Nonmilitary flight operations are usually categorized as commercial or general aviation.
Commercial aviation concerns scheduled flights from larger tarmac airports that involve the transportation of passengers or cargo. When you purchase a ticket to fly on a plane, your travel falls into this category. Pilots who fly commercial aircraft are held to higher medical and safety standards, and they are required to hold the appropriate licensure and training before they can operate large commercial planes.
General aviation, on the other hand, includes a wide range of aircraft. All nonscheduled flights that are not operated by commercial airlines or by the military are identified as general aviation. It’s easier to get a license to fly general aviation aircraft, and the safety standards aren’t as quite as high as those for commercial pilots.