TEXTRON AVIATIONAUSTRALIAN FLYING January - February 201534 General Aviation in China australianflying.com.au
that operate in to China regularly,
but may be registered and based
maybe in the US or Macau, Hong
Kong, places like that or Taiwan.
“So you have the kind of parallel
development from the top down
where the high end of expensive,
long range large-cabin business
jets like Gulfstream on one end,
and officially run or officially
sanctioned training academies at
the very light end, but nothing in
between, and really very, very little
truly private flying for pleasure,
or for business for that matter,
because it’s very difficult.”
And when businesses wishing
to enter the Chinese market have
found their way through the
aviation-related regulation, their
next hurdle is economic. China’s
rules on joint ventures, investment
and legal assurances are proving
daunting for an industry used to
more easily measurable levels of
risk. But the growing pains of a
government embracing western
technology for the first time can
also put the brakes on development,
particularly for markets such as
business jet charter.“It really slowed down in the
last, I’d say, 18 months, because
of the President’s campaign on
anti-corruption and his edicts
for the government to not do
anything that shows excessive
consumption,” Smith said. “A
significant proportion of the flight
hours of the on-demand charter
operators have traditionally been
by government contract. And now
by regulation and by policy, this
activity is severely restricted if not
eliminated entirely. That will take
a while to shake out.
“But overall, China has made
the development of GA a priority
as outlined in its 12th Five Year
Plan and the authorities there
continue to implement policies
that are helping the GA sector
develop, from increasing access
to the lower altitude airspace, to
easing f light permit requirements,
to instituting more f lexible
licensing requirements for GA
pilots, to providing incentives
for the establishment of GA
companies. While there is still a
long way to go, we remain hopeful
for the longer term.”Australia moves in
Australian companies have not
been slow in seeing the opportunity.
NSW-based aircraft manufacturer
Brumby could be seen as leading the
charge for Australian builders, having
recently signed a multi million dollar,
40-year deal that will see Brumby 600
and 610 LSA trainers built in Fujian
Province in China’s south east.
Brumby will build 280 aircraft
in the first four years, producing
wings, fuselage and empennage
in China and fitting engines,
avionics, interiors and paintwork
in the company’s existing facility in
Cowra, west of Sydney.
Like many examples of “overnight
success”, the deal is the result of years
of work and investment, as Brumby’s
Paul Goard explained.
“Two years ago I looked to China
and at that time they were planning
to release some of the airspace in
2015, so obviously there would be
opportunities for aircraft to be sold in
China,” he said. “So about 18 months
ago I started negotiations with some
companies and I’ve done my specific
deal with the government.”Brumby has partnered with
government-owned conglomerate
AV I C, which also owns, among
other things, Cirrus Aircraft and
Continental Engines. Goard feels
that success will require effort
from manufacturers to develop the
industry alongside the aircraft.
“They have no general aviation
in China,” he said. “Yes, there’s a
few Cessnas and there were a few
old Airtruks and what-not floating
around China, but there is zero
GA. You can’t just go to China
and find someone to put a Cessna
together or a Brumby; they don’t
exist. So what you have to do is you
have to start an industry.”
With the Chinese government
previously concentrating on
commercial operations and airlines,
even locals who have had aviation
exposure have generally been trained
to heavy aircraft philosophies and
don’t have the skills required for
general aviation.
“The people who are working in
GA, the local people in the provinces,
have all gone and worked at airports
of course and have done the Boeing
courses and Airbus courses, so“the growing pains of a government embracing western technology
for the first time can also put the brakes on development”Cessna’s successful
C208B Caravan is now
assembled in China for
local operators. This
floatplane is for tourism
operator Joy Air.