China Civil Aviation Industry, Technology, Infrastructure: News & Discussions

[JSCh]

中美《适航实施程序》签署并生效​

中国民航局：www.caac.gov.cn 时间：2017-10-23

　　中国民用航空局与美国联邦航空局《适航实施程序》，在美、中双方分别于2017年9月28日和2017年10月17日签署后，于2017年10月17日正式生效。

　　该协议根据《中华人民共和国政府与美利坚合众国政府促进航空安全协定》制定，实现了两国民用航空产品的全面对等互认，内容涵盖适航审定在设计批准、生产监督活动、出口适航批准、设计批准证后活动及技术支持等方面的合作。该协议的签署为两国民航当局更深入和广泛的合作奠定了基础，也为两国民用航空产品的交流和工业部门的合作创造了良好的双边环境。


Google translate:

China and the United States airworthiness implementation procedure signed and effective
Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Web site: www.caac.gov.cn
Time: 2017-10-23

China Civil Aviation Administration and the US Federal Aviation Administration Bilateral Airworthiness Implementation Procedures, in the United States, China, signed respectively, on September 28, 2017 and October 17, 2017. On October 17, 2017 formally entered into force.

The agreement is based on the "Government of the People's Republic of China and the United States of America Government to promote aviation safety agreement" to develop and achieve a comprehensive national civil aviation products, mutual recognition, covering airworthiness certification in the design approval, production supervision activities, export airworthiness approval , Design approval after the activities and technical support and other aspects of cooperation. The signing of the agreement laid the foundation for more in-depth and extensive cooperation between the civil aviation authorities of the two countries and created a favorable bilateral environment for the exchange of civil aviation products between the two countries and the cooperation of the industrial sector.



http://www.caac.gov.cn/XWZX/MHYW/201710/t20171023_47258.html

Link to the agreement in english -> http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/SBGX/BMDYZDQ/MG/SHXD/201710/P020171023581677904467.pdf

 

[JSCh]

Deal will boost exports of domestic planes: experts
By Wang Cong Source:Global Times Published: 2017/10/24 21:48:40

China's first domestically developed large passenger jet C919 takes off during its second test flight in Shanghai in September. Photo: IC

China and the US have signed a bilateral airworthiness agreement after years of negotiations, with the deal taking effect on October 17, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The agreement points to China's advances in the civil aviation industry and improvements in industry standards and could pave the way for domestic commercial aircraft to enter mainstream global markets, Chinese experts noted on Tuesday.

The CAAC said in a statement on Monday that the airworthiness agreement between the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the CAAC was reached in late September.

Under the agreement, Chinese and US regulators achieved "full, reciprocal recognition" of each other's civil aviation products, including airworthiness certification, according to the statement by CAAC.

Specifically, the agreement covers the airworthiness examination and approval of design standards, production oversight, export airworthiness, technical support and other areas of cooperation, the statement said.

Airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft's suitability for safe flight and the basic requirement for any aircraft to be allowed for flight. China and the US signed an airworthiness agreement in 1991, but terms under that agreement were not fully reciprocal because the US did not fully recognize Chinese authorities' airworthiness measures, the People's Daily reported on April 28.

But the new agreement, coming after three years of negotiations between the CAAC and the FAA, changed that.

"The signing of the [new] agreement laid the foundation for deeper and broader cooperation between the two countries' civil aviation authorities and created a positive bilateral environment for the exchange of the two countries' civil aviation products and the cooperation of the countries' industrial sectors," the CAAC statement read.

The new agreement could pave the way for the rise of China's civil aviation industry in the global market, which has been dominated by US and European companies, Chinese experts said on Tuesday.

The agreement could help the export of China's domestically developed planes such as the C919 and the ARJ-21, both produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, according to the experts.

"All new aircraft have to obtain airworthiness certificates before entering the market, and currently there are two widely recognized certificates: one from the FAA and the other from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)," Lin Zhijie, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Lin added that although the CAAC has been issuing airworthiness certificates, the procedure was not fully established or widely recognized. Signing of the agreement with the FAA means a big step that could hopefully speed up the export of the large passenger jet C919 to mainstream markets abroad.

According to Lin, the ARJ-21 regional jet, which was delivered to domestic airlines in 2015, has not been able to be exported to major markets because it did not receive airworthiness certificates from either the FAA or the EASA.

