Table 1-13: Active Air Carrier and General Aviation Fleet by Type of Aircraft

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KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised.

^a Air carrier aircraft are aircraft carrying passengers or cargo for hire under 14 CFR 121 (large aircraft-more than 30 seats) and 14 CFR 135 (small aircraft-30 seats or less). This definition is more encompassing than that in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Forecast- jet aircraft, 60 seats or more carrying passengers or cargo for hire. Beginning in 1990, the number of aircraft is the monthly average reported in use for the last three months of the year. Prior to 1990, it was the number of aircraft reported in use during December of a given year.

^b Columns may not add to totals due to estimation procedures and rounding. Beginning in 1993, excludes commuters. Prior to 1993, single engine turboprops were included in "Other turboprops"; single and multiengine turbine rotorcraft were not shown separately; gliders and lighter-than-air aircraft were combined into the "Other" category; and experimental aircraft were included in the appropriate aircraft type. For example, prior to 1993, the single engine piston aircraft type included both experimental and nonexperimental aircraft Starting in 1993, that aircraft type only includes nonexperimental aircraft. Due to changes in methodology beginning in 1995, estimates may not be comparable to those for 1994 and earlier years. Values for 1991 through 1994 were revised to reflect changes in adjustment for nonresponse bias.

^c Total includes 574 turbine aircraft of unspecified subtype.

^d Multiengine.

^e Single-engine.

^f Source reported rounded data for general aviation.

NOTES

Prior to 1970, aircraft counts included aircraft retained in FAA data systems until the owners requested that they be deregistered. As a result, thousands of aircraft that had been destroyed over the years remained in the system. Since 1970, annual verification of aircraft registrations is required. Failure to comply with this requirement leads to revocation of the registration certificate and exclusion of the aircraft from the official count of the following year. Listed engine configurations (e.g., two-, three-, multi-) represent all applicable combinations for each aircraft type. Totals may not agree with those in other tables as revisions to prior year data are reported at the aggregate level only.

SOURCES

Air carriers:

1965: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, 1966 Edition. (Washington, DC: 1966), table 7.5.

1970: Ibid., Calendar Year 1971. (Washington, DC: 1972), table 5.5.

1975: Ibid., Calendar Year 1975. (Washington, DC: Dec. 31, 1975), table 5.3.

1980: Ibid., Calendar Year 1980. (Washington, DC: Dec. 31, 1980), table 5.2.

1985: Ibid., Calendar Year 1993. FAA-APO-95-5 (Washington, DC: 1995), table 5.2.

1990-94: Ibid., Calendar Year 1996, Internet site: http://www.api.faa.gov/handbook96/toc96.htm, as of Mar. 31, 2000, table 5.2.

1995-2002: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Facts and Figures (Washington DC: 2003/2004), "Active U.S. Air Carrier Fleet," and similar tables in earlier editions.

General aviation:

1965: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, 1966 Edition. (Washington, DC: 1966), table 5.1.

1970: Ibid., Calendar Year 1971. (Washington, DC: 1972), table 8.3.

1975: Ibid., Calendar Year 1975. (Washington, DC: Dec. 31, 1975), table 8.4.

1980: Ibid., General Aviation Activity and Avionics Survey, Annual Report Calendar Year 1980, FAA-MS-81-5 (Washington, DC: December 1985), table 2-6.

1985: Ibid., Annual Summary Report 1994 Data, FAA-APO-95-10 (Washington, DC: 1996), table 1.2.

1990: Ibid., General Aviation and Air Taxi Activity Survey, Calendar Year 1999 (Washington, DC: 2001), table 1.2.

1991-2002: Ibid., General Aviation and Air Taxi Activity Survey, Calendar Year 2002 (Washington, DC: 2004), table 1.2.