A Chinese company and a Russian aviation institute have agreed to launch a private airplane production project in northeast China’s Jilin Province.

The cooperative venture, with a total investment of RMB800 million ($106 million), is expected to produce 500 two-seat and four-seat light aircraft and seaplanes for private use every year with an estimated revenue of RMB800 million.

Jilin-based Dingxin Technology and the Moscow Aviation Institute will be the two owners.

The Chinese company will hold 60% and the remaining 40% will belong to the institute. It will be located in the Jilin Municipal Economic Development Zone nearly 100 km east of the provincial capital Changchun.

Matveenko Alexander, principal of the institute, said the planes are likely to enter the northeast Asian market after the project is put into operation.

Which raises the small problem of where the planes will fly in China. As matters stand the control of air space means that general aviation — the term used for small aircraft being used for private business and pleasure — has little space in which to manouever. No doubt this will change now that China is going to produce its own light aircraft.

The illustration is of a Chinese light aircraft, the Little Hawk-500, which is about to start a spin test in Xi’an. This was the last in a series of flight-tests and the aircraft waltzed through it. This was the first time civil aviation had had this test in China.
Source: China.org.cn