utility aircraft

{{Short description|General-purpose light aircraft}}

File:Antonov AN-2 (cropped).jpg, a widely-used utility aircraft]]

File:Pilatus PC-12-45, Jetfly Aviation JP532772.jpg utility turboprop aircraft]]

A utility aircraft is a general-purpose light airplane or helicopter, usually used for transporting people, freight, or other supplies, but also used for other duties when more specialized aircraft are not required or available.

The term can also refer to an aircraft type certificated under American, Canadian, European, or Australian regulations as a Utility Category Aircraft, which indicates that it is permitted to conduct limited aerobatics. The approved maneuvers include chandelles, lazy eights, spins, and steep turns over 60° of bank.Crane, Dale: Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition, page 535. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. {{ISBN|1-56027-287-2}}{{Cite web|url = http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=b6f5e31413e8b959cea967c466bc74e5&rgn=div8&view=text&node=14:1.0.1.3.10.1.59.3&idno=14|title = Title 14: Aeronautics and Space PART 23 — Airworthiness Standards: Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes, Subpart A — General|access-date = 15 July 2011|last = Federal Aviation Administration|author-link = Federal Aviation Administration|date = July 2011|archive-date = 9 October 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121009063914/http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=b6f5e31413e8b959cea967c466bc74e5&rgn=div8&view=text&node=14:1.0.1.3.10.1.59.3&idno=14|url-status = dead}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/regserv/cars/part5-standards-523-sub-ab-2061.htm#523_3|title = Part V - Airworthiness Manual Chapter 523 - Normal, Utility, Aerobatic And Commuter Category Aeroplanes |access-date = 15 July 2011|last = Transport Canada|author-link = Transport Canada|date=July 2011}}

In the United States, military utility aircraft are given the prefix U in their designations.