Well good news for Okay Airways. A big piece to the Okay Airways Cargo operations will be resolved by next week. Three 737-300F will be arriving in Tianjin to undergo some more checks as well as flight tests and circuit training. Two non-EFIS aircraft and one EFIS aircraft. So all three are in fair condition but have undergone extensive maintenance checks as well as passenger to cargo conversion. The planes will be strictly used for cargo operations, hopefully to start in early 2007. The pilots will be completing a four day differences and cargo operations course to help them better understand the cargo ops side as well as the non-EFIS aircraft. All pilots will be required to perform a few circuits to become familiar with the non-EFIS aircraft. This is a requirement from CAAC as well as the company.

I am currently flying 80-90 hours a month as there aren't enough pilots. As a result, the company has decided to hire Foreign Captains to help relieve the shortage. The cargo flights will be very tiresome like any cargo ops. But this will be my first experience. It should definitely be an interesting time. Looking forward not only to fly some non-complaining cargo around, but mostly the opportunity to fly a non-EFIS aircraft. Within a half a year I will have flown pretty much all the different types in the 737 aircraft series. From the NG glass cockpit design to the Classic EFIS design to the Classic non-EFIS design.

Good times in China! Taking a trip home to Canada to see the family and friends near Xmas. Back at the grind come early-January.

Cheers.

A senior pilot has been ordered to pay China Eastern Airlines (CEA) 1.7 million yuan (212,500 U.S. dollars) in compensation after he resigned the company for personal reasons.

Shanghai Labor Dispute Arbitration Commission ruled that the pilot captain was liable for the costs of his training under the terms of his "unfixed"contract.

The captain, whose name was suppressed by the commission for privacy and safety reasons, handed in his resignation early this year, but China Eastern Airlines rejected it.

The captain studied and trained at the Civil Aviation Flight University of China in the 1990s after signing a contract with China Eastern Airlines to serve the company after graduation. He was promoted to captain after 10 years.

Xiang Wujun, a labor lawyer with Beijing-based Zodiac Teamer Law Firm,said such lifetime contracts were usually made to protect employees in the face of China's high urban unemployment rate.

"But here, the contract is made more in the interests of the airline company because it is really costly to train a pilot let alone a captain," Xiang said.

Under the terms of an "unfixed" contract, compensation must be made if either party terminates it without special reason, for instance, the deeds of employees causing unredeemable losses to a company, said Xiang.

Chinese aviation experts reckon the cost of training a civil airline pilot at a minimum of 2 million yuan (250,000 U.S. dollars), with the costs rising for training up to the rank of captain.

During the arbitration, the captain agreed to pay compensation within "a reasonable scope" considering the company's expenses.

However, he insisted he had given CEA 30 days written notice of his resignation, so he did not violate China's Labor Law.

CEA argued the captain was a "specialist" trained by the company at great expense.

It had invested a large sum of money and other resources in putting the man through university, helping him acquire his pilot's licence and qualify as a captain, so his resignation would cause huge losses.

The company demanded the pilot repay charges exceeding 10 million yuan (1.25 million U.S. dollars).

The commission ruled the captain's contract termination was lawful, but ordered him to pay 1.7 million yuan in compensation to the company.

The sum included 715,000 yuan (89,375 U.S. dollars) in tuition costs at the Civil Aviation Flight University of China and about 400,000 yuan (50,000 U.S. dollars) in pilot training charges.

The commission said the compensation was decided according to rules set by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) last year.

Under the rules, a pilot's resignation is only valid if approved by his or her initial airline employer. The pilot is also required to pay compensation of 700,000 to 2.1 million yuan (87,500 to 262,500 U.S. dollars) for training expenses.

The administration made the laws after a spate of resignations from state-run airline companies since 2004.

More than 100 pilots have submitted their resignations in the past two years to seek "better pay and conditions" in privately-run or foreign-funded airlines.

Fourteen pilots and captains left Hainan Airlines in 2004 to take up jobs at Okair. Nine captains from CEA collectively resigned in November 2005 and paid 15 million yuan (1.88 million U.S. dollars) in compensation to work for the same private airline.

In June this year, six captains from CEA held a hunger strike to protest the company's "unacceptable compensation demands".

The monthly salary of a state-run airline pilot is about 12,000 yuan (1,500 U.S. dollars) and about 25,000 yuan (3,125 U.S. dollars) for a captain. Their earnings can double in private or foreign firms.

So far, neither the pilot nor CEA have announced plans to appeal and it is still unknown whether the captain himself or another airline company will pay the compensation.

The relatively high pay reflected the demand for pilots, said Prof. Cheng Yanyuan, of Chinese People's University's Labor and Personnel School.

Currently, China has about 11,000 pilots, flying about 800 aircraft. The CAAC estimates Chinese airlines will need another 10,000 pilots in the next five years as the industry expands to become the world's largest.

Cheng said his resignation will again trigger a national debate on the ethics and rationale of professional contracts.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.people.com.cn/200611/11/eng20061111_320438.html

I can't speak for all expats in China since everyone has their own setup from their respective countries. But as for me, a Canadian expat, taxes are taken off of my salary on a monthly basis. I am now considered a non-resident in Canada but still recognized as a Canadian citizen. When I left my taxes were put on hold until I get back from China. Then it starts back up again. This way there is no double taxing of my salary.

Working conditions are definitely different in China. First off is that the area is very dirty. Lots of dirt and dust everywhere. The buildings are of the cheapest material. Basically just there for operations. Lots politics here just like anywhere else in the world. But I am happy because I achieved my main goal, that is to fly a Boeing 737. OK Airways has given me that opportunity. Now I am going to learn as much about this plane as possible then build lots of jet time before I make it back to Canada.

Hello all...

I must apologize for not keeping up with my blog lately, since I am actually flying nowadays. I used to have all the time in the world to talk about my latest adventures with the CAAC. Now I have received my official work permit as well as my residence permit. I have my CPL license, although temporary, the official one should be coming soon. I have my aircrew security pass and now I have been checked out on the 737-800 on right seat. I have finally done it!!

It was all very sudden. The minimum requirements to apply for a line check as a First Officer is 25 hours on right seat with at least 5 take-offs and landings. I completed 50 hours before my instructor finally gave the word and asked me to get checked out. I could have asked to get checked out at 25 hours but I just didn't think I was really ready. So I let my instructor determine that for me.

It was pure luck as an Examiner was available to check someone out since he was on his way to Kunming anyways. Since we only have 2 CAAC certified examiners to complete these line checks, the opportunities are slim. So my check was completed on the Tianjin(ZBTJ) to Changsha(ZGHA) to Kunming(ZPPP) flight. The Examiner ended up being the VP of Flight Operations. He was on his way out to Kunming to complete a recurrent training session.

So I was nervous as hell but eventually I got through it. It got easier as I was concentrating on flying rather than on the Examiner. I was PF on both legs and the leg to Kunming was the most interesting one since it is a high elevation airport. Kunming airport elevation is approximately 6217 feet. So the landing technique is unique.

Now I am waiting for the paperwork to go through the proper stages. This might take about a week before it gets officialized and then I can finally get my FO raise. Yeah!

The company is working on 4 planes now. 1 500 and 3 300s. The 500 is a passenger aircraft and currently in Brazil. the 3 300s will be converted to cargo aircraft, which will take about 3 months. So I would say that the cargo operation will be starting up at the beginning of next year. OK Airways are working with FedEx for the cargo operation. So our flight time should be consistently pretty high at about 70-80 hours a month. And as soon as the cargo operation start, our hours should increase to 80-90 hours per month. The flight crew will be required to fly all types of 737 for passenger and cargo operations. Man....it's going to be hard work when the new year comes. But what a great opportunity to gain experience on these aircraft and gain flight time.

The company is now starting to look for foreign experienced Captains to fulfil the pilot requirements for the proposed new aircraft that are coming near the end of the year.

Anyways....good news for OK Airways, as planes are coming and hopefully money will be pouring in, and us pilots will be getting lots of flight time in.

'Til next time...

I found this advertisement in some job list on the internet...apply if you're interested and qualified. Good luck!

Date: 2006-06-28

Candidates for Co-Pilot must have commercial license, minimum 1500 hours including some multi. Will receive training in Asia before becoming Co-Pilot.

Candidates for Mechanics must have relevant work experience and qualifications for maintenance of A320.

Both positions are to be stationed in Asia. Employer will provide housing.

Please send resume and salary requirements to "pwnliu@yahoo.com".

Compensation: negotiable This is a contract job.

By Aimee Turner in London

Source: Flight International

Date: 04/07/06

Runaway aviation growth in China has brought its own share of well-documented industrial issues: not only are airlines finding it challenging to source sufficient numbers of pilots to actually fly aircraft, but the demand on the training infrastructure is also forcing authorities to look beyond home-grown solutions. But the natural consequence of that explosive growth is greater upstream potential for global outsourcing to foreign training organisations and tempting growth opportunities for training hardware providers. Mike Doiron, principal and chief executive of Moncton Flight College, has reasons to be cheerful. The first group of 30 Beijing university student pilots is scheduled to touch down in Canada this month to be followed by new groups approximately every 90 days. Operating from the Greater Moncton International airport in Dieppe, New Brunswick, the school has a long history of flight training in Atlantic Canada, having put more than 15,000 aspiring pilots, from over 60 countries through their paces.

In May, it landed a two-year contract with the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics valued at over C$10 million ($8.9 million) to train 150 pilots over the next two years. This new partnership represents the university’s first independent venture since it has for the past 20 years been conducting pilot training jointly with China Southern Airlines. Indeed, if all options are exercised over the plan, Doiron believes the contract could be worth C$60 million over a five-year period with upwards of 800 pilots. “We are looking at this as a five-year exercise, and working hard to stay in the game longer term.

For now, five years is a realistic goal, although China is perhaps going to take anything up to 10 years to attain its domestic requirement. For that to happen, they need to change their traditional training methodologies, become much more focused and lower attrition rates to something like our standard 2% target,” says Doiron, who adds that China’s efforts here should not be estimated. “The Chinese are very good at getting things done when they decide to do something and drive development. Getting up to the scale and standard could, in fact, take as little as three years,” he says. Doiron admits the contract was the result of years of preparation and months of negotiations, with recent approval by the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) to train Chinese pilots representing the last major hurdle the school had to pass. The CAAC has long recognised that the rapid growth in the commercial aircraft fleet is leading to a shortage of pilots with recruitment needs pegged a few years ago at 12,000 for the period between 2004 and 2010. The fact that China’s two certified pilot training schools could train only 850-900 pilots a year – with the CAAC Flying College in Sichuan accounting for 600-700 and the China Southern West Australian Flying College near Perth in Australia training 150-200 – heralded a proliferation of privately owned commercial training schools.

New jobs

Doiron says the natural effect of this contract win means new instructor and aircraft maintenance jobs. In terms of training aircraft, he says that the Diamond Aircraft DA20 as the school’s basic trainer together with the DA40 and DA42 twin will remain core components, adding that plans are already under way to acquire an additional 20 aircraft over the next two years. In fact, a sounding of the training hardware industry tends to point to a recognition that while there is plenty of potential there, strangely for a market set to explode in air transport terms, it is still a case of steady as she goes.

Cessna’s Chris Bogaars, who heads Far East and Asia Pacific propeller sales, frames the issue: “The Chinese over the last four to five years have recognised the desperate situation they are in, in terms of commercial pilot provision, and are making a concerted effort to increase the physical infrastructure to allow more pilots to be trained. Let’s be clear, at five times the population size of the USA, they still only have one twentieth of the number of US pilots.” One triumph recorded last year was the decision by one of the CAAC’s three training arms – the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) in Szechuan – to transition to an all-Cessna fleet with the delivery of the first of 42 172 Skyhawks to be followed by six Citation CJ1s. With the university’s student roll set to double in the coming years to 1,500 training pilots, that is a significant calling card within the China trainer environment.