China is also in talks with the EASA on a bilateral airworthiness agreement, which could be signed by the end of this year, Wang Jingling, deputy director general of airworthiness plans at the CAAC, said in April, according to the People's Daily report.

The signing of the China-US agreement also highlighted the fast development in China's civil aviation industry and technological advances in aircraft manufacturing, according to Li Yimin, a long-time industry insider.

"I think this is a very significant move for China's civil aviation industry, because it reflects the fast rise of our industry in the global market, not only in market size but also technological capability," Li told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China is the world's second-largest civil aviation market and one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, the US inter-agency trade information website export.gov said in a post on its website, pointing to China's aviation imports, expanding network of civilian airports and air fleet.

The US aviation sector exported $13.2 billion worth of goods to China in 2016, accounting for 58 percent of China's total imports in the sector, according to the post on export.gov in July.

 

[shjliu]

Deal will boost exports of domestic planes: experts
By Wang Cong Source:Global Times Published: 2017/10/24 21:48:40

China's first domestically developed large passenger jet C919 takes off during its second test flight in Shanghai in September. Photo: IC

China and the US have signed a bilateral airworthiness agreement after years of negotiations, with the deal taking effect on October 17, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The agreement points to China's advances in the civil aviation industry and improvements in industry standards and could pave the way for domestic commercial aircraft to enter mainstream global markets, Chinese experts noted on Tuesday.

The CAAC said in a statement on Monday that the airworthiness agreement between the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the CAAC was reached in late September.

Under the agreement, Chinese and US regulators achieved "full, reciprocal recognition" of each other's civil aviation products, including airworthiness certification, according to the statement by CAAC.

Specifically, the agreement covers the airworthiness examination and approval of design standards, production oversight, export airworthiness, technical support and other areas of cooperation, the statement said.

Airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft's suitability for safe flight and the basic requirement for any aircraft to be allowed for flight. China and the US signed an airworthiness agreement in 1991, but terms under that agreement were not fully reciprocal because the US did not fully recognize Chinese authorities' airworthiness measures, the People's Daily reported on April 28.

But the new agreement, coming after three years of negotiations between the CAAC and the FAA, changed that.

"The signing of the [new] agreement laid the foundation for deeper and broader cooperation between the two countries' civil aviation authorities and created a positive bilateral environment for the exchange of the two countries' civil aviation products and the cooperation of the countries' industrial sectors," the CAAC statement read.

The new agreement could pave the way for the rise of China's civil aviation industry in the global market, which has been dominated by US and European companies, Chinese experts said on Tuesday.

The agreement could help the export of China's domestically developed planes such as the C919 and the ARJ-21, both produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, according to the experts.

"All new aircraft have to obtain airworthiness certificates before entering the market, and currently there are two widely recognized certificates: one from the FAA and the other from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)," Lin Zhijie, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Lin added that although the CAAC has been issuing airworthiness certificates, the procedure was not fully established or widely recognized. Signing of the agreement with the FAA means a big step that could hopefully speed up the export of the large passenger jet C919 to mainstream markets abroad.

According to Lin, the ARJ-21 regional jet, which was delivered to domestic airlines in 2015, has not been able to be exported to major markets because it did not receive airworthiness certificates from either the FAA or the EASA.

China is also in talks with the EASA on a bilateral airworthiness agreement, which could be signed by the end of this year, Wang Jingling, deputy director general of airworthiness plans at the CAAC, said in April, according to the People's Daily report.

The signing of the China-US agreement also highlighted the fast development in China's civil aviation industry and technological advances in aircraft manufacturing, according to Li Yimin, a long-time industry insider.

"I think this is a very significant move for China's civil aviation industry, because it reflects the fast rise of our industry in the global market, not only in market size but also technological capability," Li told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China is the world's second-largest civil aviation market and one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, the US inter-agency trade information website export.gov said in a post on its website, pointing to China's aviation imports, expanding network of civilian airports and air fleet.

The US aviation sector exported $13.2 billion worth of goods to China in 2016, accounting for 58 percent of China's total imports in the sector, according to the post on export.gov in July.

huge new!!

