Can
you 'read between the lines?!'
Will
China Be the Savior of U.S. General Aviation?
Posted by John Morris 3:02
AM on Jul 30, 2013
Its
Presence Grows as it Takes – and Invests – in a World View
Look upwards, and one
will see – not aerobatics, but more Chinese flags than ever fluttering gently
in the breeze here at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Look down, and China has
a fast-growing presence in U.S. general aviation, underscored with a national
pavilion here and another sponsored by the province of Shandong. Look even more
closely and one sees Chinese labeling on an Enstrom 280FX helicopter following
the company’s acquisition by China’s Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co., last
December.
The drumbeat is
relentless. China, in its preparation to meet the pent-up demands of a
dammed-up domestic market for general aviation, is buying up general aviation
in the West at an ever-increasing rate.
Cirrus. Continental
aircraft engines. Epic Aircraft. Superior AirParts. Thielert diesel engines.
Brantly, and Enstrom Helicopters. All are now Chinese-owned. Count China as a
recently-announced major investor in the ICON light sport aircraft, whose
airframes will now be made by Chinese-owned Cirrus, albeit in the U.S. And
Chinese money is also bringing the single-engined Cirrus Vision jet to market.
Cirrus CEO Dale Klapmeier
notes that owner China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) is committed
to supporting the company ’s development efforts, and that the Vision is among
several products on the drawing table. While he would not specify details, he
said yesterday, “We do have plans. We know what . . . we want next; we know
what the airframes are. We have a growth path.”
Chinese companies build
the Cessna Skycatcher, and will soon be sending Cessna business jets out of
their doors. They are already turning out Cessna Caravans.
In Shandong province, Bin
Ao Aircraft Industry Co. has built 96 complete Diamond DA40D four-place
single-engined diesel-powered light aircraft out of orders for 235, and is now
supplying composite airframes to Austria-Diamond as required, and components to
the European company’s Canadian operation. All Chinese-built, completed and
ordered Diamonds are for Chinese flight schools; all are powered by Centurion
diesel engines made by Thielert. That company was acquired last week by Chinese
AVIC’s Continental engines subsidiary.
“We have 66% of the
Chinese four-seat market between 2008-13 with the Diamond DA-40D aircraft,
compared with 34% for Cessna and Cirrus together,” says Li Long, assistant to
the general manager and head of sales for Bin Ao, at Oshkosh. Sales campaigns
are now underway for the first exports, to Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea,
he says.
China’s Yuneec
International has taken a step back from aspirations it could flood the world
with FAA certified electric-powered aircraft; instead it has gone into
partnership with California-based GreenWing International to sell the eSpyder
and e430 ultralight kits in the U.S. as experimental light-sport-aircraft kits.
In a surprise announcement at AirVenture, GreenWing opened up the order book
for the mostly-Chinese-built kits at $39,990. Plans call for the aircraft to be
LSA-certified once the FAA grants exemptions to its LSA rules that require a
reciprocating engine; an electric engine is currently not allowed under that
rule.
GE Aviation will use
AirVenture to announce today with its Chinese partners the first, and maybe
only service center in China for the new H80 turboprop engine that will power
aircraft in that country, including the Thrush 501G crop duster and the
single-engined Primus 150 executive aircraft built by AVIC’s CAIGA. GE is well
ahead on anticipated demand: the third Thrush 501G out of on an initial order
of six is currently en-route to China, and the Primus 150 should make its first
flight this year.
Chinese flags are
becoming increasingly common at Oshkosh.
Enstrom was bought by a
Chinese company last December.
Mostly-Chinese Yuneec
aircraft are now available.
As someone that loves this countries aircraft industry, I am
stunned to find this out.
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