Cessna’s Todd Duhnke, director of international sales, sounds a note of realism however, counselling against excessive optimism. “For a business that is selling 1,000 units, an order for 42 aircraft does not make a great difference, but still it’s heartening for the future,” he says. Again, while the debate rages about the traditional prescribed speed of transition from ab initio training through to fully fledged jet pilot status, Duhnke quietly asserts: “The ability to advance quickly from a Cessna 172 through to a CJ1 paths plays right into our hands.” Molly Martin Pearce, New Piper’s director of dealer relations and sales, admits that over the past seven years, sporadic would be the adjective she would choose to describe sales into the China market. “It’s not so easy to forecast, but we are seeing sales to a handful of Chinese flight schools of between 10-20 aircraft a year to add to our existing installed business already in China.”

New Piper lost out three years ago on a Chinese contract for up to 50 aircraft due simply to production issues caused by hurricane damage in the USA. “It did however demonstrate that there is demand out there and we are still committed to developing that market,” says Martin Pearce. She predicts that the future stars within its four trainer aircraft panoply could well be the Seminole primary twin and the higher-performance Seneca, which could be a cornerstone for pilot training specifically designed for modern commercial air transport. “The Chinese market is still evaluating glass cockpits, but since new airliners will have advanced avionics, combined with the speed of pilot throughput, the need to expose them to advanced avionics and, combined with the speed of airline expansion, you would expect interest here,” she says.

This last point raises another problem for jet aircraft manufacturers: if there are not enough human resources in the cockpit, then the fantastic growth potential is likely to be dampened. Airbus, for example, by the end of March, had 264 aircraft operating in China, taking the company’s market share from 7% in 1995 to the current 32%.

Industrial altruism

In April, in an unprecedented fit of not entirely unexpected industrial altruism, the European aircraft manufacturer said it would extend its 10-year $80 million investment in aircrew training and support in China for another 20 years with the China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group Corporation. The following month Airbus donated an A320 training device to CAFUC to boost its capabilities. The college took delivery of the Thales A320 flight and navigation procedures trainer (FNPT), a fixed-base simulator with simplified visual system, enabling it to set up pre-qualification courses related to transition training of pilots. Until then, students at the college were forced to go to other centres for such A320 training. Pilot training provider GE Commercial Aviation Training (GECAT) says it too will support the delivery of the large numbers of A320 and Boeing Next Generation 737s, including many of those leased from its own parent company GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) with long-term training provision. GECAT’s Hong Kong training centre has just gained CCAR 142 approval from the CAAC, certificating it to conduct initial and transition training for Chinese airlines, only six months after the company received approval as a type rating training organisation. The company’s sales and marketing director Nick Lockwood says: “It is GECAT’s intention to participate in this exciting growth phrase, and we aim to work with airlines partners in catering for their long-term training demand. GECAT is aiming at the highest quality of instruction and has engaged the services of a chief instructor with over 20,000 hours of simulator instruction, which includes 5,000h of instruction on Airbus fly-by-wire types.”

Cessna’s Dohman sums up the situation: with modern Western aircraft comes the need for modern Western training support, a Klondike of modern aviation. Gauging the difference between modern China’s requirements with the distinctly lukewarm reception from the Chinese authorities when the Cessna 152 went into production 32 years ago, Dohman says that demand in China for a Western training infrastructure essentially forms part of a geopolitical coming of age for the nation. “It really is a recognition of the fact by the Chinese that if they want an aviation industry as developed as that of the Western capitalist world, then they need the competitive training infrastructure that the West enjoys,” he says.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Posted: 0419 GMT (1219 HKT)

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China's airlines are opening up their cockpits to foreigners in a bid to solve a serious pilot shortage, state media reported on Monday.

China's booming commercial aviation industry is taking off faster than the country can train pilots, threatening future growth and hard-won advances in air safety.

The number of passenger planes in service in China was expected to double to 1,600 in the next five years, the China Daily newspaper quoted an aviation official as saying.

Every 100 new planes would require 1,000 extra pilots, China's industry regulator said in February, while official media estimate that Chinese flying schools can only graduate 600 pilots a year.

One pioneering foreigner, Philippe Burtonboy, a pilot with United Eagle Airlines Co., one of the country's four private airlines, had become famous, the paper said.

"The 50-year-old Belgian is a celebrity in Chengdu, even though he has been here for just four months, as he is the first foreign captain to pilot a plane in southwest China," the paper said.

Last month, China Eastern Airlines announced 16 Indians had completed professional training as air stewardesses, the first group of Indian cabin staff ever hired by a Chinese airline.

By Huang Zhiling (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-26 05:58

CHENGDU: Standing in the lobby of United Eagle Airlines Co, LTD (UEA) head office, Philippe Burtonboy appears happy and relaxed.

The 50-year-old Belgian is a celebrity in Chengdu, even though he has been here for just four months, as he is the first foreign captain to pilot a plane in Southwest China.

"I steered a UEA Airbus A321 from Chengdu to Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province last Thursday," Burtonboy said.

Burtonboy was one of three foreign captains hired by UEA, one of the country's four private airlines, alongside Pano Pahygiannis from Greece and David Harrigan from the United States.

The three, who previously worked for US-based Independence Air and US Air, had more than 15,000 hours of accumulated flight time each.

"Philippe and I worked for 16 years with Independence Air," said 52-year-old Pahygiannis.

The introduction of overseas staff is aimed at mitigating the shortage of domestic captains, said UEA spokesman Hu Wenbin.

The number of passenger planes in the country is expected to rise from around 800 in 2006 to 1,600 in 2011, according to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.

According to the UEA, the three captains will work in planes flying from Beijing to Shenzhen and Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Pahygiannis said that he had turned down invitations from many foreign airline companies to sign a one-year contract with UEA.

"I came to Chengdu because both China and my home country Greece have a long history, rich cultural heritage and fine food," he told China Daily.

He was impressed with the hotpot and amiable people in Chengdu. "Chengdu people are as nice as my fellow Greeks," he said.

He said that he likes the relaxed lifestyle in Chengdu, which is quite like that of Greece.

"I hope that my wife and 4-year-old daughter can be reunited with me here," said Pahygiannis.

Pahygiannis has learnt four Chinese characters each day since he came to China four months ago, and he can now speak a little Chinese.

Communication on board and with ground control is no problem as all aviation staff must speak English.

Sources in the UEA said that the annual wage of a foreign captain is around 800,000 yuan (US$100,000), while the average Chinese captain earns about 600,000 yuan (US$75,000).

According to the UEA, the three captains came to Chengdu as part of a package agreement of technical aid it signed with Top Flight, a management company in the United States.

(China Daily 06/26/2006 page3)

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-06/26/content_625495.htm

By Channel NewsAsia's China Correspondent Ca-Mie De Souza
14 June 2006 1809 hrs

TIANJIN, China: It has been nearly a year since China's first budget airline took to the sky, but it has been a turbulent ride for the pioneer.

Passengers are hoping Okay Airlines will fly more routes - because they are generally satisfied with its service.

"The service is about the same as the others. Their planes, compared with Air China, is very spacious, rather comfortable," said Wang Zhaoping, Passenger, Okay Airways.

Not only is there more leg room, but there are also real leather seats onboard this Okay Airlines Boeing 737.

But a year on, the budget carrier said it has been a struggle to keep fares low.

"In China, if you want to be a low-cost carrier, where do you find your pilots? If you pay more to hire foreign ones, your costs will be higher than others, oil prices cost the same for everyone. How do you compete," said Liu Jieyin, President, Okay Airways.

The Chinese budget carrier also claims that current civil aviation policies hinder long-term planning and this affects the hiring of pilots, the buying of planes and sourcing for funding.

To survive, Okay Airways is planning to diversify into aircraft servicing as well as cargo transportation within China.

"If we are following the model of Air Asia, Singapore's Tiger Air as budget carriers, I think it's tough to achieve this in 3 to 5 years. We need the support of major policies so that I can import planes at a much lower price, and in terms of petrol supply, use of airports, sale of tickets, I can get strong support from the market," said Mr Liu.

Shanghai-based budget carrier Chunqiu is also running at a loss but it is optimistic that a third plane will make all the difference.

Chunqiu flies to 12 destinations and ticket prices have been kept at 50 to 60 percent cheaper than what the Civil Aviation authorities recommended.

One thing keeping Chunqiu in the air is the ever growing demand for cheap air travel in China.

Experts describe China's low-cost carrier market to be still in its infancy.

Each company has on average 2 to 3 planes.

But industry players believe that with consumer demand coupled favourable policies, they can take off in a bigger way.

Not really sure what to call this check and not sure how the training scheme works in other airlines outside China, but we start off sitting jumpseat for 100 hours then get checked out to sit right seat with a Training Captain, then train for another 25 hours and 5 takeoffs/landings before allowed to apply for a line check.

Anyways, I just completed the check that will allow me to sit right seat of the 737-800. This was really quite an experience. Keep in mind that it's been a while since I last sat in the cockpit since last fall when I was doing observing flights then. I also completed all my 100 hours of jumpseat time. So the flight department scheduled me for 4 flights in a row. The first 3 flights to get myself reacquainted with the cockpit and practice my radio work in Chinese. Then I get checked on the 4th day.

Not sure how the check was supposed to be conducted so I could only prepare what I thought the check was going to be like. I thought it was just a check on my ability to do a walk-around, fuel up, filling out the necessary paperwork, cleaning up the cockpit and assisting the crew in any other duties. But to my surprise the Examiner told me that I will be flying the first sector with him and that'll be my examination. So now I was really stressed since I have never sat right seat on a revenue flight. My mind just wasn't prepared for it. But like everything else in China and with the company it's always a surprise, so I just went in and did it. I'm just glad that I ordered the right food at lunch time to keep the flight crew happy.

Did a walk-around and watched the fuel up for a few minutes before the Examiner told me to get ready in the cockpit. Completed the pre-flight checks including the FMC/CDU. I remember going over these procedures in my head over and over when I was studying but everything is different when you get into that cockpit and start doing it with an Examiner watching over you. Talk about stress! Anyways, I was slow at completing the necessary checks but at least I didn't make any mistakes. Asked for an IFR clearance then the doors were closed and asked for a pushback and startup clearance. Got to complete my first start-up of the engines. Pretty cool!

The check was my my first time in completing the radio work all by myself from ground, takeoff, landing to parking at the gate. I was surprised it went very well but still need to work on the Mandarin over the radio. Sometimes can't understand the different accents that these various ATC guys have. Generally the takeoff phase is the busiest and unlike in other countries where ATC actually follows the proper SIDs on the charts, here in China they use it as a reference and then use the names for IFR clearance but as soon as you takeoff and contact departure frequency, they always give you a new clearance, not drastically different just telling you to fly somewhere direct, but makes for a busier takeoff. So rather than just using the LNAV, we're forced to use the HDG SEL mode on the MCP panel. The takeoff procedures went quite well, no major problems there.

The cruise portion was quite straight forward, just monitored the flight and fooled around with the CDU so I could get more familiar with it. Descent checks were completed with no major problems. Then the approach was really interesting since the airport was extremely busy, the TCAS was showing planes lined up all in front of us. Really neat. After landing, I completed the necessary checks and then got totally confused about the taxiing instructions that the tower had given me. About 3-4 intersections and then the gate. I didn't have the chart out to help me either, so it was a bit of a mess. But eventually I understood where to go. At least the Examiner was laughing about it afterwards, convincing me that I should have the airport taxi routes familiarized otherwise I won't be much help to the Captain flying with me. Hehe...

He ended up passing me but gave me the usual speech like he gives every FO in training. Study harder, not familiar enough with the procedures, must be quicker and improve on the radio work. So officially I'm a FO in training with the ability to sit right seat with a Training Captain. Finally I can record some flight time. So my first revenue flight time was recorded during the check....2:32 co-pilot time. Sweet!

