This year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh drew more than half a
million people from 70 different countries to the US state of
Wisconsin.
The air show is not only a celebration of all things aviation, it’s helping general aviation get off the ground in China.
"China's
moving very fast in the aviation sector," said Francis Chao, managing
director of Uniworld USA. Chao started the China Pavilion air show6
years ago. It has sought to link investors and companies outside of
China with the country's general aviation sector as it builds pretty
much from the ground up.
(CGTN Photo)
"You
need equipment, you need aircraft, you need management, you need
technology, you need everything," said Chao. He believes the Chinese
government recognizes the demand and the need for corporate, medical and
recreational aviation in the country. Airports are being built and
gradually airspace is being opened up which means lots of potential
business ahead.
"Building aircraft, selling aircraft,
training pilots, everything that happens in general aviation, that
whole thing that we do here in the States, is an opportunity over in
China," said Dan Malott, a general aviation expert at the University of
North Dakota.
"We can't ignore it,"Mark Schaible, GM of Sonex Aircraft said. "It's going to happen. It's just a matter of time.'
Schaible
sees opportunity in the kit or self-assembly planes his company
manufactures. He thinks it's a perfect fit for pilot training schools in
China.
"We want to share in the success," he said. "We don't want to be left out of enjoying the success of selling to what
could potentially be a very large new market."
Brandon
Seltz, the founder of Take Flight Interactive, also sees opportunity
with the virtual flight instructor his company manufactures. It's an
interactive simulation product that helps aspiring pilots learn how to
fly.
"China and India, Asia, where commercial air
travel is growing exponentially yet little flight training
infrastructure exists, I think this is a way to really prime the
commercial pilot pipeline," said Seltz.
The Oshkosh air show encompasses far more than the old, the new and the acrobatic. It's about what lies just over the horizon.
"This
is the perfect place to come over here, to learn, to shake hands with
your counterpart, future partner, and talk about business," said Chao.