All non-military aircraft are civilian. They include private and business jets and commercial airliners.

Private jets are personal aircraft used for recreational flying, often single-engine monoplanes with a non-retractable landing gear. However, they can be very complex and include variants such as: “warbirds”, former military aircraft flown for nostalgia reasons, ranging from early trainers to large bombers; “homebuilts”, aircraft built from scratch or from kits by the owner and ranging from simple adaptations of Piper Cubs to high-speed, streamlined four-passenger vehicles; antiques and classics, restored old aircraft flown like warbirds for reasons of affection and nostalgia; and aerobatic aircraft designed for high maneuverability and airshow participation.

Business class aircraft are used to generate profit for their owners and include everything from small single-engine aircraft used for pilot training or to transport small packages over short distances to four-engine jets that can cross continents and oceans. Business aircraft are used by salesmen, prospectors, farmers, doctors, missionaries, and many others. Their main purpose is to make the best use of top executives’ time, freeing them from airline schedules and airport operations. They also serve as executive props as a sophisticated incentive for potential clients. Other business aircraft include those used for agricultural work, traffic reporting, forest firefighting, medical evacuation, pipeline surveillance, cargo transportation, and much more. One of the unfortunate but rapidly growing segments of business aircraft is those who use the aircraft illegally to transport drugs and other illicit substances. A wide range of such aircraft are used for special purposes, such as thunderstorm investigations, hurricane tracking, aerodynamic research and development, engine testing, high altitude surveillance, advertising, and police work.

Commercial airliners are used to transport passengers and cargo on a scheduled basis between selected airports. They range in size from single-engine cargo carriers to the Airbus A380 and in speed from below 200 miles per hour to supersonic, in the case of the Anglo-French Concorde, which was in service from 1976 to 2003.