Next...Line-Check for First Officer.

Well....moving forward yet again. It has definitely been a long wait and it will definitely be worth that wait. I have two flights scheduled already for June 3 and 4 to Hangzhou and Changsha/Kunming respectively. My most immediate goal is complete....aircrew pass and temporary license obtained. Next minor goal is to get checked out so that I can sit right seat. That shouldn't take too long since I have already completed my observer/jumpseat of 100 hours last year. I just need a few review flights and then a check. Afterwards is a couple of months of pairing up with a Training Captain on a revenue flight and get some experience. I'll need a minimum of 25 hours of right seat time plus 5 takeoffs/landings. Trust me...I don't think I'll be ready in that time, I'll just keep plugging away until the company thinks I'm good for a line check to be an official First Officer. After passing my line check I will have completed my major goal and dream in attaining my licenses in China and flying as a FO on a 737.

To become a good airline pilot, one must start as an observer sitting in the jumpseat. The following are a few notes that I have taken while benched on the jumpseat. Please keep in mind that I work for a Chinese airline in China, so there are some observations that probably don't quite add up in the western world.

1. Familiarize yourself with the flight crew that you will be flying with; put in an order for lunch or dinner (Chinese food) before a flight
A. If you really want to get on everyone's good side, then observe at what everyone likes to eat and then make sure it's ordered when they are flying with you
B. Ordering from a Chinese food menu is an art form all by itself, so memorize the menu as if you were memorizing the memory items in your QRH
2. Pre-Flight Preparations
A. Goto the Documents Office to pick-up the Charts/Maps briefcase that goes with the proper airplane registration (OK Airways only has an office-copy of the charts/maps)
B. Make sure to practice writing the Captain/Instructor and First Officer names in Chinese. (Don't wanna look like a fool who doesn't know how to write the Flight Crew's names.)
C. Goto AOC to check weather, NOTAMs, fill out a pre-flight checklist, verify and confirm that all flight documents are complete
D. Fuel planning for the flight
E. Verify and confirm the airplane's registration number, flight number, gate number
3. Dropped off at the Terminal via company van
A. Verify that all flight crew is present
B. Go through Security via the Airport Staff line (Kool!)
C. Complete airplane walk-around
D. Fuel up the airplane (about 10 tons~21,000 lbs)
4. Flight Deck Preparations
A. Wipe clean the main panel's display units and control column
B. Wipe clean the left and right forward windows
C. Take-out the proper charts/maps and documents that might be used during flight
D. Prepare a smoking cup (wet towel to line the paper cup)
E. Once the Load Sheet comes, convert the zero-fuel weight from kgs to lbs, enter into FMC/CDU, then convert the gross weight from lbs to kgs to cross-check the numbers with the Load Sheet
5. Phases of flight
A. Record times for: start engines, take-off, landing, shut-off engines
B. Monitor, observe and learn from the experienced Captains/Instructors and First Officers
C. Fill out the Flight Report which includes flight legs, crewmembers names, departure and destination airport, flight times, fuel, pax numbers, airplane's gross weight and cargo weight
D. Fill out the Maintenance Logbook and if necessary the Technical Logbook
6. After Landing
A. Prepare to give flight times to pilots
B. Prepare to give flight times to flight attendants
C. Clean out the garbage in the flight deck
D. Gather up all related documents and charts/maps
7. Back at the base in Tianjin
A. Return charts/maps briefcase to the Documents Office
B. Hand-in all flight documents to the dispatchers at AOC

Note: 1. Ask more, report more, less hand movements in the flight deck
2. In the flight deck, one must ask the Captain before doing anything

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114679336527844550.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Here is a great article on the current situation of pilots from all over the world looking for better pilot jobs other than their own countries. Lots of North American expat pilots ending up in foreign airlines in the Asian countries.
Enjoy!

Well...back in Tianjin and I still have my battle helmet on.

I have finally finished my Yun-7 high performance aircraft training. But now everyone is gone for the Chinese Labour Week holidays. So what is the next stage I have to complete... after the holidays the company will re-apply for my CAAC CPL MIFR pilot license and then also re-apply for my crew pass. So now I am hoping for a successful turn of events and hoping that maybe this once, luck will be on my side. I did hear of good news though, as one of our HKG pilots successfully received his license and crew pass. So there is a light and there is hope yet for us foreigners. If all goes well with my case then I'll be able to directly jump into right seat and start line training. Give me a few months after that and maybe a successful checkride for a FO position.

Let's hope for good news near the end of the May.

Yes...this is not a spelling mistake. I had myself some serious donkey meat. The flight instructors here invited us out for dinner. Donkey meat in China is considered to be a high-end kind of meat. It was really good actually, tasted a lot like beef but it did have a taste all to its own. The direct translation of the restaurant we went to is "King Donkey Restaurant". It can be prepared in so many ways....cold meats, boiled with mushrooms, and put into dumplings with veggies, etc. And then what is donkey meat without the traditional Chinese white wine. Most of us had at least 1.5 cups of this AvGas 100LL. It burns from the time it enters your mouth all the way down your throat and ending up in your stomach. Yup it was good times. They were speaking of inviting us out for some DOG meat as well.....whoah....yeah....I haven't gotten myself around to saying yes or no yet. But we'll just have to wait and see.

Only my third flight and I had passengers on the plane. We were carrying about 16 passengers and some cargo. The good thing about the school having its own medium-sized plane is the ability to offer free flights to wherever the aircraft is scheduled to fly to. And since the school is situated in mid-China, the options are plentiful. This is a great benefit to the staff and employees of CAFUC.

As for myself I just thought how nuts it was to have students flying this plane with passengers in the back. Pretty cool! When speaking to ACC I used English and depending on the person on the other side, it could be really good english or it could be really bad english, but mainly chinglish. The level of spoken English varies too much among all the ATC staff. At times I used Chinese as well and I still found it very difficult for me to repeat or just say what I want to say in that environment. I guess I still have some getting used to the Chinese RT here, especially the aviation and local terms used.

But other than that, flying this plane is a real blast! It is very loud in the cockpit but the performance characteristics is still pretty good. The instrument descriptors in the cockpit is written in Chinese so it could be quite confusing at times.

Anyways, most of us have flown about 11 hours worth within 4 days already....so hopefully we'll be done soon.

Well it's been long awaited, but the website is finally online. Unfortunately, they have not gotten around to coming out with an english version. So I guess you can just surf around the site and click on every button to see what you can find. Happy surfing!

Well it's been 2 weeks and we finally received an approval from the school to get started on the high performance course. Yes...that's right...we had to wait here for 2 weeks before the school finally got their act together to get us registered. Basically not much out here since it's farmland mostly, so we hang out at the internet cafe all day and night. Then if we're feeling good, we end up having barbeque in the late evening outside and drinking lots of beer. Great life.

But things are good now, we started a cockpit familiarization course yesterday and attended a systems course taught by a flight engineer today. This aircraft requires a 3-man crew to operate...much like the 727. Its max take-off weight is around 20 tons (approx. 45,000 lbs). Vref at about 120kts, Vmo at 240 kts.

And get this....This aircraft used to have an OMEGA navigation system!!! Talk about ancient. Anyways, we weren't lucky enough to see one since they have thrown that out already. Now they are using a GPS system. The aircraft has a Flight Management system, auto-pilot and an EHSI. But they say that the A/P is difficult to use, so we will be the A/P. Great! We'll be doing a 3 hour flight without A/P.

Anyways, more flying stories on the Yun-7 coming up next week.

March 28, 2006, 4:28AM
By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

SHANGHAI, China — Two of China's newest airlines, private carriers Okay Airways and the Junyao Group, say they have agreed to share personnel, routes, marketing and management expertise as they struggle for footing in the intensely competitive, fast-growing market.

The airlines are still working out financial details of their "strategic partnership," said a spokesman for Okay Airways, who gave only his surname, Gang.

"We are going to cooperate in developing our civil aviation businesses, including introducing new aircraft models, personnel exchanges, sales and marketing," Gang said.

China's airline industry is dominated by state-run carriers, although aviation authorities have approved at least three private airlines _ including Okay and Junyao _ to begin operations, with another seven reportedly planned.

Money-losing Okay, which is based in the northern city of Tianjin, east of Beijing, began passenger services in March 2005 using one Boeing 737-900 leased from Korean Air Co., South Korea's largest passenger airline.

A spokesman for Shanghai-based Junyao Group, Wang Zhong, said his company expected to hold a controlling stake in its partnership with Okay.

"Okay will focus on freight and we will focus on passenger transport," Wang said. He said Junyao expected its new airline, called Dongbu Kuaixian, which translates roughly as "Oriental Express," to begin operations in the latter half of this year.

Reports in the state media said Junyao had registered the name "Phoenix" for its new passenger airline, but Wang said he could not confirm that.

"I'm sure our partnership will strengthen our position in the civil aviation sector," Wang said.

Junyao Group, a dairy, real estate and retailing conglomerate based in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, plans to operate regional flights from Shanghai. Since 1991 it has run charter flights between the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou, on China's southeastern coast, and the south-central city of Changsha.

State media reports said Junyao expected its alliance with Okay to help it gain a foothold in northern China.

Last month, a report said Okay expected to reach agreement soon with Korean Air on selling a stake of up to 49 percent. At the time, Korean Air's president, Lee Jong-hee, warned that the talks with Okay might collapse.

Gang said he could not comment on the status of those talks.

China's airlines carried 138 million passengers and more than 3 million tons of cargo and mail traffic in 2005, about double the amount of traffic five years earlier. China's Civil Aviation authority expects those figures to double again by 2010.

(Copied from http://fl250.blogspot.com/)
This article is about the struggles of a First Officer trying to find food....for example, me in Guanghan now, I can have the hot and spicy food for a couple of days but anything more than that and my other end will not be too happy...in turn making me not happy....so continuing to search for "normal" food in Guanghan.

So you're a new first officer at a regional airline, struggling to make ends meet. You're also a young, busy person who needs to eat. Unfortunately, not only does your new job pay poorly, it also keeps you on the road four or more nights a week, often in rather expensive cities. It's a struggle to get the nourishment you need without completely starving your malnourished bank account. Take heart, my ravenous gear-throwing three-striper friend: many a pilot has been in your place, and there is a wealth of knowledge on eating cheaply in this profession. Allow me to share some of the best tips.

Learn to choke down crew meals.
I'm not sure if airline food ever was that good, even in the "Golden Age." But whatever palatability crew meals once had is gone forever. These days, you're lucky to find actual crew meals on board any airplane, and it's almost unheard of at the regionals. If your airline is like mine, the "crew meals" come out of vending machines in the crew lounges. The food is what you'd expect from any commercial vending machine, with one crucial difference: it's free! Ignore the taste. Nevermind that it's grossly unhealthy. Pay no attention to that expiration date! All you need to know is that it'll quiet your grumbling tummy and it's free.

At my airline, access to this cornucopia of saturated fats and sugary carbs is gained via a magnetic stripe card. Management keeps track of how often you swipe the card. One of my friends who saw the sheet reports that the top user so far this year, with over 100 swipes in two months, is a 22-year CRJ captain. He's making over $120/hr but he's clung to the eating habits of his youth. Bravo! This man realizes that a 14-hour duty day is a blessing in disguise, an opportunity to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner for free from the bounty of the crew room vending machine.

Savor those Snacks.
Although crew meals have gone the way of the dodo bird, the DC-8, and $200/hr captain payrates, there is still some food left on our airplanes. If you don't like peanuts, you can root around a bit to find yourself some chex mix or potato chips. If you have a long day in between crew lounges with free food, this can keep you going without resorting to (gasp) buying food.

