China Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

US F-22 Raptors are shot down in the Chinese version of the Disney movie “Planes”

Hat tip to the Aviationist blog for finding and posting this clip from what can best be described as the Chinese version of the upcoming Disney movie Planes, but with a big twist: A Chinese Chengdu J-10 downs two F-22 Raptor fighter jets (with bald eagle markings) escorting a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. None of the aircraft have any markings to tell you what country they are from and the clip is in Mandarin but reading between the lines, there is only one country using a Chengdu J-10 and probably only one (other) country using F-22 Raptor fighter jets along with B-52 Stratofortress bombers… And then there are those bald eagle markings…

So might the Chinese be trying to send a subtle message to the West or one country in particular here?!!!

The collapse of GA aviation at two airports: A warning for the industry?

General Aviation News and Ron of the House of Rapp blog have picked up a story from the Long Beach Business Journal about the collapse of general aviation at the Long Beach Airport (LGB) in California, once the busiest general aviation airport in the world but that activity has declined 24% in the first six months of the year and a staggering 47% over the past five years. Meanwhile, Ron (who is based in Southern California) pointed out a second article about the once busy nearby Van Nuys Airport which had 607,000 takeoffs and landings in 1999 but by 2010, that figure had declined to 339,000 — the lowest traffic count since 1963.

One obvious reason for these declines is the poor economy but the second article about the decline of the Van Nuys Airport also pointed out that:

Airplane fuel sales, whose city fees were nearly tripled two years ago, have fallen by 30 percent.

And:

“My biggest beef is: No one can make a decision or do anything,” said Mike Konle, an entertainment industry businessman who owns a twin-engine Cessna and is a member of an airport hangar association, who has flown out of Van Nuys Airport since 1975. “No one’s running it like a business.
“We’re overtaxed. Rents are too high. We’re all paying (to support) the few people that are left.”

Obviously there are more factors at play here but whatever the root causes, the decline of these airports means less business for surrounding hotels, bars, restaurants and airport service facilities.

Moreover, Ron also pointed out that:

Meanwhile, in the past two years, Superior Air Parts, Cirrus Aircraft, Glasair Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft, and other U.S. aviation assets have been sold to China. The Chinese are building general aviation airports as fast as they can. We, on the other hand, shut down an average of one airport a week in the United States.

In Ron’s backyard, Santa Monica residents are trying to close Rialto Airport – one of the world’s oldest and most historic airports. However, Ron did note and wrote extensively about how the experimental aircraft industry is still growing by leaps and bounds – offering one bright spot for the future of general aviation.

Otherwise, its not looking good for general aviation in Southern California and no doubt in many other places. Maybe at some point, general aviation pilots and buffs will need to move to China to still enjoy flying.

Asia’s tricked out private jets

The Wall Street Journal recently had a video segment about the booming private jet market in Asia and just what goes into a multi-million dollar luxury private jet for an Asian taipan. The video segment began with a tour of an exclusive Bombadier Global 6,000 that can seat up to 19 passengers for a quick jaunt from Hong Kong to London in a single hop at 50,000 feet (or 15,240 meters) and 590 mph (or 950 kmh). The aircraft itself is 48 feet or 14.6 meters long and contains a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, leather toilet and a full bar plus plenty of Swiss leather along with Italian marble and most important of all: A state of the art visual system to help land in the hazy skies of China. The cost of the aircraft: A mere $45 million plus another $20 million to customize the interior – no doubt pocket change for many an Asian taipan.

The video segment then had an interview with a Bombadier representative who pointed out that their customers tend to be everyone from oil traders to stock traders to CEOs. However, he also noted a few peculiarities about the Asian luxury private jet market, namely that:

Husband and wife purchases are actually common as the Chairman’s wife may have a big say about the interior – which can include everything from round tables for family style meals to karaoke bars with some thought being put in about an aircraft interior’s feng shui.
Everyone is price sensitive but there is still a preference for new aircraft with Asian customers usually wanting theirs right NOW.
There are an estimated 600 private jets in Asia with 150 to 200 private jets in China alone along with double digit growth rates.

The Bombadier representative also pointed out that their preference is to use leather coming from cows living at high altitudes (e.g. Switzerland) where there are no mosquitos or barbed wire to do any damage to it – an interesting factoid to bring up at your next cocktail party.

Otherwise, the reporter asked about rumors that having a private jet means you can jump the queue on the runway and fly out of China ahead of commercial airlines. And although the Bombadier representative would not confirm or deny such rumors, it would definitely be an added benefit for private jet ownership if its true!

China’s amazing flying dragons

Hat tip to All Things Aviation for finding this amazing video of China’s flying dragons. Apparently and perhaps because its now the Year of the Dragon, some Chinese have designed dragon-like flying suits in-order to soar through what looks to be the valleys and mountain tops of Guilin province or perhaps Sichuan. In fact, they are calling their devices Chinese Flying Dragons and after watching this video, you will probably want one to take with you on your next trip to the Swiss Alps!

Chinese farmer builds his own helicopter videos

Hat tip to the Flight School blog for posting three videos of a homebuilt helicopter in China. Apparently, a farmer named Chen Zhao Rong who has only a primary school education but a dream to fly built the helicopter by making and welding all of the parts himself and then checking the design against photos he found on the Internet. After buying a second hand motor for the helicopter, his overall cost amounted to about RMB70,000 (or £6,600 or US$10,600).

Unfortunately and after only a few months of flying, his engine stopped while flying 70km/h to another village and crashed into a field. Although unhurt, his wife threatened to leave him unless he stopped flying while the local police made him sign a document stating that he would never fly the contraption again. Hence, he then sold it to a friend for RMB20,000 (US$3,000 or £1,900).

However, there is some debate in the Youtube comments section about whether or not some of these videos are real or phony. Nevertheless, they look pretty authentic to us so decide for yourself!

Cool videos about flying light sport aircraft in China

Hat tip to Max Trescott for noting that Photographer Kjartan Pétur Sigurðsson of Iceland has recently uploaded two new videos of flying a light sport aircraft (Ramphos Trike aircraft) in China. As we have noted in the past (see our post about China’s do it yourself aviators), general aviation is slowly starting to take off in China and from watching this first video, you can sense the growing enthusiasm that the Chinese and some Westerners living in China have for aviations:

In this second video, the Ramphos flies in the vicinity of a river in Changsha with what sounds like an ehru, which is sometimes known as a “Chinese violin” or a “Southern fiddle,” playing in the background: