Arizona
According to the 2012 Economic Impact of Aviation in Arizona report, general aviation in Arizona generates an estimated $609 million in economic activity and supports $261 million in wages and benefits annually.
Aviation by the Numbers
According to the FAA, Arizona has 78 public-use airports, which serve 22,786 pilots and 7,634 registered aircraft.
Number of Jobs
According to the 2012 Economic Impact of Aviation in Arizona report, general aviation supports 6,890 jobs in Arizona and sustains a payroll of $261 million annually.
Economic Impact
According to the same report, general aviation supports $609 million in economic activity in Arizona annually.
According to FAA data, Arizona is home to 150 repair stations, 21 FAA-approved flight schools, 6,282 student pilots and 4,510 flight instructors. In addition, there are 64 fixed-base operators in the state, according to the AC-U-KWIK directory. According to Helicopter Association International, there are 147 heliports in Arizona.
According to the University Aviation Association, flight departments in Arizona include Arizona State University in Mesa, Cochise Community College in Douglas, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott.
Arizona is also home to many general aviation manufacturing companies including Honeywell Aerospace and Universal Avionics.
Stefanie Smallhouse, President of the Arizona Farm Bureau
"Congress must act to advance small airports and general aviation, as this infrastructure is critical to rural communities and Arizona’s agricultural industry. This means not only ensuring that we continue to support funding for these operators and airports but that we invest in the future workforce of aviation personnel and critical areas such as sustainable fuel and new and emerging technologies.
North America will need 208,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, according to Boeing. These small aircraft and airports may not be as well-known as our large commercial airports, but they are critical to our economy, food supply and way of life."