Civilian Aviation Technology

中国30座级涡浆多用途飞机有望2014年实现首飞
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　　新华网贵阳１０月１２日电（记者王丽）中国３０座级涡浆多用途飞机立项论证报告近日在贵阳通过专家评审，贵航集团将成为此型号飞机的生产和参研单位，预计２０１４年将实现首飞。

　记者从贵航集团了解到，３０座级涡浆多用途飞机是贵州省人民政府与中航工业集团公司战略合作的一项重点项目之一，２００８年底双方明确按照“发展整机、军民结合”的思路，以３０座级涡浆多用途飞机为重点，由中航工业集团公司在贵州省发展从原材料、部附件、航空发动机到飞机制造的军民结合型航空产业全价值链体系。

　据了解，此项飞机是由中航工业集团公司、贵州航空产业投资公司、中航通用飞机公司、贵航集团公司、中航工业第一飞机设计研究院等单位，以货币资金、实物资产、技术等方式进行投资入股，组成项目公司承担研制任务，项目研制分为概念设计、初步设计、详细设计、试制生产和试飞取证及交付用户等阶段，项目预算周期为２５年，其中研制周期５年，飞机生产周期２０年，全部研制经费预计为１４．４亿元。

　该型号飞机将由中航工业第一飞机设计研究院和贵航集团飞机设计研究所共同研制，由贵航集团云马飞机制造厂和双阳飞机制造厂生产，３０座级涡浆多用途飞机具有广阔的市场前景，它的成功研制将填补了中国５０座以下支线飞机的空白，完善中国航空运输体系中机型配置，促进中国支线航空网络的建设，解决中国短航线上的缺乏小机型而使用大座级飞机营运，构建中国中西部地区快速空中运输通道具有重要意义和作用。

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GAIG is developing a 30 seat turboprop regional jet. I guess this is to fill that gap between Y-12F and MA-60. I thought a while ago, there was some news coming out about China assembling su-80GP, which is in the same class, but that didn't seem to go anywhere.

Also, some on Chinese forums are suspecting that this will be converted into a platform for a E-2 like AWACS. I will believe this when it actually happens.

tphuang said:

GAIG is developing a 30 seat turboprop regional jet. I guess this is to fill that gap between Y-12F and MA-60. I thought a while ago, there was some news coming out about China assembling su-80GP, which is in the same class, but that didn't seem to go anywhere.

Also, some on Chinese forums are suspecting that this will be converted into a platform for a E-2 like AWACS. I will believe this when it actually happens.

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comparative size between SU-80 and E-2C aircraft?

PLA Air Force's Direction?

bladerunner said:

I also heard that the air traffic/corridor is controlled by the military, so in the case of flight delays , it is more than shambolic.Rumor has it in these times when one is buying a airticket, one does not go on price, but finding out which plane is high on the departure list when it comes to clearing a backlog. But seriously if thats the case, and if civilian traffic gonna grow like heck, they would have to have a better system in place, wouldnt they?

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I have taken several domestic flights in China between Shenzhen and Chengdu, Nanning, Xiamen, Hainan and Shanghai. I did not notice any difference in purchasing tickets and choice of airliners between China and other countries. My last flight was in June this year between Shanghai and Shenzhen.

I have taken more than two dozen flights to Hong Kong in last few years, and I can assure you there is no difference.

lcloo said:

I have taken several domestic flights in China between Shenzhen and Chengdu, Nanning, Xiamen, Hainan and Shanghai. I did not notice any difference in purchasing tickets and choice of airliners between China and other countries. My last flight was in June this year between Shanghai and Shenzhen.

I have taken more than two dozen flights to Hong Kong in last few years, and I can assure you there is no difference.