 

[JSCh]

Tonnage-level cargo drone tested in China
By Guo Meiping
2017-10-27 16:09 GMT+8

As drone delivery gains momentum globally, a new cargo drone named AT200 was tested in Pucheng County, northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province on Thursday.

The drone is 11.84-meters long and 4.04-meters high, and it has a wingspan of 12.8 meters. Notably, the drone has a maximum take-off weight of 3.4 tons and a holding capacity of 10 cubic meters.

AT200, developed by The Institute of Engineering Thermophysics (IET) of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and other institutes, is considered the world’s first civilian cargo drone that has a payload of 1.5 tons, ecns.cn reported.

AT200 was tested in Pucheng County, northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province on October 26. /Photo via Ecns.cn

The drone is equipped with advanced flight controls and command systems, which enable it to fly without a pilot. Manipulators can control the drone with monitors in some simple tasks, lowering the operational difficulty and freight cost.

AT200 has a cruising speed of 313 km/h with a battery life of eight hours, and has takeoff and landing capacities of only 200 meters when fully loaded, on land or grass.

Developers are accounting for the drone to solve the shipment difficulties in mountainous areas and destinations at high altitude, according to the institute.

 

[JSCh]

Tonnage-level cargo drone tested in China
CGTN
Published on Oct 27, 2017

As drone delivery gains momentum globally, a new cargo drone named AT200 was tested in Pucheng County, northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province on Thursday.

 

[JSCh]

China-Russia Aerospace Joint Institute established in Shanghai
The institute will admit its inaugural class of 60 undergraduate students next year, half of them from Russia and half from China.

01:26 UTC+8, 2017-10-27 Yang Meiping

Xinhua
Chinese and Russian students applaud during the unveiling ceremony of a China-Russia Aerospace Joint Institute set up by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow Aviation Institute.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow Aviation Institute unveiled a China-Russia Aerospace Joint Institute on Thursday to promote cooperation in education and research in aviation and aerospace.

The institute will admit its inaugural class of 60 undergraduate students next year, 30 from Russia and 30 from China, and they will spend the first two years in Shanghai and the final two years in Moscow, with all courses taught in English.

Cheng Jiaojie, Party chief of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Jiao Tong, said the Russian partner excelled in education of practical skills.

With the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Sino-Russian cooperation in developing a wide-body jet, the two institutions have already launched a joint master’s program in aerospace in September with 29 Russian students and 23 Chinese students.

Lin Zhongqin, president of Jiao Tong, said aviation and aerospace is important for a country as a crucial sign to reflect its economic and social development level and the joint institute will make new contribution to development of the industry in both China and Russia.

“Both Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow Aviation Institute have solid foundation in education and research in aviation and aerospace and have cultivated a lot of excellent talent for our own countries,” he said.

“Our cooperation will bridge a platform for young people from China and Russia to study together, communicate together, grow up together and make a contribution to the industry together.”

Dong Jun / SHINE
Chinese and Russian students sing at the unveiling ceremony.

Source: SHINE Editor: Xu Qing

 

[JSCh]

Advanced version of China's 1st electric plane makes maiden flight
Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-02 07:18:32|Editor: Yang Yi



Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2017 shows the RX1E-A, a two-seater aircraft designed by Shenyang Aerospace University, at Caihu airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 1, 2017. An advanced version of China's first electric plane made its maiden flight on Wednesday, extending the single flight time to two hours from around 45 minutes. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

 

[JSCh]

China’s second C919 jumbo jet completes engine test
(People's Daily Online) 15:13, November 03, 2017

The second C919 jumbo jet, China’s domestically designed large passenger aircraft, completed a crucial engine test on Thursday, pushing China’s plan to muscle into the global jet market forward.

The jfdaily.com reported that Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the Shanghai-based manufacturer of the C919, conducted ignition tests on the plane’s two engines to evaluate the plane’s mobility and safety.

The company plans to produce six planes for test flights. The first one successfully completed its maiden flight in May, while the second is expected to make its first test flight at the end of this year, Xinhua reported.

Launched in 2008, the C919 program aims to manufacture China’s own passenger aircraft. The successful test flight of the C919 in May made China the fourth jumbo jet producer after U.S., Western Europe, and Russia.

According to COMAC, the C919 jet’s standard range of 4,075 kilometers is comparable to the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing’s new generation 737 planes.

