California
According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Contribution of General Aviation to the US Economy in 2018, general aviation in California contributes over $32.7 billion to the state’s total economic output.
Aviation by the Numbers
According the 2018 Aviation in California: Fact Sheet, California has 217 public-use general aviation airports, 58,008 FAA certified pilots and 28,402 FAA registered aircraft.
Number of Jobs
According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Contribution of General Aviation to the US Economy in 2018, general aviation supports 148,300 jobs in California, resulting in over $11.3 billion in labor income.
Economic Impact
According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Contribution of General Aviation to the US Economy in 2018, general aviation in California contributes over $32.7 billion to the state’s total economic output.
According to the FAA, California is home to 600 repair stations, 67 FAA-approved pilot schools, 15,528 student pilots and 9,750 flight instructors. According to the 2018 Aviation in California: Fact Sheet, there are 167 hospital and 196 corporate, police, fire, agricultural, or private heliports. In addition, there are 241 fixed-base operators according to the AC-U-KWIK directory.
According to the University Aviation Association, flight departments in California include California Baptist University in Riverside, San Diego Christian College in Santee, University of Southern California in Los Angeles and California Aeronautical University in Ventura.
Sustainability
In California, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is available at many general aviation airports across California, including Los Angeles International Airport, Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, John Wayne-Orange County Airport, Monterey Regional Airport, Camarillo Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International. Philip 66 and World Energy are converting facilities for SAF production in Rodeo and Paramount respectively.
ZeroAvia, based in Hollister, is developing a hydrogen fuel cell-driven electric powerplant, and Ampaire, located in Hawthorne, is developing electric hybrid aircraft. Joby Aviation, based in Santa Cruz, and Kitty Hawk Corp., located in Mountain View, are both developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles
"In the LA region, only a quarter of jobs are accessible within 90 minutes to people using public transit. AAM could offer a solution, but only if we build affordability both into the private and public sector planning around this technology. So it needs to be safe, zero emissions and low noise. We'll meet that standard industry experts say, and be safer and cleaner than driving a car and quieter than a helicopter.
And while there's no shortage of room in the air for AAM, there are far fewer spots available for takeoff and landing. So as we build out the infrastructure, we don't need to just think about the sky, but the buildings and the vertiports, and connect density and better connections to walking, cycling and transit where those vertiports are."
California Farm Bureau Federation
"Protecting crops from pests and diseases, to fighting wildfires and conducting search and rescue missions in remote areas, small aircraft and airports serve as a lifeline to communities.
General aviation and small airports also support farms and ranches in California. This activity is crucial to our state’s agricultural economy and the jobs it supports."
