General aviation in the United Kingdom 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 excludes any form of remunerated aviation from its definition, some commercial operations are often included within the scope of general aviation in the UK. The sector operates business jets, rotorcraft, piston and jet-engined fixed-wing aircraft, gliders of all descriptions, and lighter than air craft. Public transport operations include business (or corporate) aviation and air taxi services, and account for nearly half of the economic contribution made by the sector. There are 28,000 Private Pilot Licence holders, and 10,000 certified glider pilots. Although GA operates from 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. GA is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, although regulatory powers are being increasingly transferred to the European Aviation Safety Agency. The main focus is on standards of airworthiness and pilot licensing, and the objective is to promote high standards of safety.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_aviation_in_the_United_Kingdom> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1378: Papal Schism: Unhappy with Pope Urban VI , a group of cardinals started a rival papacy with the election of Antipope Clement VII, throwing the Roman Catholic Church into turmoil. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Schism> 1854: The Crimean War began with a Franco-British victory over Russian forces at the Battle of Alma near the River Alma in Crimea. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alma> 1870: The Bersaglieri entered Rome, ending the temporal power of the Pope and completing the unification of Italy. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Rome> 1946: The first Cannes Film Festival opened in Cannes, France, with eleven films eventually sharing the Palme d'Or award, then known as the Grand Prize of the Festival, that year. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannes_Film_Festival> 1979: Jean-Bédel Bokassa, ruler of the Central African Republic, was ousted in a coup d'état backed by the French government. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa> 2001: During a televised address to a joint session of the United States Congress, U.S. President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror" against Al-Qaeda and other global terrorist groups. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terrorism> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: needle (v): 1. To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture. 2. (idiomatic) To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/needle> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: When you come right down to it, the secret of having it all is loving it all. --Joyce Brothers <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