 

[JSCh]

China’s first comprehensive climatic lab expected to be put into use in 2018
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) 15:31, November 06, 2017

China’s first comprehensive climatic laboratory is expected to be put into use in 2018, according to a forum on aircraft-technology development held in Shanghai on Nov. 4

By then, aircraft climatic testing will no longer be limited to airports with particular environments, and most of the tests can be performed at the lab.

The C919, China’s first domestically developed large passenger jet, will be tested in the climatic laboratory.

China’s Aviation Industry Aircraft Strength Research Institute (AIASRI) prepared for the lab three years ago. Located in Xi’an, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, it has a gross area of 13,000 square meters.

The lab is able to simulate various extreme weather conditions through refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, and controlling technologies, offering testing environments for any season, location, or time.

“The aircraft will be tested in a number of weather conditions,” said Yang Hai, a senior research fellow with AIASRI. For instance, the aircraft will be placed in the lab for 48 hours where the temperature will be lowered to minus 50 degrees Celsius to see whether it can still function, he added.

Many aircraft are currently waiting to undergo testing in the lab, including the C919, he said. In addition, fatigue testing of the C919 will be finished two years after its maiden flight.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese-made aircraft delivered to Pacific Island nation
Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-10 12:42:37|Editor: Mengjie



HARBIN, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-made Y-12E aircraft was delivered to the Federated States of Micronesia, an island nation on the Western Pacific, on Friday.

The aircraft was manufactured by AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co., Ltd.

"It will be used for cargo transport, rescue and medical services in Micronesia," said Liu Huinan, deputy chief engineer at the company.

The purchase order was obtained in 2013, he said.

Consisting of more than 600 islands, Micronesia has a stronger demand for air transportation.

The short-haul Y-12 series aircraft are used mainly for passenger and cargo transport, geological exploration, ocean monitoring and agriculture. The aircraft has obtained certification in more than ten countries including Russia, the United States and France.

 

[JSCh]

Nov 14, 2017 06:49 PM
China Lands EU Aviation-Safety Deal
By Huang Rong and Mo Yelin

China has been in negotiations with the EU and the U.S. for years to get its aviation standards recognized by international regulators. The deals should make it easier for China’s domestically produced aircraft, such as Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China’s C919 (pictured), to be used outside the country. Photo: IC

China and the European Union have agreed to recognize each other’s aircraft product-safety standards, one month after Beijing inked a similar deal with the U.S.

The agreement, which will take effect by the end of 2018, was announced Monday by China’s civil aviation authority.

China has been in negotiations with the EU and the U.S. for years to get its aviation standards recognized by international regulators. The deals should make it easier for China’s domestically produced aircraft to be used outside the country.

“It’s a great coup and success for Beijing,” said Saj Ahmad of StrategicAero Research, a Europe-based consultancy. “The agreement between the EU and China will strengthen the Chinese aviation and aerospace sectors in terms of developing new airplanes.”

But it is unclear whether Chinese aircraft can be directly exported to Europe after approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

As with the China-U.S. deal, signatory countries can still request reviews on an individual basis. Beijing and the EU have “agreed to a general principle of reciprocity, but further negotiations will still be needed for a specific range of products,” said Xu Chaoqun, an official from the CAAC.

China has been working for years to break the aviation duopoly held by Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE. This year it has scored several successes. In May, its homegrown passenger jet, the C919 — designed and constructed by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) — made its maiden flight.

The C919 is currently undergoing an airworthiness certification review by the European Aviation Safety Agency. Experts said the new agreement could accelerate that process and give COMAC a boost to enter the European market.

“By conforming to European or Western aviation standards, it allows COMAC to better position its products to airlines in the EU, which would only otherwise look at Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s,” Ahmad said.

In September, COMAC said that the C919 had landed 130 new orders, bringing the total number to 730.

However, most of COMAC’s current clients are domestic airlines, with only 10% coming from overseas buyers, according to the company’s chief accountant, Tian Min.

But with the new deals, “cooperation on airplane certification and production standards will alleviate concerns for airlines because they know that the C919 and any other future Chinese-built airplane will be manufactured to the highest standards,” Ahmed said.


China Lands EU Aviation-Safety Deal - Caixin Global

 

[JSCh]

Photos: China-Made AC312E Helicopter Completes Successful Maiden Flight
China Aviation Daily | Jul. 28, 2016

On July 28, AC312E, a new light civilian helicopter developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) completed its maiden flight successfully in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, marking a significant milestone in the development history of China's civilian helicopters.

