China's private aviation industry is growing with some serious regulatory shackles attached. Unfortunately for the growing population of Chinese pilots, there are so many restrictions on flying in the country, many are resorting to flying under the radar, both literally and figuratively.
If you want to fly somewhere in China in your own aircraft, there are many, many hoops to jump through. Requests must be filed days, even weeks in advance. And the requests have to be made in multiple places to keep everybody happy. There's no chance of just hopping in your plane and flying to a meeting on a moment's notice.
So instead of dealing with all the red tape, many pilots are simply choosing to fly illegally.
According to a story in Time, several pilots are choosing to pay the fine if they are caught since it is roughly the same price as the permit needed to make the flight legally.
With a population of more than 1.3 billion people, there are only around 200 private aircraft in China. The tightly controlled nation has only allowed private ownership of aircraft since 2003. But with so many millionaires and billionaires in the rapidly growing economy, aircraft makers are positioning themselves in what could be the next big market for general aviation.
Several makers of general aviation aircraft including Cessna, Cirrus and Diamond Aircraft are all building a strong presence in the Chinese market. Both Cessna and Diamond are currently manufacturing airplanes in China.
Part of reason for making aircraft in China is for the same economic reasons many things are made in China. But it's no secret there is a push for aviation companies to position themselves in the world's most populous nation so when the aviation market flood gates open, those companies will be there to train and sell the growing pilot population. It's a similar strategy to that used by GM and Volkswagen, the two top brands in the country.
But as the manufacturers are positioning themselves to serve a market that has yet to explode, those already flying private aircraft in China continue to find it difficult to enjoy the friendly skies.
There are some places in the country where local governments have created some slightly more relaxed airspace rules. But many in the Chinese aviation world hope the same transportation boom that happened with cars and led to highways and driving clubs, will find its way to the flying world in China as well.
Photo of private jets in Dalian, China - David Sifry / Flickr
