China’s main flying school has ordered 42 Cessna 172s as part of a major expansion. The Civil Aviation Flying University of China (CAFUC) wants to increase the number of students trained from 600 to 1,000 a year. The CAFUC is the primary training facility for airline pilots in China and the country’s burgeoning civil aviation industry has resulted in a shortage of pilots. The private sector is also becoming involved, with PanAm Flight Academy setting up a school in Beijing. As we reported two weeks ago, Diamond Aircraft will soon start building DA40 light singles in China to service a predicted boom in general aviation. Half of the Skyhawks headed to the CAFUC will have Garmin G1000 glass cockpits and the others will be conventionally equipped. After primary training on the Skyhawk, students at the CAFUC move to jet training on CJ1s. The Skyhawk deal is worth about $9 million.
Chinese GA Boom
Key Takeaways:
- China's Civil Aviation Flying University (CAFUC) ordered 42 Cessna 172s for $9 million to expand its pilot training capacity from 600 to 1,000 students annually.
- This expansion aims to alleviate a pilot shortage driven by China's rapidly growing civil aviation industry.
- The order includes a mix of Garmin G1000 glass cockpit and conventionally equipped aircraft for primary training before students advance to jets.
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