Developed on the basis of AC311A helicopter, AC312E is a 4.2-tonne single engine light utility helicopter, seating 9 persons or 600 kilograms of cargo. It was designed for a variety of uses, including business flight, transportation, aerial photography, search and rescue, surveillance, fire-fighting and others.

Launched in 2015, the AC312E is slated for certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2017. Currently, the manufacturer has won more than 80 orders for the aircraft.

​

http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/54/54543.html

China's AC312E helicopter completes plateau tests
Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-21 19:08:28|Editor: Xiang Bo



KUNMING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's civil AC312E helicopter, which made its maiden flight in July 2016, on Tuesday completed all plateau test flights, according to its developer, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

AC312E, a light twin-engine civilian helicopter, completed plateau testing at Ninglang Luguhu Airport, a commercial airport at an altitude of 3,293 meters in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Installed with Arriel 2H heli-engines, the AC312E has now completed all requirements for high-altitude helicopters, according to AVIC Hafei.

"AC312E has shown reliability and good performance on all types of plateau environments. It can now meet demand for emergency rescue and earthquake relief helicopters in plateau regions," said Li Shengwei, deputy chief designer of the AC312E.

The maximum take-off weight of the AC312E is 4.25 tonnes, with a maximum payload of 1.7 tonnes. It can carry nine passengers.

New avionics and flight control systems contribute to a more friendly human-machine interaction for pilots.

The aircraft has reached 6,300 meters above sea level. It has a range of 500 kilometers with a 500 kilogram payload cruising at an altitude of 5,000. The AC312E series may be eventually include four specialist models for emergency medical services, search and rescue, business transport and law enforcement.

In September 2016, AC312E received its first order from the Ministry of Land and Resources China geological Survey. This September, Tibet Development and Investment Group signed an intention agreement to buy four AC312E for the Tibet emergency rescue network.

AVIC is among the world's leading helicopter manufacturers with more than 50 models in 12 series and annual production of more than 300 aircraft.

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/933440532688154624

 

[JSCh]

China’s first domestically-built large jetliner the C919 completes its latest test flight
CGTN
Published on Nov 23, 2017
China’s first domestically-built large jetliner the C919 completed its latest test flight successfully at the Aviation Industry Test Center in Yanliang, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province on November 23. The flight lasted 137 minutes. The C919 model is now being officially tested for certification. If the plane enters the market, it will provide a significant boost to China’s aerospace industry.

 

[JSCh]

Russia's Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute - TsAGI has tested the model of a wide-body long-range aircraft.
23 November 2017

​

Google translate:

In November, the scientists of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky (part of the R & D Center named after N.Ye. Zhukovsky) conducted another stage of testing the model of a wide-body long-haul aircraft. Research is carried out under the state contract with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.

The Institute produced a large thematic model at a scale of 1:26, the wing span of which is about 2.15 m. The experiments were carried out in the TsAGI transonic tube at Mach numbers in the range 0.8-0.9 (corresponding to 850-950 km / hr in real flight) and angles of attack from 0 to 10</s>.

In the course of the experiments, the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft wing were studied, which is characterized by a large narrowing. As a result, the risk of disruption of air flow at large angles of attack from the end sections in the aileron zone increases, which is unacceptable from the point of view of flight safety. Therefore, when designing the wing of the model, scientists paid special attention to this problem. The tests confirmed that the wing meets the requirements for speed (M = 0.85, ie 900 km / h), bearing properties, stability and handling characteristics, and also provides a high aerodynamic quality. Later, scientists of the Institute plan to continue experiments in the interests of creating a scientific and technical reserve on the new aircraft.

The wide-bodied long-range aircraft is a promising project of the Russian aviation industry. Distinctive features of the new liner are designed to be a two-engine layout (with engines of a new generation), a composite wing design (with adaptive and low noise mechanization), fuselage and tail, as well as high aerodynamic characteristics. A large narrowing of the wing will reduce the weight of the aircraft.​

ФГУП «ЦАГИ» провел испытания модели широкофюзеляжного дальнемагистрального самолета - Новости - Пресс-центр - ЦАГИ