Know Thy Discounts (at the airport).
Put your hat back on and take that Old Navy fleece pullover off, because that adorable little uniform is your ticket to savings at your local airport's eateries. When you're far from the nearest free Mr. Rib and you can't choke down one more peanut, employee discounts make overpriced airport fare a little easier on the cash. They range between 10%-30% off regular prices, so make it your personal mission to know the best deals at every airport you fly to. You can even find some freebies. When Anthony's Restaurant and Fish Bar first opened at Sea-Tac, they offered a free coffee and cup of clam chowder to any crewmember in uniform...and it drove them to the brink of bankruptcy in their very first month. I think I still have some of that chowder in storage...

Back to Basics.
Even without employee discounts, some airport restaurants offer great deals on basic a la carte items. You can get a big rice and beans plate from Maui Tacos in Boise for $1.79. It used to be a buck, but they raised the price to keep the horde of pilots from overrunning the place. It's still a good deal - you go to their salsa bar, mix in a little pico de gallo, top it off with some pineapple-chipolte sauce, and you have yourself a finger-lickin' meal for under $2. It'll also provide hours of entertainment as you and the captain lob bean-fueled stench bombs at each other across the cockpit.

Fear No Grease.
Another budget option at the airport food court is the local installment of McDonalds or other fast food joint. Sure, Morgan Spurlock was sick and fat and gross at the end of Super Size Me, but I'll bet he still coulda flown a CRJ! These options are also great for intra-cockpit fart wars.

Know thy Discounts (at the hotel.)
Hotel restaurants serve uninspired fare at price markups similar to airport restaurants, but your airline badge may be just the ticket for uninspired fare at 30% off. Hotels that have lots of airline crew running around tend to give them some decent discounts on food and sometimes even drink. This is particularly handy for the 9-hour overnights in Butte in the dead of winter. You sure as heck don't want to go scrounging for cheap food outside.

Brown Bag It.
What's that you say? You want something cheap and healthy? Pbbttth, the solar radiation will probably have you dying of cancer by age 60 anyways. But, to improve your chances of surviving into dotage, here's an option: pack your own lunch. You can pack fruits and salads and whole-grain sandwiches, fresh from your own refrigerator. You'll need a big insulated lunch bag and some industrial-sized ice packs. Even then, you may not be able to pack for an entire four day trip. Still, your first few days will be yummy and (more importantly) cheap. If you have a Canadian layover, be aware that customs officials might confiscate your food. They'd rather you take your chances with Mad Cow Disease in the local beef.

Back to College!
As an alternative to lugging around a lunch pail along with your overnight bag and flight kit and laptop bag, you can throw a few packs of ramen in your overnight bag. It got you through college, it can get you through your regional years! You just need to scrape together $10 to buy a pallet at Costco, after that it gets cheap.

Raid the Supermarket.
You don't neccessarily need to bring your dinner with you, since most layover hotels tend to be surrounded by the various trappings of american civilization, including the cavernous supermarket. Buying a whole loaf of bread with a cheese wheel and a half of ham might be going overboard, but you can usually find relatively healthy fresh sandwiches in the deli section. Save $.10 with your Ralph's card!!!

Free Food Makes Happy Hour Happy.
Don't forget, many hotel bars (and bars in general) have free or very cheap food during happy hour (generally weekdays 4pm-6pm). At our Sacramento layover, we get $1 domestic beer and $2 microbrews. I usually spring for a tasty Pyramid Hefeweizen and snack on free buffalo wings and potstickers while I visit with other crewmembers feasting for free. Half the time a Southwest guy buys my second beer. I've yet to have a United pilot do so, but I think a lot of those guys are in the same financial boat as me since management has raped and pillaged their way through UA payrates and pensions.

Suck from the public treat.
A number of our layover hotels are located in, umm, underprivledged areas. The bad news is you have to worry about being mugged. The good news is that a soup kitchen is sure to be nearby! Just make yourself look as pathetic as possible, which shouldn't be too hard after a 14 hour duty day with 8 hours of flying. I've never done this myself, but I know pilots who have. I think we can say pretty definitively that they're going to hell, but they'll go with a little more cash in their pockets!

Rumage through the nearest dumpster.
Ok, I've never done this and have never seen nor heard of a pilot who has. But it would sure make a hilarious staged photo! The first person to take a picture of themself, in uniform (hat required for pilots!), rumaging for food in a dumpster, gets a free meal on me. You can get anything you want off the dollar menu at McDonalds!

***

Following these tips, you should be able to survive those years flying for a regional airline. Don't worry too much about lacking the time or money to eat properly. Before you know it, you'll be a senior captain, and the only memory of these years will be your 50 extra pounds and an early heart attack!

Before the good news, OK Airways has returned the 737-900 back to Korean Air. All I can say is that I at least had the priviledge to fly this aircraft during base training. Who knows when I'll ever get the chance to do that again.

So moving on...OK Airway's 3rd aircraft is in! MSN is 30679 from the USA as well. This is identical to the 2nd aircraft 737-800. So now the aircraft count is up to 2 and we're hoping for a third aircraft in April.

Well looks like there is someone upstairs watching over us...the time has finally come to do some real flying...

Just received word that we will be leaving this weekend for the Civil Aviation Flight University of China located in Guanghan, Sichuan. Some foreign and military pilots will be completing our high performance training on the Yun-7. It is a Chinese replica of the Russian turboprop Antonov-24. (Gotta give it to the Chinese people, they can make replicas of just about anything in the world.)

So the training will be 20 hours on the plane. There was suppose to be a simulator component but the simulator at the school is under repairs so we'll just have to make do without flying the simulator. This type of flying is the best since we are not there to get any type ratings. We are just flying the minimum 20 hours of medium sized aircraft transition training that CAAC requires us to complete before letting us fly the big jets. There'll be some nice approaches into the various low viz hazy airports in the area. Funny how things have worked out....some of us have already done base training on the 900. Hopefully this will not take more than 20 days to complete.

Anyways...I'll try to take lots of pics...this should be a sweet ride.

Here are some pics that I found on the net of the Yun-7 and the Antonov-24.

Chen Liying, Shanghai Daily
2006-03-21
INTERNATIONAL delivery giant FedEx Express is holding discussions with Okay Airways Co, China's first private carrier, on possible cooperation in domestic freight and express services, Okay said yesterday.

"We've just started talks with FedEx and can't say at this moment what form any cooperation might take," said Liu Jieyin, chairman and president of Tianjin-based Okay, which began passenger service last March.

"We hope to start domestic air freight and express services through a partnership with FedEx," Liu said.

The cooperation doesn't involve an ownership acquisition, he said.

FedEx would not comment on the negotiations yesterday.

"We are still exploring how FedEx will approach domestic opportunities in China, both in air and ground transport," the company said in a statement.
Okay has long been interested in broadening its services into the more lucrative cargo sector but has been hampered by a shortage of freighters. FedEx, on the other hands, needs domestic carrier to fly domestic routes, industry analysts said.

"FedEx doesn't have the right to fly domestic routes, so it needs a native carrier to help it develop the market," said Julia Tang, an analyst with BOC International (China) Ltd.

"Okay will get access to the freight and express delivery market through the partnership, which guarantees it a cargo source and freighters," she said.

Okay is also in discussions with Korean Air Lines, the world's second-biggest freight carrier, on the later's bid to acquire up to 49 percent of Okay.

Overseas airlines have been setting up joint ventures or signing cooperation agreements with domestic carriers to tap the country's rapidly expanding air freight market.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China forecasts that air cargo traffic will double between last year and 2010.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/03/21/252521/Okay_has_FedEx_on_its_radar_screen.htm

Flight International - March 21, 2006

Two privately owned carriers in China are preparing to launch domestic freighter operations using Boeing 737-300Fs.

Tianjin-based Okay Airways is negotiating to lease three Boeing 737-300Fs and aims to launch operations in “September or November”, says a source at the airline. “For the cargo service we may co-operate with FedEx,” says the source, adding that negotiations with Korean Air (KAL) on cargo have so far failed to result in a deal.

KAL announced last year that it was negotiating with Okay Airways to establish a cargo airline in China in joint venture partnership. Okay Airways launched passenger operations in March last year using a Boeing 737-900 leased from KAL, which is about to be returned. This month Okay Airways is taking delivery of the first of two 737-800 passenger aircraft it has agreed to lease from International Lease Finance.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen-based East Pacific Airlines, formerly known as Jetwin Air Cargo, has bought two 737-300 passenger aircraft from China Eastern Airlines and next month these will enter conversion to freighters, says chief executive Zhou Yongda.

The aircraft will be completed in time for East Pacific to start freighter operations “at the beginning of August”, says Zhou who confirms East Pacific Airlines will only operate domestically to begin with and it is still applying for its Chinese air operator’s certificate.

Jetwin Air Cargo changed its name to East Pacific Airlines in keeping with the name of its major owner East Pacific Group and in addition next year it plans to launch domestic passenger services, says Zhou, adding that it is currently evaluating aircraft types for the passenger operation.

http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/03/21/Navigation/177/205519/Two+China+carriers+to+launch+with+737-300Fs.html

Well...I have just received word that OK Airways has officially suspended the hiring of all foreign pilots until September 2006. My guess is that CAAC has put the pressure on the company by increasing the minimum requirements in the near future. This is just my guess....not sure what the official word is...but this is indeed bad news for all foreign pilots.

Now for those of you who are wondering what is going on with me? Well my "guess" is that I'm not going anywhere. The company has spent way too much money on lil' ol' me...so they will spend the money required to complete my last little bit of training that I need before CAAC can finally bite the tongue and let us fly. Our group just might be the first and the last to get hired as low-time foreign pilots. In the future, the standards will probably be raised dramatically.

But as the months ahead go by, I think we will start to notice CAAC tightening up the rules and regulations on the hiring of foreign pilots. It's not they are not willing to hire foreign pilots but more so to do with safety. CAAC and China cannot afford to have a major air disaster happening now or ever. China aviation is slowly coming out of its days known for many air disasters. But in the last decade, Chinese aviation companies and the government have bought new planes, signed more contracts for more new planes, become more aware of safety issues, and increased training for maintenance staff, dispatchers, and all ground staff that assist with the operation of an airline. With the Olymipics 2008 right around the corner, the world is watching China and the country knows it.

So how does a country satisfy the major pilot shortage that is already occurring. How is China going to fulfil the "minimum" requirements of approximately 1000 pilots per year and bringing in 150 airplanes per year for the next decade?

In December 2004 the CAAC’s flight standards department disclosed that the country needed to recruit 12,000 pilots from then to 2010, but pointed out that China’s two certified pilot training schools could train only 850-900 pilots a year, with the CAAC Flying College in Sichuan accounting for 600-700 and the China Southern West Australian Flying College near Perth in Australia training 150-200. The school in Sichuan, for example, has raised its intake to 1,200 this year. But it will take years before China sees the end product of these student pilots.

But the pilots most in demand are likely to be captains with international experience because many of the local captains have never flown an aircraft beyond the Chinese border and newly trained pilots will need time to gain experience.

Anyways...these are just some of my thoughts...we should see some interesting things happening in the aviation industry in China this year. The following are just some neat numbers that I found on China's aviation industry...

Since 2000, passenger numbers have risen by 105% to 138 million a year and the combined fleet of the country's air companies rose to 863 planes from 527.

Every day, there are more than 11,000 take-offs and landings in China

Beijing is building the world's biggest airport terminal, which is due to be completed in time for the 2008 Olympics

In terms of aircraft, Boeing forecasts that from 2004-24 China’s commercial fleet, excluding Taiwan, will rise by about 2,500 aircraft, from 891 to 3,239.

Alright....back to China after the Xmas break and now onto some recurrent training in Kunming and it was a grueling 3 lesson plus checkride recurrency. The simulator recurrency was completed at the Boeing Company Alteon Training Facility.

