20-552: The Cessna 350 Corvalis is a composite construction, single-engine, normally aspirated, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft that was built by Cessna Aircraft until the end of 2010. The aircraft was formerly built by Columbia Aircraft and called the Columbia 350 until late 2007. Developed as the Model LC40-550FG (for Lancair Certified, Model 40, Continental 550 engine, Fixed Gear ) and marketed under
40-640: Is accomplished with light aircraft . The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines civil aviation aircraft operations in three categories: General Aviation (GA), Aerial Work (AW) and Commercial Air Transport (CAT). Aerial work operations are separated from general aviation by ICAO by this definition. Aerial work is when an aircraft is used for specialized services such as agriculture, construction, photography, surveying, observation and patrol, search and rescue, and aerial advertisement. However, for statistical purposes ICAO includes aerial work within general aviation, and has proposed officially extending
60-451: Is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 lb (5,670 kg) or less. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft commercially for small-scale passenger and freight transport ; for sightseeing, photography, cropdusting , and other so-called aerial work roles of civil aviation ; for the personal-use aspect of general aviation ; and in certain aspects of military aviation . Examples of aircraft that are at
80-560: Is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other purposes. However, for statistical purposes, ICAO uses a definition of general aviation which includes aerial work. General aviation thus represents the " private transport " and recreational components of aviation, most of which
100-493: Is not limited to: Commercial air transport includes: However, in some countries, air taxi is regarded as being part of GA/AW. Private flights are made in a wide variety of aircraft: light and ultra-light aircraft, sport aircraft , homebuilt aircraft , business aircraft (like private jets ), gliders and helicopters . Flights can be carried out under both visual flight and instrument flight rules, and can use controlled airspace with permission. The majority of
120-655: Is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority . The main focus is on standards of airworthiness and pilot licensing , and the objective is to promote high standards of safety. General aviation is particularly popular in North America, with over 6,300 airports available for public use by pilots of general aviation aircraft (around 5,200 airports in the U.S. and over 1,000 in Canada ). In comparison, scheduled flights operate from around 560 airports in
140-620: The 21,000 civil aircraft registered in the United Kingdom, 96 percent are engaged in GA operations, and annually the GA fleet accounts for between 1.25 and 1.35 million hours flown. There are 28,000 private pilot licence holders, and 10,000 certified glider pilots . Some of the 19,000 pilots who hold professional licences are also engaged in GA activities. GA operates from more than 1,800 airports and landing sites or aerodromes , ranging in size from large regional airports to farm strips. GA
160-581: The U.S. According to the U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association , general aviation provides more than one percent of the United States' GDP , accounting for 1.3 million jobs in professional services and manufacturing . Most countries have a civil aviation authority that oversees all civil aviation , including general aviation, adhering to the standardized codes of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Aviation accident rate statistics are necessarily estimates. According to
180-454: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board , general aviation in the United States (excluding charter) suffered 1.31 fatal accidents for every 100,000 hours of flying in 2005, compared to 0.016 for scheduled airline flights. In Canada, recreational flying accounted for 0.7 fatal accidents for every 1000 aircraft, while air taxi accounted for 1.1 fatal accidents for every 100,000 hours. More experienced GA pilots appear generally safer, although
200-539: The definition of general aviation to include aerial work, to reflect common usage. The proposed ICAO classification includes instructional flying as part of general aviation (non-aerial-work). The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) refers to the category as general aviation/aerial work (GA/AW) to avoid ambiguity. Their definition of general aviation includes: General aviation thus includes both commercial and non-commercial activities. IAOPA's definition of aerial work includes, but
220-549: The end of 2009. In December 2010, a Cessna 400 that was being test flown at the factory developed a fuel leak, the cause of which was determined to be that the aircraft had "suffered a significant structural failure in the wing during a production acceptance flight test. The wing skin disbonded from the upper forward wing spar. The length of the disbond was approximately 7 feet." As a result, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive affecting seven Cessna 400s and one 350, all on
SECTION 10
#1732772648641240-508: The maximum gross takeoff weight for this category include the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Beechcraft B200 Super King Air . Uses include aerial surveying, such as monitoring pipelines, light cargo operations, such as "feeding" cargo hubs, and passenger operations. Light aircraft are used for marketing purposes, such as banner towing and skywriting , and flight instruction . The majority of personal aircraft are light aircraft,
260-498: The name Columbia 300 , the aircraft was certified on September 18, 1998. Deliveries began in February 2000. The 300 is powered by a Teledyne Continental Model IO-550-N engine of 310 horsepower (230 kW) at 2700 rpm. The aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is 3400 lb (1542 kg) and the maximum landing weight is 3230 lb (1465 kg). The 300 has a certified airframe life of 25,200 flight hours. The Columbia 300
280-429: The production line. The AD did not affect any customer aircraft in service, but did delay deliveries. In March 2011, Cessna announced that the model was out of production and removed marketing information from its website. Data from Cessna Aircraft General characteristics Performance [REDACTED] Media related to Cessna 350 at Wikimedia Commons General aviation General aviation ( GA )
300-430: The relationship between flight hours, accident frequency, and accident rates are complex and often difficult to assess. A small number of commercial aviation accidents in the United States have involved collisions with general aviation flights, notably TWA Flight 553 , Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 , Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 , PSA Flight 182 and Aeroméxico Flight 498 . Light aircraft A light aircraft
320-458: The same takeoff and landing weights as the 300; maximum takeoff weight is 3400 lb (1542 kg) and the maximum landing weight is 3230 lb (1465 kg). Like the 300 and 400, the 350 has a certified airframe life of 25,200 flight hours. Initially sold simply as the Cessna 350, the aircraft was given the marketing name Corvalis by Cessna on 14 January 2009. The name is a derivation of
340-542: The town of Corvallis, Oregon , which is west of the Bend, Oregon , location of the Cessna plant that built the aircraft, prior to closing the plant and relocating production to Independence, Kansas , in 2009. In April 2009, Cessna announced that it would close the Bend, Oregon factory where the Cessna 350 was produced and move production to Independence, Kansas, with the composite construction moved to Mexico . The production line
360-485: The world's air traffic falls into the category of general aviation, and most of the world's airports serve GA exclusively. Flying clubs are considered a part of general aviation. In 2003, the European Aviation Safety Agency was established as the central EU regulator, taking over responsibility for legislating airworthiness and environmental regulation from the national authorities. Of
380-529: Was restarted in October 2009 at the Cessna Independence paint facility, initially at a rate of one aircraft in six months. This was to allow the new workers, plus the 30 employees transferred from Bend, to gain experience and also allow Cessna the opportunity to retail its unsold inventory of Cessna 350s and 400s. The company had anticipated moving the 350/400 production into a permanent facility by
400-542: Was upgraded with a glass cockpit and other improvements developed for the turbocharged Columbia 400 . It was certified on March 30, 2003 as the Model LC42-550FG (for Lancair Certified, Model 42, Continental 550 engine, Fixed Gear ) and marketed as the Columbia 350. Like the 300, the 350 is powered by a Teledyne Continental IO-550-N powerplant producing 310 horsepower (230 kW) at 2700 rpm. The 350 has
#640359