Aviation is the general term to describe anything to do with airplanes, helicopters etc. People who are familiar with the industry, divide the industry down into sub-categories. Essentially, aviation means anything to do with any form of aircraft.
To quote Christopher Harrow from International Aviation HQ:
When you think of aviation, helicopters, planes and seaplanes enter your head. Whilst that is not an incorrect definition, I would argue that it is so much more than that: it is a family, both figuratively and literally.
When you look at airliners, business jets or general light aircraft, there is a series of generations. Take the 737 for example, you had the first 737 in 1967, the 737-200 (a longer version) came out a year later.
This just continues to happen, all the way down to the controversial 737 Max. That is the same for most, if not all aircraft, not just planes, out there in our skies!At any given time, there are between 8,000 and 20,000 flights in the air at any given time!
And that is the true beauty of aviation. You may never have truly thought much about it, but chances are, someone you know, whether directly or indirectly is in the air, right now.
The aviation industry is also one of the largest in the world, but is also one of the most consolidated industries in the whole world when you think about it!
There are only really 4 major airlines, 2 major aircraft manufacturers, and only one real clientele: you.
When you come to think of it, aviation is literally all around you. The average American love no further than 40 miles from an airfield of some sort, whether private, commercial or military.
Even I, as I write this, can see 3 airfields from my bedroom window. An air force base to the South, and air force base to the North, and a private airfield for PPL pilots. And that isn't too uncommon in most places across the world.
It is not uncommon for someone to have 1, 2, 3 or even 4 airfields in their local area (30 mile diameter).
The Aviation 'Family'
I touched on this earlier, but many aviators (those who fly for a living) call aviation their 'second family'.
For most aviators, the love of flying came to them as children or young teenagers. Not adults.
They saw tubes of metal with wings soaring through the sky at 30,000 feet, and said "I want to do that!"
They spent their entire lives up until that point, fixating on one thing, and one thing alone: aircraft and aviation in general.
For pilots, especially, aviation is seen as a path to a kind of second life. Most pilots spend more time in their aircraft, in the air, than they do at home. This makes the aircraft a sort-of second home for most pilots, and the younger airline employees (whether the co-pilot, navigator or the flight attendants) their children, and the older, more experienced flight attendants, pilots and/or navigators, their older sibling, or even their somewhat, second father.
Aviation isn't a concept, it's a state of mind, one shared by thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people all around the world.
Many talk about the repeated strikes in the airline industry, not because we want to, but because of the disruption. We have come to see aviation as another necessity of life, just like water, food, shelter, the internet and so much more.
Not too bad for two brothers in a field in Ohio, over 110 years ago...
Many talk about the repeated strikes in the airline industry, not because we want to, but because of the disruption. We have come to see aviation as another necessity of life, just like water, food, shelter, the internet and so much more.
Not too bad for two brothers in a field in Ohio, over 110 years ago...
