27. Civil Aviation
Civil Aircraft is a rather big group of aircraft. It refers to all non-military flights and activities in aviation.

General Aviation
General aviation refers to all civil flights other than scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights. Because of the huge range of activities, it is difficult to cover general aviation with a simple description — general aviation may include business flights, private aviation, flight training, ballooning, parachuting, gliding, hang gliding, aerial photography, foot-launched powered hang gliders, air ambulance, crop dusting, charter flights, traffic reporting, police air patrols, forest fire fighting, and many other types of flying.

· Ballooning: Ballooning is a type of civil aviation that uses buoyancy to float in the air. This buoyancy is generally created by filling a large fabric envelope with hot air or gases that are lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. The less dense balloon lifts the basket tied underneath that carries people and cargo into the air. A balloon has no propulsion system, so it floats with the wind.

· Soaring: Soaring is a type of general aviation where the flight of a motor less aircraft involves using air currents and thermals to fly long distances. Aircraft used for this purpose are called gliders or sailplanes, and often have very clean designs made of metal or fiberglass to improve glide ratio.

· Private Aviation: Private aviation is the part of general aviation that involves flying not for hire. In a private flight, the pilot is not paid, and the aircraft owner/operator does not receive money for the flight (other than rent from the pilot, in some cases). In many countries, private aviation operates to less strict standards than commercial aviation. Private pilots normally are not required to demonstrate the same level of proficiency on their flight tests, and take fewer and less rigorous medical examinations. Many small aircraft are private planes.

· Scheduled Airline Flight: An airline is a part of civil aviation that provides air transport services for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license. Airlines vary from those with a single airplane carrying mail or cargo, through full-service international airlines operating many hundreds of airplanes. Airliners may fly intercontinental, intracontinental, or domestic.

· Military Aviation: Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift (cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theatre or along a front. The wide variety of military aircraft includes bombers, fighters, fighter bombers, transports, trainers, and reconnaissance aircraft. These varied types of aircraft allow for the completion of a wide variety of objectives. Many automatic devices assist the crews in obtaining results not achievable by human means. Machines can carry out many tasks including locating, tracking, and destroying targets.

· Transport aircraft: Transport aircraft are primarily used to transport troops and war supplies. Cargo also may be discharged from flying aircraft on parachutes, eliminating the need for landing. The aerial tanker can refuel fighters, bombers, and helicopters while in flight. This means that an aircraft can go to any point on the globe without landing transport troops. This can be important in remote areas.

Experimental aircraft are designed in order to test advanced aerodynamic, structural, avionic, or propulsion concepts. These are usually well instrumented, with performance data telemetered on radio-frequency data links to ground stations located at the test ranges where they are flown.

Today, aircraft manufacturers tend to design planes with multi-role abilities, with both bomber and fighter qualities, so the distinction is becoming relative or obsolete for new aircraft.