General Aviation Airports: A National Asset

The FAA has come out with a report called “General Aviation Airports: A National Asset,” which documents an 18-month study of the nearly 3,000 general aviation (GA) airports, heliports, and seaplane bases identified in the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). This indepth analysis highlights the pivotal role GA airports play in our society, economy, and the aviation system. The study also aligns GA airports into four categories – national, regional, local, and basic – based on their existing activity levels. The new categories better capture their diverse functions and the economic contributions GA airports make to their communities and the nation. Pilots are urge to use this report to become better informed, and to help promote their local airport to the general public: http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/ga_study/