Contents included: abnormal engine starts, stabilizer trim failure after take-off, EFIS display failures, rapid depressurization and emergency descents, smoke in the cockpit, 3 kinds of stalls, steep turns, GPWS warnings, normal ILS and VOR/DME approaches (RVR 550m), engine tailpipe fire, generator failure, FMC failure, engine failure/fire/severe damage/separation after V1, windshear on take-off/landing, 35 kts crosswind landings, Captain incapacitation, engine low oil pressure, flap asymmetry, passenger evacuation, etc. Anyways you get the point, lots of practice on emergency procedures and then we get checked out on the last session.

So it was a lot of fun, at times stressful, but all in all a good time since you can do anything in the sim since it's not the real thing.

I ended doing some S/O flights afterwards but in February, CAAC put a damper on our parade again. CAAC now requires us to complete a 20 hour minimum flight experience on an approved high performance aircraft by the CAAC. The approved aircraft will be a Yun-7 (a chinese replica of the Antonov-24) or a Cheyenne...all turboprops. So this training can only be completed at the Civil Aviation Flight University of China in Guanghan, Sichuan. So it's back to Guanghan for some more flying training. Due to CAAC's new regulation, the company decided to suspend our flights, since there isn't any real need for us to continue until we complete our high performance training.

Trying to get into the school for training is difficult at the moment, since there are other students who need to get trained as well. So far there are 5 of our own student pilots there flying the Yun-7, hopefully we'll get our chance after they complete their 20 hours.

And the other thing is our airport security pass, we need to go back to our respective countries to authenticate our criminal record and flight safety record through a Notary Public. Then goto the nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate to get another letter stating that these copies are official. Then bring everything back to CAAC to get our airport security pass. So still a few more things to complete before I get that chance in the now...737-800.

Hopefully this'll be the last little bit of stuff to complete before I can finally get my chance on the 737.

Well, great news! Okay's second aircraft, B737-83N with winglets, is in Tianjin. The registration is B-2863 and it's MSN is 30673. The aircraft is leased from ILFC. The previous company using the plane was ATA. The plane is in great condition and it's only about 2 years old.

Check out the pics...

I did my first landing in a Boeing 737-900 at Tianjin Binhai International Airport on December 11, 2005 at 0210. Yes...that was a very late night. There is only one plane with this company and it operates a schedule during the day, so night time is the only time to complete base training. Dual, night and instrument time to log on a 737-900....sweet!!

So not only had I completed my first landing....I had completed a total of 17 take-offs and landings on the plane. I had 13 to go. I did 15 circuits in just over 1.5 hours. I must say the performance characteristics is pretty sweet. Did a go-around while flaring at about 20 feet above the runway. This plane climbed like a rocket...pretty sweet stuff. Obviously there were no passengers in the plane...so it was really easy to climb and it wasn't even at full power.

The next night I completed my checkeride. I completed simulated single engine stuff, instrument training as well as circuits!! Circuits at 1500 feet, 180 kts on downwind, 2.5 nm width from the runway, turn base at DME 3.0 from the airport and 135 kts as the Vref with gear and flaps down. These circuits were really tight...especially with a 120,000 lbs plane! So in total I ended up doing 30 circuits in 4 hours during a two day period.

Well, B737-900 checkride was completed. Last landing completed at 0310am December 14, 2005. Winds were brutal on final. My speed tape was fluctuating between a 15 knot range. My shoulder was so sore after 1.5 hours of pushing and pulling the thrust levers back and forth to maintain airspeed. But it was a sweet ride! Next on the list is obtaining my crew pass....which is an ordeal all by itself.

At this point I have finished most of my training and I went home to Toronto and Vancouver for a nice break for Christmas.

Below is a picture taken at 3am after my checkride. The CAAC Examiner is to the left whereas the Training Captain is to the right. My fellow colleague Daniela, a Switzerland native, is to the right. She also completed her base training.

Century City, CA, February 22, 2006 ??” International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG), announced the lease placement of two (2) used Boeing 737-800 aircraft to OKAY AIRWAYS.

OKAY AIRWAYS, based in Beijing, China, will lease two (2) Boeing 737-800 aircraft from ILFC. The aircraft, MSN 30679 and 30673, will be powered by CFM56-7B27B1 engines and are scheduled to deliver in March 2006. The lease terms are for eight and 10 years respectively.

ILFC is the international market leader in the leasing and remarketing of advanced technology commercial jet aircraft to airlines around the world. ILFC owns a portfolio valued at more than $ 40 billion, consisting of more than 800 jet aircraft.

AIG is the world???s leading international insurance and financial services organization, with operations in approximately 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG member companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks of any insurer. In the United States, AIG companies are the largest underwriters of commercial and industrial insurance, and AIG American General is a top-ranked life insurer. AIG???s global businesses also include financial services, retirement savings and asset management. AIG???s financial services businesses include aircraft leasing, financial products, trading and market making. AIG???s growing global consumer finance business is led in the United States by American General Finance. AIG also has one of the largest U.S. retirement savings businesses through AIG SunAmerica and AIG VALIC, and is a leader in asset management for the individual and institutional markets, with specialized investment management capabilities in equities, fixed income, alternative investments and real estate. AIG???s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the stock exchanges in London, Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo.

Well...it was 1 year 1 month 27 days afternoon....and I finally received my CAAC temporary pilot's commercial multi-IFR license on December 10, 2005. I was speechless...I thought I would never receive my licenses here in China. I still had the base training to complete before starting line training and then wait for my official pilot licenses to come in the mail!!

I would have to complete 30 take-offs and landings and a checkride, all within about 4 hours. I could hardly wait to burn rubber on the B737-900...literally.

Christmas had come early....I'll be able to go home as soon as base training is complete. Then I come back to China to start line training. Sweet!!

Update on the base training.....coming soon!

During this month, I successfully completed my CPL Multi-IFR checkride on the PA-44 Seminole. So 4.5 hours of review and 1.5 hours for the test. Talk about stress! Hadn't flown in nearly 1 year.

The standards here are pretty high, much like in the western worlds. Maybe it's because the examiners knew they were testing foreign pilots. They had to be extra strict. Anyways no GPS was used....all instrument flying only. Tracked out to the training area by using the VOR/DME. Then completed stalls (take-off and landing configurations) and steep turns. Afterwards tracked the radial to the VOR at the airport. At about 5 DME we broke that off and tracked direct to a nearby NDB for a published hold. Then continued on with various approaches such as NDB, VOR/DME and ILS/DME. Single engine procedures was performed on take-off and while on approach for ILS/DME and then landing single-engine. Completed ILS/DME, VOR/DME, and NDB approaches. Everything was pretty straight-forward.

Oral exam was the hardest part for me, since the chinese air law decided to mimick the FAAs air law system. So not too familiar with the laws but it wasn't much different then canadian air law other than the specifics. Lots of questions on CCAR Part 91....which is the operations rules and regulations for general aviation. So questions on air law, general aviation knowledge, instrument operations and procedures, instrument failures and instrument charts.

I also passed my basic english test as well as my radiotelephoney english test. So I had pretty much completed all the tests that they could ever test me on in China.

Now it's all up to the CAAC, I just hope that politics will favour us foreign pilots this time. Let's hope that we can finally get onto that 737 now.

Well...I ended up going home for most of July to visit my family and friends back in Vancouver and Toronto. I was under the impression that as soon as I return to China that I would be starting my base training and then the line indoc. But CAAC has many surprises up their sleeves. In August they came out with a policy that states that all foreign pilots must complete an basic English test as well as a Radiotelephoney English test. But the only place to write it is at China's only flight University in Sichuan.

The company was holding back in sending us since they thought that CAAC was going to come out with another ruling on a policy for foreign pilots. Also during this time, the military pilots were getting pushed through since CAAC had ruled to exactly what they needed to get done in order to get their licenses....so the company quickly sent them down to the flight University to finish the supplemental training. And during this time, us foreign pilots got lsot in the mix and were forgotten about.

So after a couple of months, all of a suddent it's October when the military pilots are back from training and the company finally remembered us, as CAAC came out with another ruling on us. Now we had to complete a conversion flight test to convert our foreign licenses to Chinese CAAC pilot licenses. We had to fly a Seminole for 6 hours and 1 hour in the FTD. At the same time, we can complete our English exams as well.

Next update is regarding the Seminole training and English exams. First flight taken in China!

The Beijing government and China's aviation regulator often appear to be at odds with one another over the shape and direction of the country's burgeoning airline industry. Fortunately, there is enough growth to go around.

By Geoffrey Thomas
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei
Air Transport World, February 2006, p.24

For students of China's rapidly growing but often puzzling airline industry, at least two developments during 2005 needed no explanation. The landslide victory in early December of the pro-reunification Party in Taiwan's municipal elections sent a clear message that reunification will be a key issue in the country's 2008 presidential election, paving the way for unrestricted direct flights between Taiwan and China.

A few weeks earlier, Siemens AG snared a contract for 60 600-passenger trains capable of speeds of 300 kph for introduction in 2008 connecting China's major cities. Vice Minister-Railways Hu Yadong also announced that express trains with speeds in excess of 200 kph are expected to start running in 2006, flagging significantly greater competition for airlines on short-haul routes.

Since 1997, the speeds of Chinese trains have been increased four times to meet demand. By 2020, China expects to build 10,000 km. of new railway track with 2,000 km. of high-speed track that will include the $12 billion, 1,300-km. Beijing-Shanghai Express. That line will provide an alternative to air travel between two of the nation's wealthiest and most industrialized cities.

While these two developments may be viewed as clear signals, most of the events in China in 2005 sent mixed messages, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. In the December issue of its monthly China Essentials, CAPA highlighted the fact that the government-mandated freeze on approvals for new aircraft orders at the start of 2005 was followed by the biggest number of orders in a single year 590 by Chinese airlines.

At the same time, significant first-half losses at China Southern and China Eastern were turned around miraculously in the third quarter with the help of government policy intervention. Adding to the paradox, a raft of new airlines were approved and the Big Three of Air China, China Southern and China Eastern finalized the process of digesting the July 2000 government-initiated mergers that were designed to rationalize competition and end price wars.

Some of these occurrences reflect the differing policy objectives of CAAC, China's powerful airline industry regulator, and the Beijing government, which confronts international pressure to reduce its trade surplus with the West. For example, early last year CAAC DG Yang Yuanyuan stated, "Chinese airlines have already bought and arranged to be shipped next year a total of 147 planes and this basically suits the needs of the market's growth no additional purchases will be approved in 2005." This declaration was followed by orders and MOUs for five A380s, 60 787s and an even split of 300 A320s and 737s. More mystery was to be found in the financial results. After a robust 2004 in which China's airlines enjoyed their best profit performance in a decade, the government was forced to assist them in the third quarter of 2005 so they could post profits.

And the size of the turnaround has analysts scratching their heads. The country's largest carrier, China Southern, suffered a CNY964 million ($119.4 million) net loss in the six months to June 2005 compared to a net profit of CNY374 million for the same period in 2004, but in the 2005 third quarter it posted a CNY852 million profit. The story was similar at China Eastern, which suffered a first-half loss of CNY471.4 million compared to a profit of CNY346 million for the corresponding 2004 period and then posted a CNY673 million profit for the third quarter.

These numbers came despite record high fuel prices, greater competition and the costs associated with absorption of a number of smaller carriers into the Big Three. They also contrast with results at Shanghai Airlines, which experienced an 18% decline in third-quarter earnings, and Hainan Airlines, which saw profits fall 71%. According to CAPA, government assistance included de-pegging the currency, placing obstacles in front of new LCCs and absorbing fuel price hikes. But that has not stopped the major airlines' share prices from spiraling downward 20%-50% in the last 12 months.

