CALIFORNIA AVIATION DAYS
AVIATION IN CALIFORNIA
California Aviation Fact Sheet (March 2022)
COMMERCIAL AIRPORTS	GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORTS
Aviation & Business - enables face-to-face meetings and the delivery of time-critical documents, supplies, and repair parts necessary to keep businesses operating.  No need to spend hours at a crowded airport terminal when they can keep productive by using their own aircraft enroute to their next meeting.  For business, no plane, no gain.
Aviation & Agriculture - Aerial application of pest and weed control products enhances California's agricutural industry's ability to supply the global food market.  There are more than 100 companies in the state that conduct aerial application services.  Much more sophisticated than the Hollywood "cropduster" image.
Aviation & Emergency Response - Speeding above congested roads, taking the most direct route they need to go, Emergency Medical Service helicopters give victims a chance to reach critical care facilities quickly, often within the "Golden Hour," the first hour after extreme trauma, during which the hope for survival is greatest.  Every metropolitan area in the state has at least one EMS aircraft on call 24 hours a day.  In larger regions, multiple hospital operate small fleets of helicopters and possess onsite landing pads to service multiple patients simultaneously.  Several EMS operators, such as CalStar and Reach Air Medical, have established bases at rural airports to assure the fastest response possible.
Aviation & Disaster Response - When earthquakes or floods destroy roads and rails, communities rely on aircraft to provide access to food and supplies.
Aviation & Air Freight - If you live in Redding and receive a package from FedEx or UPS, you can bet it traveled on a General Aviation aircraft for at least a portion of its joourneu.  Just as commercial passenger airlines often use a "hub and spoke" system, relying on a network of commuter aircraft to feed the mainline carrier, s too the air freight industry operates.  However, with the need to accommodate passengers, the state's smaller air frieght busiesses rely on rugged "aerial trucks" to haul packages and letters.
Aviation & Electronic News Gathering - Evolving from its infancy as predominately radio traffic reporting, today's electronic news gathering aircraft are airbrne High Definition Broadcast Studios.  Helicopters offter a wide arra of capabilities and are the platform of choice for the media.
Aviation & Flight Training - Aircraft are not very useful if there are no pilots to fly them.  California's flight training industry has seen a significant decline during the past decade as regulatory processes have encurged may smaller schools to relocate or close.  Still, fligt raiing exists and does so in some rather spectacular ways  As an example, based in Redding, IASCO Flight Training provides primary and advamced flight training to up to 180 students from airlines based in China.  At the other end of the state in El Cajon, SAA International is one of the few flight training schools that is approved by the world's three largest aviation authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Europe's Joint Aviation Authority, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
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