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except that performed by the military and the scheduled <br />airlines. This broad scope of activity is what makes general <br />aviation an important asset to a community. <br />Scheduled airlines had a combined 1984 fleet of approximately <br />4000 planes which carried passengers to and from fewer than 400 <br />airports in the nation. The majority of total passenger en- <br />planements and departures occurred at just 15 of the <br />approximately 400 airports. Since airline deregulation in 1978, <br />commercial airlines serve fewer communities and concentrate <br />their equipment utilization on major profitable routes. In <br />contrast, the U.S.'s general aviation fleet includes over <br />200,000 aircraft and operates from over 12,500 airports. There <br />are over 18,000 incorporated communities in the contiguous 48 <br />states and an almost equal number of unincorporated communities. <br />General aviation helps fill this gap with a network of directly <br />accessible facilities. <br />Hardly a day goes by in which one of our lives is not affected <br />in one way or another by some facet of general aviation: <br />• Charter service carrying passengers and/or cargo to <br />communities not served by scheduled airlines <br />• Scheduled air taxi <br />• Aerial application of agricultural, fertilizers, <br />pesticides, herbicides, and seeds <br />• Aerial survey and mapping <br />• Geophysical exploration <br />• Forest survey, patrol, and fire fighting <br />• Law enforcement and traffic control <br />• Search and rescue <br />• Emergency air ambulance <br />• Power and pipeline patrol <br />• Pleasure and sport flying <br />• Instructional and proficiency flying <br />• Business and corporate flying <br />Business and corporate flying provides for the rapid <br />transportation of company executives, staffs, and sales forces. <br />It expands the area effectiveness of salesmen and allows <br />2-35 <br />