general aviation

noun

: the operation of civilian aircraft not under the control of a common carrier
also : such aircraft collectively

Examples of general aviation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web McSpadden was the head of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute, which focuses on curbing crashes of general aviation airplanes. Pete Muntean, CNN, 2 Oct. 2023 Three miles southeast of Carlsbad, McClellan-Palomar Airport serves corporate aircraft, commercial services, and the general aviation community. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2023 Its acting administrator, Billy Nolen, whose presence was requested at the hearing, spent the day in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at EAA AirVenture, the US’s largest general aviation conference, where he was scheduled to speak on topics including the transition to unleaded aviation fuel. Heather Landy, Quartz, 1 Aug. 2022 In 2008 the bankruptcy of Eclipse Aviation, with promises of thousands of its tiny, personal jets darkening the skies, soured investors to the general aviation segment after going bankrupt and vaporizing more than a billion dollars in investment. Brian Foley, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022 Cable Airport is a public use general aviation airport that was founded by Dewey and Maude Cable in 1945. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2023 In the air, aviation fuel, the last major fuel to contain lead, is the largest source of airborne lead pollution in the US, exposing 3 million children living near general aviation airports. Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022 Dallas Independent School District has a magnet program for ninth through 12th graders that teaches a general aviation class in the first year and then focuses on aviation maintenance programs in 10th through 12th. Dallas News, 30 May 2022 For safety purposes, the FAA requires all general aviation operations’ flight crews to use supplemental oxygen for any portion of the flight that exceeds 30 minutes above 12,500 feet, up to and including 14,000 feet. Paulina Villegas, Washington Post, 6 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'general aviation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of general aviation was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near general aviation

Cite this Entry

“General aviation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general%20aviation. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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