Millions of your fellow citizens of various ages and income levels already have learned how to fly. Some fly just for fun. Some fly as a way to travel to their jobs. And some are career pilots who fly professionally to earn a living. The basic types of pilots in successive order of qualifications include student, sport, recreational, private, instrument rated, commercial, certified flight instructor, airline transport pilot, and designated pilot examiner.

General Aviation (GA) aircraft come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Many used airplanes bought and sold in the United States today cost no more than an SUV, and some cost as little as a used car. From ultralights to helicopters to private airplanes to corporate jets, there’s an aircraft for every type of flying, as well as every size budget. Our interactive diagram will let you compare a typical four-seat GA aircraft to a typical family minivan.

Small airplanes are safe and comfortable, but few are luxurious "sky yachts" being driven around by cigar smoking fat cats. Far from it. Most small airplanes are rented or owned by ordinary people like teachers, nurses, bankers, and electricians. These people have decided to enjoy flying as their hobby, just like many people enjoy other family activities like recreational boating or RVing.

Airports can be as basic as a strip of freshly mowed grass in a farmer’s backyard or as complex as O’Hare International in Chicago. Yet all airports share some basic features that make them safe and practical to use and that tie the airport to their surrounding communities and area businesses. Public-use airports in America are privately owned (yet still open to the public), are owned by local municipalities, or are joint-use military/civilian airfields. Explore an airport with our interactive diagram. Find the airports near you with our interactive map.

Airways are often referred to as "highways in the sky" for a reason. That’s because the network of airways and jetways is very much like the national highway system, and both serve the needs of all Americans. Airways serve primarily smaller airplanes on shorter routes at lower altitudes, while jetways primarily serve airliners and jets operating over longer distances above 18,000 feet. Your local community airport works just like an on-ramp to these highways in the sky. See the airways near you with our interactive map.

Navigating through America’s skies is a lot like navigating its seas. Just like the navigational channels near busy harbors and waterways, some airspace near metropolitan areas — and all airspace above 18,000 feet — is managed by air traffic control (ATC). In addition, the use of portions of airspace can be restricted, prohibited, or reserved. For example, prohibited airspace is located over Camp David, the presidential retreat. Airspace often is reserved for high-speed military training flights. See the airspace and control zones near you with our interactive map.

Land- and space-based navigational aids routinely help pilots safely fly throughout the world’s airspace in all types of weather, day and night. These sophisticated systems can even guide aircraft to a safe landing. Yet, in the age of GPS satellite navigation technology, every aircraft still carries a simple magnetic compass upon which all navigational methods are based.

The vast majority of flights are not handled by air traffic control (ATC). Surprised? You shouldn’t be; just think about how you use your car. No one provides permission for you to leave your driveway or tells you how to enter or leave the parking lot at the mall. Throughout your trip, you follow well-known procedures referred to as "rules of the road." The same is true of all pilots. Basic techniques taught to every pilot facilitate the safe and orderly flow of traffic. But high volume areas and flights in bad weather require monitoring and direction by ATC.

Just like the fuel tax that pays for our roads, our National Airspace System (NAS) is paid for using a simple tax placed upon every gallon of fuel used by airplanes large and small. This provides a simple, fair, and efficient system for protecting America’s investment in the world’s best air transportation system. Money from this fuel tax flows through the Airport and Airway Trust fund, from which federal dollars are dispersed to airports in towns and cities throughout America. Federal dollars amplify state and local aviation budgets.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the element of the U.S. government with primary responsibility for the safety of civil aviation, including General Aviation (GA). The FAA is involved with everything that has to do with flying: airport design and construction, training and certification, quality control of replacement parts, weather forecasting, air traffic control, and setting standards and developing the best practices.