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agree,I live in Canada, I used to come back H.K and traveled to China many times, my feel that China air transportation has developed rapidly, progress rapidly, well-managed entry and exit quickly.
I used to compare Canada for this, In this regard Canada had lagged behind China, China's plane much newer, service much better, entry and exit much quicker than Canada, when enter Canada, very strict customs inspection, but China custom inspection much simple.
I was most impressed with is this: China's domestic flights, air hostess are so many and so beautiful.

maozedong said:

agree,I live in Canada, I used to come back H.K and traveled to China many times, my feel that China air transportation has developed rapidly, progress rapidly, well-managed entry and exit quickly.
I used to compare Canada for this, In this regard Canada had lagged behind China, China's plane much newer, service much better, entry and exit much quicker than Canada, when enter Canada, very strict customs inspection, but China custom inspection much simple.
I was most impressed with is this: China's domestic flights, air hostess are so many and so beautiful.

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Based on my limited experience with Asian Airlines (flew to China and back once in 2000 and from Shen Zheng to Beijing and back during that trip), Asian Airlines definitely have better food

Customs here usually have a policy of being more thorough with people from certain countries for a variety of reasons, perhaps China is on the list where disembarking passengers are given a more thorough check, especially with Asian Nationals as they have a tendency of bringing in banned Asian traditional food ingrediants and such like, which are considered a bio or agricultural hazard.

Im told the Chinese air hostess are rather plain with poor service on our national airline. I wonder if its because we are a bunch of cheapskates and they just give us the ordinary looking ones.

Our national airline,Air New Zealand employs Chinese Mainland Nationals to fly the China Route, that way they only have to pay them the Mainland pay rate for Air Hostesses, whatever that might be, but considerably less than going rate of $50K plus for NZ domociled hostesses. THe chinese hostess complain that they are being ripped off, but are they, when one considers the payrates mainlanders get for working for foreign companies.

lcloo said:

I have taken several domestic flights in China between Shenzhen and Chengdu, Nanning, Xiamen, Hainan and Shanghai. I did not notice any difference in purchasing tickets and choice of airliners between China and other countries. My last flight was in June this year between Shanghai and Shenzhen.

I have taken more than two dozen flights to Hong Kong in last few years, and I can assure you there is no difference.

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I heard this story from a travel agent who specialises in travel packages throughout China.She said all bets were off when it came to travelling with ones preferred airline, when it comes to mass delays with hundreds of flights being postponed etc. She said the goal was to get on the first airline with a higher priority takeoff time.

bladerunner said:

I heard this story from a travel agent who specialises in travel packages throughout China.She said all bets were off when it came to travelling with ones preferred airline, when it comes to mass delays with hundreds of flights being postponed etc. She said the goal was to get on the first airline with a higher priority takeoff time.

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I believe what you said is true but that is not the general picture, my guess is that the directive she got is situational and not mandatory.

My experience is:

1. Buy ticket in airport. You can find one or two rows of ticket selling counters in most Chinese airports, each counter manned by personnel from different airlines. Each counter sells tickets for only one airlines, example if I go to the Shichuan Airline counter, they will sell only Shichuan Airline ticket.

2. Book online. Online booking through ticketing agent is popular and very price competitive. You make your own choice in choosing what fare, time and airline. Now I am hooked to online booking as I am in total control, and I get the best price.

I only went to ticketing agent office China once and several times in Hong Kong and Malaysia, you have to wait for your turn, and then the agent will browse through the computer etc. It was time consuming and you may not get what you want. I think the agent was trying to do what you described. In these case the agent is taking control by telling you what flight is available but still the final decision to fly as advised or not is yours. It is not in China, it happened elsewhere.

Comac C919

I came across the following review of the prospects for Comac's C919, from an aviation analyst at the Teal Group:


Essentially, the argument being made is that Comac (and China's civilian aviation industry in general) is at a crossroads. They can either develop the C919 as a clone of the Airbus A320 (in which case it will stand no chance of being sold to any airline outside of China), or they can be aggressive and incorporate new technologies (the latest composites and engine technology) as part of cooperative effort with Western suppliers - and effectively leapfrog the 737 and A320 as they exist today. The future of aviation (and anything else that costs this much to develop), is through international cooperation, not go-it-alone national products.

The Teal Group is well respected, and widely quoted throughout the industry literature. This particular article can be blunt, but it makes a strong case for the alternatives facing China's developers.