Chinese general aviation not yet geared for take off

A Spring Airlines plane at an airport in Nantong, Jiangsu province. Low-cost airlines are set to take off in China. [Provided to China Daily]

(ECNS) -- Every month, Mr. Wen, a 32-year-old senior executive in the financial industry, takes a trip from Beijing to Saipan to indulge in his hobby of flying an airplane at a cost of $200 per half hour, a cost substantially lower than in China.

"General aviation" equals "low-altitude," "high cost" and "insecure" to most. But more and more Chinese such as Wen have developed a strong interest in the discipline. Unfortunately, restrictions on the use of low-altitude airspace have for a long time limited the development of the general aviation industry in China.

After a meeting in Beijing last week attended by senior officials, it was announced that the country will deepen its reform of airspace management in 2015 to boost the aviation industry.

However, industry insiders say the reforms are inadequate, as the aviation market is already booming, leaving the embryonic industry "struggling between ice and fire."

"The meeting only addressed reform of low-altitude airspace management, not the opening up of all airspace below 1,000 meters. It's a gradual step, going from dots to lines over the next year," said Gao Yuanyang, an expert on general aviation at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Wang Xia, secretary general of the General Aviation Commission under the China Air Transport Association, said the reform of low-altitude airspace management has so far addressed "flying up," or general aviation, and will settle the matter of "flying out" next year, referring to the opening up of low-altitude airspace.

There has been no indication that the core issue of simplifying approval procedures for general aviation planes is being examined.

Little progress has been made, though the Chinese military and civil aviation administration issued a directive on the application and administration of general aviation flights last November, specifically to simplify the process.

Commercial pilot training flourishes

Despite the slow pace of opening up low-altitude airspace, demand for pilots has increased rapidly. Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China show that there were 1,654 registered general aviation planes by the end of 2013. Going by the suggested ratio of 1.5 pilots per plane, that implies an aggregate need for almost 5,000 domestic pilots in China. However, the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company has just 708 licenses, which means a shortfall of more than 4,000 licensed pilots.

Many have noticed the shortage of pilots in China, and commercial pilot training for professional general aviation (equivalent to a class A and B driver's license) is flourishing.

According to several general aviation companies, the training fee for a commercial pilot's license is around 700,000 yuan ($113,000). At a professional training school, one can get a commercial pilot's license after 60 theory classes and 105 hours of flying.

If training is undertaken at eligible general aviation companies, individuals should complete 45 more hours of flight time. Trainees are required to finish all training and examinations within two years.

Xu Lidong, CEO of Beijing Capital Helicopter Co. Ltd, said that newly graduated pilots can earn a salary of between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan. After three to five years and 1,000 hours of flight time, promotions can bring a salary of around 500,000 yuan.

Going just by the salary, a career as a general aviation pilot can be very promising. But it can take up to 10 years for new pilots to become captains, as seen in companies like Air China.