Bursting At The Seams

China's airlines carried approximately 144 million passengers in 2005, up 20% over 2004; cargo carriage also rose 20% to 3.28 million tons. The strong growth last year built on a 22% rise in passengers in 2004, a year in which the country overtook Japan as the largest air travel market in Asia and second only to the US in terms of total scheduled departing seats, according to the ITTC consultancy division of Airclaims, which is headed by former IATA chief economist Peter Morris (ATW, 5/05, p. 36). It is a pace that Morris views with concern: "There are going to be mistakes, the system cannot grow at this rate without problems."

The government's political agenda in handling this growth may pose the greatest challenge both for private and government-owned airlines and for the foreign carriers eager for a slice of the ever-growing pie. "They are striving for a level playing field but every now and then they tilt it," muses one Hong Kong-based analyst who wishes to remain anonymous. "They are striving to get the yin and yang in balance." Morris says the government is "in favor of liberalization but is concerned with unstable growth," which could be growth that doesn't favor the Big Three.

In January last year, Liu Weimin, director of the Center of Air Law, told ATW that "globalization of the economy is an irreversible and inexorable trend" and that "China's correct choice could be only for win-win." That view was backed up at mid-year by Yang, the highly regarded former China Southern deputy chief pilot, who told media at the May ICAO symposium on airline liberalization in Shanghai that China's airlines will "get bigger and stronger with more competition." He added that the country "will explore new bilateral cooperation and will also learn from foreign airlines' technology and expertise."

More competition is on the way with 96 bilateral air service agreements, including one with the US that will see a tripling of flights by 2010. The latest is a virtual open skies agreement with Singapore inked in November. On the domestic front, the Big Three finally completed the forced digestion of a variety of government-owned smaller carriers last year even as CAAC approved 18 new privately owned airlines more than in the previous 10 years combined. But while encouraging private investment in the sector, the government continues to control aircraft ordering, fare-setting, service levels and route selection. According to CAPA Executive Chairman Peter Harbison, "This presents a major discouragement to investors and to those that have tried to implement a low-cost operating model, many aspects of the model being dropped or deferred until such time as regulatory controls are eased. Okay Airways stated in October it would have to adopt a more conventional airline business model as Chinese government restrictions have made its low-cost model impossible to implement." He adds that Okay President Liu Jieyin complained that after the airline was established, 40-50 airports called on it to open services but permission was refused by CAAC.

Chasing Equity

Foreign carriers chasing equity opportunities in Chinese airlines will be watching these events with unease. At stake is a share in a domestic passenger market that is forecast by Boeing to grow at a rate of 8.8% per year and an international market that will increase by 7.3% annually for the next 20 years, with a resultant requirement for another 2,600 aircraft one every three days worth $215 billion.

Consummating a successful equity alliance with one of the Big Three is proving to be elusive, as Cathay Pacific has found. It thought that taking a 10% stake in Air China would be the entry fee to securing a freer hand in operating flights to the mainland, but a single daily Hong Kong-Beijing service is hardly an adequate return. Cathay wants hourly services to some Chinese cities like it operates to Taipei. Here is the dilemma that is possibly a window into the true policy reality: Hong Kong has been part of China since 1997, Cathay has significant mainland ownership and an equity stake in Air China, yet it faces a titanic struggle to get a toe in the domestic air route door.

Clearly, says Indoswiss MD Jim Eckes, the Chinese fear the Cathay product. But instead of embracing its expertise and that of Emirates or Singapore Airlines, mainland carriers have shied away from meaningful equity/management tie-ups. This may explain why some of the world's largest air cargo operators have forged significant investments with China's lesser-known aviation names to secure a slice of the burgeoning freight market, Harbison suggests. Noting "potential partnerships" between China Airlines, EVA Air, Lufthansa Cargo, Korean Air and SIA Cargo on the one hand and Okay Airways, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines on the other, he believes they are the result of the "seeming inability by foreign carriers to conclude investment agreements with the Big Three Chinese carriers and the need by the second-tier carriers to obtain fresh investment to fund expansion and foreign expertise to guide development."

The three, meanwhile, appear content for the moment to go with local equity involvement for their expanding cargo operations. For instance, the largest cargo airline, China Air Cargo, is a joint venture among Air China (51%), CITIC Pacific Ltd. (25%) and China Capital Airport Holding Co., parent of Beijing Capital International Airport Co. Ltd. (24%). US cargo operators FedEx and UPS also are going it alone but with significant support from airports such as Guangdong Airport Management Group. CAPA cautions the Big Three that second-tier cargo airlines could, with foreign assistance, "become increasing forces."

The same situation could evolve on the passenger side as an onslaught builds from foreign carriers. Air Canada, Garuda, Philippine Airlines, Finnair, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Air New Zealand, EgyptAir, Dragonair, Delta, Mexicana, Qatar Airways and even Kenya Airlines all announced new or additional services to China in the last quarter of 2005. However, the view in Beijing appears to be that near-double-digit growth will smooth any turbulence for its favored sons.

This is the anticipated outcome of the introduction of direct flights between China and Taiwan expected within a few years. China watchers say that the "explosion of traffic" that would result from truly unrestricted scheduled direct services would more than offset the significant growth in popularity of the railway system as a result of introduction of high-speed trains. Late last year, 72 Lunar New Year charters were agreed that may operate nonstop but through Hong Kong or Macau airspace. The charters will be operated by six Chinese and six Taiwanese carriers between four Chinese and two Taiwanese cities.

The easing of tension between China and Taiwan will be welcomed by Chinese airlines, which are suffering because only 30% of the country's airspace is available to civil aviation, according to Eckes. They must endure indirect routings and lower altitudes, which cost the industry an estimated $1 million a day in extra fuel and lower productivity through longer flight times. Eckes believes the 2008 Beijing Olympics may be the catalyst for easing the restrictions. Some progress has been made. For example, changes to the IATA 1 route connecting North Asia with Europe immediately north of the Himalayas will save 17 min. on each flight.

Chess Game

China's major carriers also may find themselves the sacrificial pawns in the greater game of trade wars, with US and European governments exchanging greater access for their airlines for more access for Chinese imports, suggest some analysts. If this occurs, it will be just another burden for the trio, which already are saddled with mixed fleets of nearly identically capable Airbus and Boeing types to satisfy Beijing's political whims of trading favors.

The question many ask is how these airlines will fare against an unrestricted assault from Cathay Pacific, SIA and Emirates at the premium end of the market and an AirAsia-styled operation at the budget end. Eckes believes "not too well," and many analysts agree. While globally few carriers have the management skills or inflight product of Cathay or SIA, no country is ringed like China by some the world's finest airlines eager to tap its market. Many China watchers think that the Big Three need equity/management tie-ups with foreign airlines and "ponder with fascination" the powerhouse of a full Cathay/Air China alliance, an SIA/China Eastern group and an Emirates/China Southern combo.

What will be fascinating is how the three are going to extract economies of scale after absorbing a variety of airlines. While they now have greater scope, the extent of problems also has increased with inherited debt and yet more fleet types. For example, China Southern has a mixed fleet of 737s, A320s and MD-80s/-90s courtesy of mergers with China Northern and Xinjiang. Some analysts question why these inherited entities were not spun off into LCCs.

But creating LCCs may be a low priority considering the fact that China will overtake the US as the world's third-largest inbound tourism market this year after achieving 41.8 million arrivals in 2004, just 4.3 million behind the US. By 2020 it is expected that the Chinese will be the world's most prolific travelers with 115 million outbound passengers. Predicting how Beijing "will allow" that extraordinary growth to be shared is perhaps the greatest of all the puzzles for which China is so famous. Many analysts gazing into their crystal balls believe that if the government follows the recommendations of Yang, who was awarded IATA's Global Aviation Leadership Award in June, then yin and yang will be in balance.

The Players

Air China China's largest international airline, while outshining its rivals, suffered a 25% fall in profit to CNY591.3 million for the six months to June 30, 2005, on an increase in revenue of 14.6% to CNY16.9 billion. Load factor rose 10.7 points, driven in large part by heavy international demand. Chairman Jiaxiang Li told media that the airline was "able to maintain higher profits through successful cost control and budget management, as well as enhanced marketing efforts." Those cost controls have meant a hold on an anticipated order for the A380 as the carrier focuses on increasing utilization.

Air China is 70% controlled by China National Aviation Holding Co. Ltd., which in turn owns major stakes in Dragonair and Air Macau. It has a fleet of 160 aircraft operating to 72 domestic and 36 international destinations and is on record that it will take delivery of 30 aircraft a year for the next three years. It has consolidated with China Southwest and Zhejiang Airlines and also holds a 25% stake in Shandong Airlines.

China Southern Airlines The country's largest carrier suffered a CNY964 million net loss in the six months to last June compared to a net profit of CNY374 million for the same period in 2004. Revenue leapt 61% to CNY17.8 billion due mainly to the merger with Xinjiang and China Northern. Its media release perhaps summed up the plight of the Chinese industry, saying it faced "new challenges" in a market "full of opportunities." One of the challenges was a slump in yield of 5.2% due to "intense domestic competition." But looking to the future, China Southern committed to five A380s and 10 787s. It has stakes in Shantou Airlines (60%), Guizhou Airlines (60%), Xiamen Airlines (60%), China Postal Airlines (49%) and Sichuan Airlines (39%).

China Eastern Airlines Like its southern neighbor, China Eastern suffered a first-half loss of CNY471.4 million compared to a profit of CNY346 million for the corresponding 2004 period. Fuel was the major culprit, rising 41%, and now accounts for 32% of total operating costs. The carrier has taken over Air Great Wall, China Northwest and Yunnan Airlines and plans to add 40 aircraft over the next two years. It also holds a 40% stake in China Eastern Airlines Wuhan.

Hainan Airlines The rapidly expanding carrier reported a 21% lift in revenue to CNY4.6 billion for the first half of 2005 but net profits fell 88% to CNY10.3 million. Hainan has a very different history from other Chinese carriers, being foreign controlled through financier George Soros's American Aviation LCD. Established in 1989, it began flying in 1993 from its base on Hainan Island and now operates a fleet of 61 aircraft to 52 domestic and three international destinations from its two hubs. In 2005 it added eight 787s and four 737s to its outstanding order book of 24 aircraft and expects to have a fleet of 200 jets by 2010. Last year it took delivery of the first of eight A319s on order. It also moved to set up LCC Lucky Air using 737s from its wholly owned subsidiary Shanxi Airlines and to manage Chongqing Airlines.

Shanghai Airlines This carrier announced plans in December to increase its fleet size from 42 to 100 by 2010. It has an all-Boeing fleet of 737s, 757s and 767s except for five CRJ200LRs. It has ordered eight 787s, three 737-800s and two 767-300ERs and is expected to take some of the huge order for 150 737s placed by the government in November. The airline, which started operations in 1985, serves a host of domestic destinations plus six regional international points. It has a 10% stake in Sichuan Airlines and controls China United Airlines. For the first half of 2005 it made a tiny profit of CNY4.7 million, down 82%, while revenue was up 13.8% to CNY1.18 billion.

Sichuan Airlines Formed in 1988, Sichuan is planning to buy three A330s to launch international services within three years. They will complement its essentially all-Airbus fleet of A319s/A320s/A321s that serve more than 20 domestic destinations from a base at Chengdu. Its shareholders include China Southern (39%), Shandong Airlines (10%) and Shanghai Airlines (10%).

Shandong Airlines Like its sister carriers, Shandong signaled huge growth potential by flagging a doubling of its fleet to 60 by 2010. Based at Jil Nan in Shan Song Province, it was formed in 1994 by 11 state enterprises that hold 64.3% of the stock with the balance in public hands. It serves more than 40 domestic destinations with its fleet of 11 737s and 10 CRJ200s and CRJ700s and also operates to Singapore. Revenue was up 13% in 2004 to CNY1.18 billion but profit slumped 82% to CNY4.2 million. Last June it committed to 15 737NGs.

