General Aviation in China

     General Aviation in China has not yet caught up to par with countries such as the United States. However, it is growing at a rate that might surprise some. Prior to the mid 90's, Chinese GA was almost non existent. According to Export.gov, GA in China started to increase every year after 1996. But why is this? Why is GA in China finally starting to boom?

     One very notable aircraft manufacturer, Cessna, is having the new model Cessna 162 Skycatcher assembled by Shenyang Aircaft Corp. based in Northeast China. Interesting enough, when this information came public, several confirmed purchases demanded there deposits back. So why is Cessna, a company who profited over $30 million in 2011 deciding to build there new light sport aircraft over sees? One would presume that such a well established American company would keep their production in the United States. Many say that because of the decrease labor costs of oversees production that the lower cost of the aircraft will benefit flight schools and new aspiring pilots. Others however say that this is detrimental to the U.S. economy and all the possible jobs it would create if this aircraft were to be built in America. I for one, agree with the latter.

     Now, enough about the Skycatcher... back to the boom of GA in China. One reason I believe that this is happening is because of the population boom. Today, the population of China is almost 1.5 billion people. Compare this to 1970 when the population was 830 million. This is still a great number, but almost half of what it is today. With such an increase in population size, people and products have a higher need for transportation and delivery than as of 40 years ago. Another reason I believe the Chinese GA scene is growing is because of the government's realization of GA importance. In previous times, airspace and flight was so extremely restricted in China. Now it is more loose and accommodable, making flight training and recreational flights easier.

     So what does this huge growth in Chinese GA mean for Americans? Well, it could be looked at both ways. A pilot may see that career opportunities are now expanding giving more opportunities for oversees jobs. An engineer on the other hand, may see that the several U.S. aircraft manufacturers now producing aircraft oversees as a job threat. It really is all based upon your outlook. I do not believe that the growth of GA in China to be a threat to myself personally, however if I were an aspiring mechanic or engineer hoping to snag a job assembling aircraft, I would probably feel a little bit different.