Editing Aviation (section)

===Civil aviation===
{{Main|Civil aviation}} 
{{see|Commercial aviation|Private aviation}}
Civil aviation includes all non-military flying, both [[general aviation]] and [[scheduled air transport]].

====Air transport====
{{Main|Airline}}
[[File:Boeing 777-200 (United AL) LHR (5383777850).jpg|thumb|235x235px|A [[United Airlines]] [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200]] taxiing on the tarmac of [[Heathrow Airport]] in January 2011. The Boeing 777 is a popular choice for airlines that operate a [[wide-body aircraft]].]]
[[File:N819NW Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 takeoff from Schiphol (AMS - EHAM), The Netherlands pic1.JPG|thumb|[[Delta Airlines]] [[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-323]] taking off at [[Amsterdam Schiphol Airport]] in July 2017.]]

There are five major manufacturers of civil transport aircraft (in alphabetical order):
* [[Airbus]], based in Europe
* [[Boeing]], based in the United States
* [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]], based in Canada
* [[Embraer]], based in Brazil
* [[United Aircraft Corporation]], based in Russia, with its subsidiaries [[Ilyushin]], [[Tupolev]], and [[Sukhoi]]

Boeing, Airbus, Ilyushin and Tupolev concentrate on wide-body and narrow-body jet [[airliner]]s, while Bombardier, Embraer and Sukhoi concentrate on [[regional airliner]]s. Large networks of specialized parts suppliers from around the world support these manufacturers, who sometimes provide only the initial design and final assembly in their own plants. The Chinese [[ACAC consortium]] has also recently entered the civil transport market with its [[Comac ARJ21]] regional jet.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670256,00.html |magazine=Time |title=Eyes on the Skies |first=Kathleen |last=Kingsbury |date=October 11, 2007 |access-date=April 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031070258/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670256,00.html |archive-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 29, 2015 |title=China's COMAC delivers first ARJ21 jet plane to domestic airline |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-comac-idUSL3N13O02620151129 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=December 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203121845/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/29/china-comac-idUSL3N13O02620151129 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Until the 1970s, most major airlines were [[flag carrier]]s, sponsored by their governments and heavily protected from competition. Since then, [[open skies]] agreements have resulted in increased competition and choice for consumers, coupled with falling prices for airlines. The combination of high fuel prices, low fares, high salaries, and crises such as the [[September 11 attacks]] and the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS pandemic]] have driven many older airlines to government-bailouts, bankruptcy or mergers. At the same time, [[low-cost carrier]]s such as [[Ryanair]], [[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]] and [[WestJet]] have flourished.

====General aviation====
{{Main|General aviation}}
[[File:Piper J.3C-65 Cub ‘G-BVAF’ (32714647720).jpg|thumb|1940 [[Piper Cub]]]]

''General aviation'' includes all non-scheduled civil flying, both [[Private aviation|private]] and [[Commercial aviation|commercial]]. General aviation may include business flights, [[air charter]], private aviation, [[flight training]], [[Hot air balloon|ballooning]], [[paragliding]], [[parachuting]], [[Glider (sailplane)|gliding]], [[hang gliding]], [[aerial photography]], [[powered hang glider|foot-launched powered hang gliders]], air ambulance, crop dusting, charter flights, [[traffic reporting]], police air patrols and forest fire fighting.

Each country regulates aviation differently, but general aviation usually falls under different regulations depending on whether it is private or commercial and on the type of equipment involved.

Many small aircraft manufacturers serve the general aviation market, with a focus on private aviation and flight training.

The most important recent developments for small aircraft (which form the bulk of the GA fleet) have been the introduction of advanced [[avionics]] (including [[Global Positioning System|GPS]]) that were formerly found only in large [[airliner]]s, and the introduction of [[composite material]]s to make small aircraft lighter and faster. [[Ultralight aviation|Ultralight]] and [[homebuilt aircraft]] have also become increasingly popular for recreational use, since in most countries that allow private aviation, they are much less expensive and less heavily regulated than certified aircraft.