Shenzhen Airlines The carrier now is controlled by new private investors who have a 65% stake. Air China holds 25%. Shenzhen operates to 46 domestic destinations and Kuala Lumpur with 25 737s and has another five on order. Last year it committed to 25 A320s and A319s.

Xiamen Airlines China's first regional airline was established in 1992 with China Southern holding a 62% stake. It operates an all-Boeing fleet of 29 737s and 757s and last year ordered its first twin-aisle jets with a commitment to three 787s as well as another 15 737s. It flies to 40 domestic and seven Asia destinations.

Taking Flight

Okay Airways China's first LCC is backed by Korean Airlines from which it leases two 737-900s for operations from its base at Tianjin just south of Beijing.

Spring Airlines Launched in July 2005 and based at Shanghai Hongqiao, the airline is owned by Shanghai Spring International Travel Service. It operates three A320s to four domestic destinations.

United Eagle Airlines From a base at Chengdu, domestic operations were launched July 26 with four A320s/A319s.

China United Airlines The carrier started up Oct. 25 with three 737s flying from a Beijing base to four domestic destinations. It is owned by Shanghai Airlines and China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group.

On the Runway

Golden Dragon Owned by East Asia Airlines and Macau businessman Lam Kuo, the airline expects to launch flights early this year with two Embraer 170s from Macau to eight Chinese destinations plus Hanoi and Vientiane.

East Star Airlines Backed by four tourism and property groups, the carrier will launch operations in May to some 10 domestic destinations. Based at Wuhan, it will have 10 A320s by 2011.

Lucky Air Based at Dali, Lucky is leasing three 737s from Shanxi Airlines for domestic routes. It is a joint venture of HNA Group, Shanxi and Shilin Tourism and hopes to begin flying in the first quarter.

Chongquing Airlines This carrier has been set up by local government-owned Chongquip Land Properties Group and will be managed, subject to CAAC approval, by Hainan Airlines.

At the Terminal

Kunming Airlines, Western Airlines, Northeastern Asia Airlines and Eastern Fastline Airline Co. Ltd. all plan to launch domestic passenger and cargo services toward the end of 2006 or in early 2007.

Runaway aviation growth in Asia has brought its own problems: can airlines find enough staff to fly the increasing numbers of aircraft?

Phenomenal growth in Asia sparked by the global recovery in aviation and the launch of significant numbers of new carriers, particularly in markets undergoing deregulation, has brought its own problem ??“ a shortage of pilots. The crisis in two of the region???s largest and fastest-growing markets, China and India, is so severe that leading industry players and governments are being forced to act.

Boeing has forecast that Chinese domestic traffic will grow 8.8% a year on average over the next two decades and the US aircraft manufacturer says total traffic ??“ air travel for all markets to, from and within China ??“ will grow at 7.3% annually.

India???s government, meanwhile, says the country???s air transport sector has averaged 7% growth a year over the past three years, and from 2000-10 the annual growth rate is expected to average 16%.

China???s state-owned carriers have been working to increase fleet size to aid the launch of domestic and international services. Growth in airline traffic has also been fuelled by a spate of private start-ups including Okay Airways in Tianjin, Spring Airlines in Shanghai and United Eagle in Chengdu. In terms of aircraft, Boeing forecasts that from 2004-24 China???s commercial fleet, excluding Taiwan, will rise by about 2,500 aircraft, from 891 to 3,239.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) recognises that the rapid growth in the commercial aircraft fleet is leading to a shortage of pilots. In December 2004 the CAAC???s flight standards department disclosed that the country needed to recruit 12,000 pilots from then to 2010, but pointed out that China???s two certified pilot training schools could train only 850-900 pilots a year, with the CAAC Flying College in Sichuan accounting for 600-700 and the China Southern West Australian Flying College near Perth in Australia training 150-200.

Consequently, the CAAC has allowed privately owned pilot-training schools to open. ???We have to find many channels and sources to provide pilots, not just government schools,??? says an official in the CAAC flight standards department in Beijing.

Beijing PanAm International Aviation Academy is the first privately owned commercial pilot training school in China and a few weeks ago became the first flight school to receive China Civil Aviation Regulation (CCAR) 141 approval. Since January 2005 all new flight schools in China have been required to have CCAR 141 certification, which was introduced to meet international requirements, particularly International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. The Beijing official adds that ???before [CCAR 141] there were not very complete regulations for flight schools???.

New schools

Beijing PanAm International Aviation Academy has begun ab initio training, with Hainan Airlines sending trainee pilots there. The academy will soon to be joined by new schools that have applied for CCAR 141, including Flying Dragon School???s Harbin International Flight Training Centre in Harbin. The Qingdao Jiutian Spartan Flight Academy in Shandong also planned to apply in late January for certification. The latter is a joint venture between US-based Spartan School of Aeronautics and local partners, including Shandong Airlines.

Meanwhile, the main source of pilots remains the two government-backed commercial pilot training schools, which have until July this year to comply with CCAR 141. The Beijing official says the CAAC Flying College and China Southern Flying School are on track to meet the deadline. In addition, each is working to increase the number of pilots they train. The school in Sichuan, for example, has raised its intake to 1,200 this year. But the CAAC official believes it will take years before the higher input bears fruit.

John Bent, director of Hong Kong-based aviation consultancy Aviation Solutions Asia and former Asia managing director of General Electric Commercial Aviation Training, says it takes roughly three years for a trainee to graduate. Some will drop out during or after the course, so there is no perfect correlation between the number of trainee pilots and number of pilots graduating, he says. Bent adds that the dearth of general aviation in China has also contributed to the pilot shortage.

While China???s pilot training schools and general aviation sector struggle to meet airline demand for more commercial pilots, the CAAC last year standardised and updated regulations in an effort to help airlines wishing to employ foreign crew.

Standardising regulations means the CAAC???s offices across the country have exactly the same set of regulations, which now spell out more clearly what is required, says the CAAC official in Beijing. About 70 foreign pilots have valid licences to work in China, but only one carrier employs a significant number ??“ about 30 fly with Shenzhen Airlines.

Aviation recruitment specialists believe this number could swell when China begins this year to receive the first of huge numbers of aircraft it has on order. The pilots most in demand are likely to be captains with international experience because many of the local captains have never flown an aircraft beyond the Chinese border and newly trained pilots will need time to gain experience.

However, China may need to absorb the lesson learned by new Indian carriers a nd increase the relatively low salaries on offer before overseas pilots book their tickets to the east. When Indian start-ups advertised for pilots last year there was initially no response, forcing them to raise salaries to make them more comparable with international levels. Like China, India is grappling with pilot shortages caused by state-owned airlines expanding and a plethora of privately owned carriers launching.

State-owned Air India last month signed a firm order for 68 Boeing 737s, 777s and 787s after Boeing and GE agreed set up four full-flight simulators in India, establish maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities worth up to $100 million and provide training worth up to $10 million. Boeing has agreed to invest in training as part of package of concessions made to the Indian government.

Air India director of public relations Jitender Bhargava says the airline is considering establishing an aviation academy near Mumbai in a joint venture partnership with Boeing. The academy will train pilots as well as maintenance personnel and cabin crew. Bhargava says it is unclear if the aviation academy will offer ab initio training, but it will offer simulator training. Air India offers no ab initio training and instead relies on the Indira Ghandi Rashtriya Uran Academy in Rae Bareli.

Air India has an agreement with the academy, under which it will provide additional funding and in turn be given first priority and, possibly, all the school???s graduates. The school is also about to increase its graduate numbers to 50 a year from 30.

Meanwhile, India???s other state-owned carrier Indian Airlines expects to sign a formal purchase agreement in February for 43 Airbus A320-family aircraft for delivery from October 2006 to March 2010.

These two legacy carriers already have some in-house training facilities, including flight simulators, but only Jet Airways of the country???s private carriers so far owns a training device. One of Jet???s rivals, Air Deccan, plans to build a training centre, either at the Jakkur Aerodrome outside Bangalore, or on government-owned land near the new Bangalore airport and aims to open it next year to coincide with the arrival of its first A320 and ATR simulators. Air Deccan also hopes to offer ab initio training because, says Capt P K Gupta, adviser to the carrier???s chief operating officer, ???the other flying schools are not up to the mark???. Air Deccan recruits only qualified pilots, who are then sent to simulator centres overseas such as Alteon Training at London Gatwick for type training.

Kingfisher initiative

Rival low-cost carrier Kingfisher Airlines is also establishing its own training centre, dubbed Kingfisher University, which will train pilots, maintenance engineers and flight attendants. Kingfisher chief operating officer Nigel Harwood says the university is intended to be up and running by mid-2007 at the latest. Harwood says Kingfisher is considering a 2.43Ha (6 acre) site at Thane, outside Mumbai, but is also looking at locations at airfields such as the new Bangalore airport.

Kingfisher will kick off with simulator training and plans to get one ATR and two A320 flight simulators, one next year and one a year or so later, says Harwood. The carrier also plans to offer ab initio training as early as next year and is speaking to two potential partners, he says. The carrier also plans a maintenance centre and is seeking to house the MRO business, simulator and ab initio training centre at one site.

In the meantime, Kingfisher has signed an agreement to use the CAE-Emirates training centre in Dubai to train its A320 pilots. The carrier also sends pilots to Airbus in Toulouse for simulator training and plans to send its would-be ATR 72 pilots to the ATR training centre in Bangkok.

Some Indian airlines have sought help from aircraft manufacturers to overcome the problem of pilot shortages. Bruce Peddle, Embraer Asia Pacific managing director, says the Brazilian manufacturer has been providing pilots to its two major commercial airline customers in India: AirOne and Paramount Airways. ???Each programme is tailored to meet the specific operator???s requirements and typically range from one to three pilots up to a 90-day period.??? he says. ???However, in some cases the quantity and duration of pilot support can be extended to meet specific regulatory requirements or special circumstances.???

Peddle says this support ???is a fundamental part of our product offering??? and ???the pilot shortage in Asia Pacific will increase the demand for this???. He adds that Embraer is ???evaluating a potential location for the [Asia Pacific???s] first Embraer 170/190 simulator [and] we anticipate it will be in operation during the second half of 2007.???

The Indian government has taken its own steps to deal with pilot shortages by introducing a rule requiring commercial pilots to give at least six months??? notice. The ministry of civil aviation made the move in September and warned that pilots failing to comply could lose their licences. The government has also moved to increase the pool of pilots available by twice increasing the retirement age, first to 61 from 60 and then to 65, although pilots aged between 60 and 65 must fly with a co-pilot under 60. In addition, the government has tried to increase pilot numbers by reducing the total flying time required for the issue of a commercial pilot???s licence to 200h from 250h.

Ageing population

While the pilot shortage is arguably most severe in China and India, it is a problem elsewhere. In Japan, shortages are a concern because of an ageing population. Japan Airlines (JAL) expects ???a slight decrease??? in pilot numbers due to retirements and some JAL executives say this decline may impede growth. The government has responded by raising the retirement age of pilots to 65. JAL says it plans to hire ???more non-Japanese cockpit crew??? and will ???make more use of retired Japanese pilots up to the age of 65 who are still in excellent health???.

The carrier says it trains about 60-70 new pilots each year, but has no plans to increase the trainee intake. JAL???s ground school and flight simulator training is at Tokyo Haneda and it sends pilots to the USA for their commercial licences.

Japan???s other major carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) says it expects about 400 ANA pilots ???to retire over the five years from 2007???. ANA each year sends about 50 students to the International Flight Training Academy in the USA for ab initio courses. In future it will also source pilots from Tokyo University, which plans to have ab initio training as part of a four-year degree in aeronautics.

The university???s first intake is planned for April and it has been in talks with the University of North Dakota in the USA for the provision of the flight-training component of the course.

