General aviation in the United Kingdom has been defined as a civil
aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport flight
operating to a schedule. Although the International Civil Aviation
Organization excludes any form of remunerated aviation from its
definition, some commercial operations are often included within the
scope of general aviation in the UK. The sector operates business jets,
rotorcraft, piston and jet-engined fixed-wing aircraft, gliders of all
descriptions, and lighter than air craft. Public transport operations
include business (or corporate) aviation and air taxi services, and
account for nearly half of the economic contribution made by the
sector. There are 28,000 Private Pilot Licence holders, and 10,000
certified glider pilots. Although GA operates from more than 1,800
aerodromes and landing sites, ranging in size from large regional
airports to farm strips, over 80 per cent of GA activity is conducted
at 134 of the larger aerodromes. GA is regulated by the Civil Aviation
Authority, although regulatory powers are being increasingly
transferred to the European Aviation Safety Agency. The main focus is
on standards of airworthiness and pilot licensing, and the objective is
to promote high standards of safety.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_aviation_in_the_United_Kingdom>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1378:
Papal Schism: Unhappy with Pope Urban VI , a group of cardinals started
a rival papacy with the election of Antipope Clement VII, throwing the
Roman Catholic Church into turmoil.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Schism>
1854:
The Crimean War began with a Franco-British victory over Russian forces
at the Battle of Alma near the River Alma in Crimea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alma>
1870:
The Bersaglieri entered Rome, ending the temporal power of the Pope and
completing the unification of Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Rome>
1946:
The first Cannes Film Festival opened in Cannes, France, with eleven
films eventually sharing the Palme d'Or award, then known as the Grand
Prize of the Festival, that year.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannes_Film_Festival>
1979:
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, ruler of the Central African Republic, was ousted
in a coup d'état backed by the French government.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa>
2001:
During a televised address to a joint session of the United States
Congress, U.S. President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror"
against Al-Qaeda and other global terrorist groups.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terrorism>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
needle (v):
1. To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.
2. (idiomatic) To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/needle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you come right down to it, the secret of having it all is loving
it all.
--Joyce Brothers
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers>