Some Statistics as a Point of Reference
PEOPLE
307,212,123 - U.S. Population, July 2010[1]
205,832,122 (67%) between the ages of 15 and 63
45.3 years old - average age of all pilots in 2009[2]
33.5 to 53.5 years old - average age by pilot group, Student Pilots (youngest) to Sport Pilots (oldest)
594,285 - Total Active U.S. Pilots, 2009[3]
35.61% Private Pilots
24.33% ATPs
21.16% Commercial Pilots
12.16% Student Pilots
3.58% Glider
2.57% Rotorcraft
0.55% Sport Pilots
0.04% Recreational Pilots
100.00% Total
525,574 - Total Active U.S. Nonpilots (excluding flight attendants), 2009[4]
62.60% Mechanics
14.36% Ground Instructors (includes all such certificates)
9.71% Flight Engineers
7.88% Repairmen
3.83% Dispatcher
1.59% Parachute Rigger
0.03% Flight Navigator
100.00% Total Nonpilots (excluding flight attendants)
170,324 - Total Active (Ground + Flight) Instructors, 2009[5]
16% of Total Pilots (and 75% of Commercial Pilots) are Flight Instructors (a percentage of Flight Instructors are also Ground Instructors)
15% of Total (Pilots + Nonpilots) are Flight and/or Ground Instructors
14% of Nonpilots are Ground Instructors
OCCUPATIONAL DATA
116,000 - People Employed as Airline Pilots, Flight Engineers, Flight Instructors, etc. in 2008[6]
66% Employed as Airline Pilots, Copilots, & Flight Engineers
34% Employed as Commercial Pilots, Flight Instructors, etc.
36% of Total Number of (ATPs + FEs + Comm Pilots) in 2008 were employed as such[7]
140,300 - People Employed as Aircraft Mechanics plus Avionics and Service Technicians in 2008[8]
87% Employed as Aircraft Mechanics & Service Technicians
13% Employed as Avionics Technicians
38% of Total Number of (Mechanics + Repairmen) in 2008 were employed as such[9]
AIRCRAFT
228,663 - Total Active General Aviation and On-Demand Part 135 Aircraft, 2008[10]
71% Piston Airplanes
10% Experimental Aircraft
4% Rotorcraft (piston + turbine)
3% Light Sport Aircraft
39 - Average Age in Years, Registered General Aviation Fleet, 2008[11]
“Typical” Flight Line continues to look like that of the late 1960s/early 1970s
AIRPORTS
19,750 - Grand Total Civil and Joint Use Airports, Heliports, and Seaplane Bases on Record, 2010[12]
68% are Airports
75% Civil Public and Private Use Landing Facilities
378 Abandoned in 2009
219 Added in 2009
159 Net Landing Facilities Lost in 2009
514 Net Facilities Lost, 3-year period 2007-2009
Ratio of Facilities Lost to Facilities Added = 1.8 to 1
FORECAST THRU 2025
0.5% - Average Annual Growth (AAG), Total U.S. Pilot Population[13]
12.1% AAG, Sport Pilots
0.0% AAG, Recreational Pilots
0.0% AAG, Private Pilots
0.3 to 1.1% AAG, All Other Pilot Categories
0.9% - Average Annual Growth (AAG), U.S. General Aviation and On-Demand Part 135 Aircraft[14]
-1.0% AAG, Fixed-Wing Piston Multi-Engine Aircraft
4.7% AAG, LSAs
2.0% AAG, Experimental Aircraft
0.1% AAG, Fixed-Wing Piston Single-Engine Aircraft
Fixed-Wing Turbine Aircraft:
4.5% Turbo Jet
1.4% Turbo Prop
[1] The CIA World Fact Book, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html, referenced 17 Sep 2010.
[2] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 44.
[3] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 41.
[4] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 41.
[5] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 36.
[6] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Ed., “Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers”, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos107.htm#emply, referenced 17 Sep 2010.
[7] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 42.
[8] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Ed., “Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians”, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos179.htm#emply, referenced17 Sep 2010.
[9] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 42.
[10] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 32.
[11] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 36.
[12] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 50-51.
[13] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 59.
[14] 2009 GAMA Statistical Databook & Industry Outlook, http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA_Databook_2009.pdf, p 56.
