Challenges

Since moving to China, aviation has become a big part of my life. I’ve learned more than I ever wanted about engines, airfoils and flight controls. Were I to be stuck in an airplane with a dead pilot, (like that guy in Florida), I think I might be able to land the thing, with a lot of help, and it definitely would not be pretty.

I came to China with the DH to support the growth of general aviation. (Well, okay, maybe I came for the thrill, adventure and food, but the other sounds more lofty, doesn’t it?) All we want is for this business to be successful. We want to see airplanes in the sky and pilots enjoying flight as much as we do in the West. I think, ultimately, China wants this, too, but they’ve got a long road ahead of them. General aviation is a relative unknown in China and there are many challenges.

I’m no expert. Hell, I’m a nurse/librarian, but working at two flight schools over the last 3 1/2 years has taught me a few things about aviation in China.

What are the top 5 challenges in fight training here?

1. The Military and Their Control of Airspace

Probably the biggest challenge to general aviation and flight training is the PLA, the People’s Liberation Army. The PLA, as any good military does, controls, controls, controls. In this case. they control the airspace, deciding who has permission to fly and when and where this flying can take place. Commercial flights are assigned slots and routes and they have no problems flying – as long as they stick to their flight plans. Deviate from the plan and the pilots will likely find a punishment awaiting them on the ground.

General aviation (GA) has far more serious issues. The PLA is not as cooperative with the GA community as they are with the money making and often state-owned commercial airliners. Our instructors and students might be scheduled for a flight to one of three training areas around Linyi, a cross-country flight from Linyi to Jinan, or a flight in the traffic pattern (a rectangular circuit around the airport teaching takeoff, departure, go-around, approach and landing procedures), but the PLA can call up at any time and deny permission for these flights. Denials usually occur because military aircraft are going to be in the area, but we’ve never actually seen a single military aircraft. Sometimes we wonder if the military just dislikes the thought of a bunch of foreign pilots flying around.

This is certainly their right as the controlling body to restrict flight, but ultimately they are hurting China. We are training China’s future pilots AND doing it within the country, keeping millions of RMB inside China. Open the skies!

2. Air Traffic Control Procedures

Another challenge is getting local Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) to understand the needs of flight training. Since controlling commercial air traffic is all they’ve ever known, ATC generally do not understand how a Cessna 172 differs from a Boeing 737. They give directions that are somewhat inefficient and overly cautious, like requiring all flight training aircraft to land 30 minutes before an airliner is due at the airport. This is done to lessen the risk of mid-air collision, but with proper separation (the vertical and horizontal distance between aircraft in the air), communication and standard operating procedures regarding airplane position in the traffic pattern or training areas, it is also completely unnecessary. 

                                 Cessna 172                           Boeing 737

In addition, and this is purely my opinion, I think that some ATC just don’t like the additional work required to control small airplanes. Controlling commercial airliners is straightforward – they approach and land and then leave again. Training aircraft stay in the area and require constant contact with the air traffic control tower. We are changing their routines and they might not appreciated the invasion of their turf.

3. Language Barriers

This leads to a third challenge, which is exacerbated by the fact that China has a flight instructor shortage. Qualified flight instructors have been imported from other countries and use English as the mode of communication. English has been recognized as the international language of aviation, but English proficiency is not required of ATC and pilots working domestically, not yet anyway. Misunderstandings can happen when either the flight instructor or the ATC is unsure of the language used on the radio. Standard phraseology use diminishes the problem, but not completely.

Misunderstandings can also happen between Chinese students and foreign flight instructors, due to language or cultural barriers. Generally these challenges are quickly overcome once the two get to know each other, but they can persist in some cases.

4. Sky Conditions

One challenge that is mostly out of our hands is the weather. And by weather, of course, I’m really talking about pollution here. Student pilots start out flying the airplane just like we drive a car – by looking out the windows. This is known as VFR for Visual Flight Rules. The students must be able to see a minimum of 2km (this might vary according to flight school, training area and altitude) and they cannot fly into any clouds. What to do when the sky looks like this: 

That’s about 100 meters visibility in Shijiazhuang 2006

Many flights are cancelled and valuable hours lost due to poor visibility. The main culprit in China is the smoke of factories and coal burning. The air quality in Linyi is better than other areas, but the city has its share of gray and gritty days. If there is a silver lining to this, it might be that our students become quite skilled at IFR or instrument flight, which is the kind of flying they will be doing when they return to their sponsoring airlines. 

5. Other Random Challenges

What else can be challenging? Finding the right kind of fuel for the airplane, believe it or not! Flight training usually begins on small aircraft with piston engines. That’s the same kind of engine you’ve got in your car. Piston engines take Avgas – aviation gas, similar to the gas you put in that car. Since GA is so uncommon in China, Avgas is not produced or readily available. Commercial airliners use Jet fuel – kerosene – which is not compatible with most small aircraft engines. Lack of fuel, or use of old fuel, which can be contaminated, will lead to airplane groundings, or worse, engine failure.

Overall, maintenance can be an issue due to lack of proper tools and/or access to replacement parts. This problem can be overcome in most situations, but not always. I’ll give you an example that could theoretically occur. Let’s say a business imports a Beechcraft airplane, such as the King Air. Until recently, Beechcraft was owned by  Raytheon, a company banned from business on the Mainland due to their dealings with a certain military across the strait, getting parts for this engine could be difficult. One would hope a company would do their research and not end up in such situations, but it could happen, just as delay or unavailability of a part due to cost, shipping, etc. could ground operations for a period of time.

And last, but not least, I will quickly mention something that has proven challenging to all business endeavors in China, and that is the presence of corruption. It’s here and it is difficult to avoid, as it is an unfortunate part of the business culture at the moment.

Individually or as a whole, these challenges are quite formidable to the supporters of GA. This is bad news for the rich businessman who wants a luxury jet, the enthusiast who wants to play pilot on the weekends, or the entrepreneur who wants to market skydiving clubs across the country. It will take more time, I believe, but our very presence here, working in a flight school, is evidence that China’s skies could be getting friendlier. 

For further reading on why challenges exist, visit this previous post. For an overview of the flight training market in China, visit this post.

If you read Chinese, this PDF, provided by China Civil Aviation Report, discusses general aviation in more detail.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related Posts:

1. Since When Do I Care About Aviation? Aviation is not something I ever really thought I’d be...
2. Clipped Wings *Update* Unfortunately, when I first posted this article I did...
3. Chinese Planespotting Even though aviation seems more and more depressing by the...
4. Great Big Camoflauged Airplane Over the seven months I’ve been in Shijiazhuang, I’ve seen...
5. Rocking Ain’t the Word I realize this blog has degenerated into a collection of...

Tagged as: aircraft, airplanes, Aviation, challenges, China, flight training, general aviation