation is one of the most important segments of General Aviation (GA). The GA fleet of 231,607 aircraft and America’s nearly 20,000 public- and private-use airports and heliports allow key employees from small companies or multinational corporations to be in the right place at the right time to meet the vital needs of today’s most lucrative customers. GA passengers have point-to-point access to 5,201 public-use community airports that offer the necessary support services (i.e., fuel) for business aircraft. These vital airports often are located near American business centers. Many don’t realize that thousands of smaller cities and towns, such as Watertown, Wis., and Greenville, Miss., also have community airports. There’s almost certainly a community airport located near you!

In sharp contrast, commercial airlines serve only 565 large airports through an inefficient hub-and-spoke system, with 70 percent of airline traffic going to only 30 major airports. This requires business travelers to schedule extra time to clear security, make connecting flights, collect baggage, rent a car, and then drive to their destination.

Most GA business passengers are middle managers and professional staff who fly between company locations or customer sites. Business aircraft also fly customers to company locations for factory tours and product demonstrations. Business people fly to sales calls and to operational meetings with customers, suppliers, business partners, dealers, distributors, subcontractors, government officials, and regulators. Companies also fly managers and staff to satellite facilities and customer sites, in order to deliver goods and provide services.

Banking and Finance

Bankers and financiers use GA to visit construction projects they’ve financed, and monitor how their funding is being used. They rely on GA to reach businesses and municipal government offices in remote areas.

Bankers also use GA as basic transportation to attend meetings and to move staff between banking facilities spread throughout large regions. In doing so, they take advantage of America’s 5,201 public-use community airports.

And, did you know that many of the banks that return checks to your bank do so using GA airplanes?

Energy

GA airplanes and helicopters are used to help find natural energy reserves. They use a technique called airborne geophysical surveying. Fit with magnetometers, aircraft can detect changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, allowing energy and mineral scouts to identify deposits.

Oil-drilling crews on ocean platforms and on remote land-based sites rely upon helicopters for travel to and from work, for the delivery of supplies, and for emergency medical evacuations.

Power lines and their transmission towers are built using helicopters, and along with oil and gas pipelines, are patrolled by low-flying airplanes that check for damage, provide security against sabotage, and ensure that no one tries to build within their protected rights-of-way.

In the event of an environmental incident, aircraft and helicopters are used to assess damage and to deliver crews to facilitate repairs and cleanup.

Telecommunications

Ever made a telephone call with any type of wireless phone, PDA, or pager? You’re indirectly reaping the benefits of GA. Helicopters are routinely used for the installation of cellular phone towers. They’re also used to install cell phone antennas on buildings. When microwaves won’t work, helicopters are used to string wire or fiber-optic cable along major intercity routes.

When available satellite resources reach capacity or are too expensive, special long-duration, high-altitude aircraft or airships can orbit and hover at low speeds over major cities to serve as airborne platforms for communications relay equipment, thus replacing space-based satellites.

Construction

The construction business relies on GA to survey new sites, to get crews and supplies to remote and high-altitude locations, to install towers, antennas, heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, and to help with elevated concrete pours.