China’s General Aviation Presence at Oshkosh

The Chinese General Aviation community was well represented at this year’s 2016 EAA AirVenture. China considers General Aviation to be a “golden industry” for the 21st century, raising its priority to strategic status. In order to facilitate the accomplishment of this goal, China has partnered with a number of business alliances, including one with Blue Sky Innovations, an aviation think tank and consulting firm in Plano, Texas which specializes in international business development and marketing. Its’ mission is to expedite the expansion of China’s GA Industry which is forecasted to have an economic impact of $150 billion USD by 2020.

Operating statistics for 2015 showed that China operated 2,235 GA aircraft, a 13.2% increase over the previous year. The total is composed of 1,530 fixed wing aircraft (230 of which are business jets), 658 helicopters, 41 hot air balloons, and 6 airships. China maintains 281 certified GA companies, a 17.6% increase over the previous year. There are 74 pilot training institutions, among which 13 are flight colleges, 37 are flight training organizations, and 24 are flight schools located in foreign countries.

China has embarked upon a flight plan to significantly increase the number of GA aircraft and GA airports in country.