FAA launches 2025 GA survey

Email surveys and postcards were previously sent to individual aircraft owners in February. On April 10, the FAA is mailing surveys to individual aircraft owners, which will be followed by surveys to owners and operators of multiple aircraft on April 11.

AOPA encourages members to participate because the data from this survey is used to:

• Calculate accident rates.
• Measure effects of safety initiatives and technology.
• Estimate the cost of compliance with airworthiness directives.
• Determine funding for infrastructure and service upgrades.

The GA survey is the only tool the FAA has to gather key information, including:

• An accurate estimate of hours flown.
• The number of active aircraft of various types.

This data can reveal interesting and useful information about GA flight activity. For example, the latest survey results from 2023 revealed more than 8.2 million instructional hours were flown, which is nearly 30 percent higher than the year prior. But at the same time, the survey found the number of aircraft used primarily for instruction grew by only about 10 percent, perhaps putting some weight behind the stories we’ve all seen about flight schools being busier than ever.

Survey responses also help the FAA and other agencies calculate GA’s economic impact.

The FAA ensures that all survey responses are confidential and used solely for statistical purposes.