LEITHEN FRANCIS / SINGAPORE

Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Wednesday February 15, 2006
The Guardian

China's aviation industry will buy 100 new jetliners and recruit 1,000 pilots every year for the next five years, regulators announced yesterday in a plan to more than double air traffic. The target will make China second only to the US in terms of flights and is likely to alarm environmentalists and air safety campaigners even as it delights Boeing and Airbus executives. It is estimated that air traffic is already responsible for 10% of global warming because jet emissions linger.

Senior officials from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (GACAC) admitted the expansion plan would put a strain on operators. "We have felt that we are walking on thin ice in safety management," said Gao Hongfeng, GACAC deputy director in announcing the new plans. "There are over 5,000 flights every day and more than 11,000 takeoffs and landings in airports, therefore the pressure on safety is very high."

China is already the fastest growing aviation market in the world. According to the government, air traffic has doubled in the past five years. Since 2000, passenger numbers have risen by 105% to 138 million a year and the combined fleet of the country's air companies rose to 863 planes from 527.

Dozens of cities boast new airports, such as the $2bn Guangzhou mega-terminal that opened last year as the first part of a two-stage plan to double capacity to 27m passengers by 2009. Shanghai has even bigger plans. A second runway opened last year at its futuristic Pudong airport. The facility, which can handle 35 million passengers a year, is in the midst of an expansion plan to quadruple the number of terminals and handle 80 million.

The biggest is the Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, designed by British architect Norman Foster. The huge building site, home to 10,000 workers, is the first thing that most visitors to the capital see when they touch down. Due for completion in time for the 2008 Olympics, its operators say it will cover 420,000 square metres, overtaking Hong Kong and Heathrow as the biggest airport building in the world.

To the concern of safety officials, filling airports with passengers is a lot easier than filling cockpits with qualified pilots. At 0.42 accidents per 1m flight miles, China's safety record is better than the average, but officials warn that the lack of pilots could pose new risks. China has 11,000 registered pilots. With the growth in traffic it is estimated that it will need 1,000 more every year, but the Civil Aviation Flight University of China, the main training school, trains only 600. Airline companies are increasingly looking overseas. Yesterday, Air China announced plans to recruit its first foreign pilots.

Addicted to flying

Since 2000, aviation passenger numbers in China have more than doubled to 138 million

In the same period, the fleet of aircraft owned by major carriers has increased by 336 to 863

Every day, there are more than 11,000 take-offs and landings in China

Beijing is building the world's biggest airport terminal, which is due to be completed in time for the 2008 Olympics

By Cao Desheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-14 06:13

Foreign pilots are to be brought in by the nation's flagship carrier to meet the demand of its expanding air fleets.

Air China said it was planning an overseas recruitment drive because it was suffering a severe shortage of pilots.

"Air China has planned to introduce 20 to 30 airplanes within this year, but the exact number will depend on the supply of aircrew members, particularly the pilots," said Li Huxiao, a senior staff from the Beijing-based airline company.

"Currently, we are short of at least 40 captains, so we will try to recruit foreign pilots," Li said.

He gave no details about the exact number of foreign pilots his company planned to recruit.

Air China's problems reflect the fact China's booming commercial aviation industry is taking off faster than the country can train pilots.

According to statistics from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the industry regulator, about 11,000 pilots are employed to fly more than 770 aircraft operated by the major Chinese commercial airlines a figure industry experts say is inadequate to cope with rocketing demand for passenger services.

The Civil Aviation Flight University of China, the nation's major training school for commercial airline pilots based in Sichuan and Henan provinces, graduates a maximum of 600 pilots a year.

Based on the delivery of new aircraft, industry experts estimate that China has needed between 1,200 and 1,600 new pilots every year since 2000.

To the major State-owned airlines such as Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, another increasing challenge is the expansion of private carriers in the country, as pilot headhunting frequently occurred to the companies from last year.

Ten captains from the Jiangsu Branch of China Eastern Airlines asked to resign in December, something that had never happened before the growth of private airlines.

In the context of the rapid growth of civil aviation industry, the shortage of pilots, particularly captains, is a serious problem, said Hao Yuping, deputy senior director of Air China.

(China Daily 02/14/2006)

Well....looks like another type rating and still have not flown a real plane. I guess now the company can bring in whatever 737 they want....classic or NG....I'll be valid to fly any of them.

The ground portion was 2 weeks long. 1 week of self-study CBT stuff and then a ground instructor came to review the material with us for a test at the end. This test was yet again in Chinese. It was still very difficult and took me longer than the other pilots in the class because I read Chinese a lot slower than everyone else. I ended up with an 85%...again good enough to keep moving forward.

Simulator training was quick....only 3 lessons and a check. Obviously this course was designed for those who have flown the 737-300 for some time before upgrading to the NG. But I guess we were allowed to take the same course. Lucky for us.

Nothing too interesting on the chinese culture this time, I didn't have to drink any 40% alcohol the day before with any examiner to make him happy. Things were much calmer this time around. I can be one with my jet fuel when I get on line and have a few with the captains.

My check was more interesting this time than last time on the 300. The 300 was pretty straight forward, stuff that we had been practising during the lessons and stuff we've seen before. But this time, for example, I guess the instructor thought we had achieved the basic standard and told the examiner to step up the difficulty and decided to give us electrical failures of all sorts. Seeing these warning lights (amber and red) go off one after another is not kool. My partner and I just watched the overhead panel light up like a christmas tree and then sat there, analyzed and read pretty much all the checklists except for the correct one. Yup...it was hell....but at least the instructor and examiner got a good chuckle out of it.

Anyways, it was hell during the ride but a good chuckle afterwards. The 800 is definitely a sweet plane to fly. Now CAAC just needs to approve the use of the HUD display and then we can get trained using that too!

Well, still awaiting for the real planes to arrive and start base training and line indoc.

Next update...first takeoff in China on a 737!

P.S. I just found out it costs $5000 cad per hour to do base training. I have to complete 30 take-offs and landings in 4 hours to meet CAAC requirements. Not to mention the number of tires that needs to be changed due to my amazing landings! That's one way to spend 20K really quickly!!

After my CBT training, I was in training mode for 25 days straight with the exception of about 1-2 days rest in the month of April. First 10 days was training on the flight training device(FTD) at Air China's Pilot Training facility in Beijing China. This place is pretty big....6 full-motion Level D simulators. Anyways....I wasn't lucky enough to get on one yet....I had to train on a FTD first (non-motion). All I can say is "Procedures, procedures, and procedures!" Non-stop procedure training until you memorize the right call and movement at the right time. Plus...it's all in chinese! Yeah that was lovely. My partner was from Hong Kong, but at least his mandarin was better than mine. Regardless we practiced at anytime that we didn't have to fly the sims. We hung out in our hotel rooms and just sat in front of our cockpit poster and practiced with one another on calls.

We were lucky that there was no check for that session. Afterwards we flew to Kunming, China to resume our training on a B737-300 full-motion Level D simulator. Very cool place, 6 full-motion Level D simulators. They have sims for B737-300, B737-NG, B757/767, B747-200, MD-90, and a MD-82. This company is called Alteon, A Boeing Company. Apparently it's all over the world. So here there was another 13 courses plus a checkride. Each course lasted for 4 hours with each pilot getting a chance at "pilot-flying" from the right seat.

My instructor was a genuine sim instructor....which means he knows everything! He's retired now and really sharp at 61 years of age. He's like a little chinese Yoda. But once the door closes in that sim, it's all about the flying. When we sucked at flying....which was most of the time....he'd yell and yell and he loves to whip that pointer of his around. Whenever we make a mistake on normal procedures or emergencies he whips that pointer at us....not funny at the time but very funny now that we're done. At one point he lost his pointer because he forgot it in the sim. My partner and I were so happy, but then he showed up to the next session with a newer and stronger pointer, courtesy of Alteon. Anyways, he was a great instructor who prepped us beyond what we had to know.

Our checkride examiner was some head chief pilot from the Northern District Office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Yeah that's all. He only holds 4 current valid type ratings on the 747-200, -400, 767 and a Cessna Citation. Pretty kool guy...but made my partner and I nervous as hell. Since we were so nervous, the day before the checkride, he made us drink with him at lunchtime! and we were drinking this 40% chinese hard liquor. It was fire when it entered your body! Then once we had a few (mind you, he did make us drink the whole glass at one time) ....he said now you should feel more loosened up....go rest and come back the next day with a clear mind. Chinese culture...I'm still learning about it...it's great!

Checkride day. My left leg was shaking so bad after the ride from all the single engine flying. No rudder trim was allowed for any part. And to add to it my right leg was shaking because I was so nervous. The checkride items were general in nature. Normal procedures for everything, climb to 30000 feet, complete a rapid depressurization and emergency descent to 10000 feet. In China, ATC uses meters as opposed to feet for all altitudes. So it is mandatory for all chinese pilots to memorize this table that converts meters to feet. Lucky me!

Then we did 3 types of stalls, 45 degree steep turns and a normal ILS approach. Then it was a VOR/DME approach, single engine failure before V1 and after V1 and a passenger evacuation. There's more to it but I stated some of the basics. All in all a real nice plane to fly. So at the end of the ride, the examiner debriefed us and told us that we passed. YEAH!!

At the time, the 300s hadn't come in yet. As soon as they do I'm on for base training....4 hours of touch and go's and 30 circuits! Here's the catch...there was talk that 300's might not come, maybe 800's instead. Therefore, it would be back to the sim for differences training for the NG 800. Plus there was a lot of paperwork that had to be completed for CAAC license application.

It turns out that it was never that easy....

Next up....B737-800 Differences Training.

The ground school was taught by an instructor from Air China's Flight Training Department. This guy was very knowledgable. The course started at the last week of February and ended near the end of March.

We had 2 weeks of Computer-based Training (CBT) self-study work, then he came in for 2 weeks to review the material with us. The problem was that the exam in the end was in chinese!! Yeah, I wasn't thrilled about that. So I had to do a lot of extra chinese language studying. He prepped us fairly well on what we may be tested. And he also took us through the main points of each system on the plane.

There was 100 questions, to be written within 3 hours and must attain an 80% to pass. I had some troubles with understanding the chinese language, but the instructor was kind enough to translate it for me if I had any troubles. I ended up with an 88%....good enough to pass!

During this time, Okay Airways received their Operating Certificate and finally started flying with China's first ever Boeing 737-900. March 11th was the maiden flight. It was an exciting time for everyone and it was great that I was there to experience all of it.

Next up....sim training for 1 month on the 737-300 in April.

Well it was Chinese New Year at this time so not much happening anywhere in China. Business wasn't back to normal until about mid-February. So that was when I wrote my IR exam. Only 80 questions, 2 hours to write it and must achieve an 80% to pass. I ended up with another 96%. I was very happy with that mark. The IR exam is a bit easier than the FAA one, but there were definitely similar questions. The CAAC IR exam left out the section regarding flight computer calculations as well as flight mapping stuff.

So here us foreigners were told that we only needed to complete the CPL and IR exams since that was all that we would be getting, in terms of licenses. The a week later, a CAAC official changed his mind again and decided to have us write it. So our company being rushed, decided to have us write it within a week's time. Talk about bad timing...no studying yet. Anyways...it turned out ok. The ATPL theory exam is much more difficult. It incorporates questions from the FAA, JAA, CASA and some that are local, questions that have been translated into english. So it is very difficult to find any material on this because CAAC constantly changes the material. No wonder not many local pilots don't pass, since they have to deal with the exam material as well as in another language that they are not familiar with. 100 questions, 2.5 hours to write it and a 70% required to pass. A lot of questions that I had never seen before but I came out safe with a 90%.

Now that all of our theory exams were over and done with....we started with 737-300 ground school.

This was a new year and the flight department finally got it together to start a New Employee Training Course. We had about 30 pilots with 7 foreign pilots inclusive. The rest were all ex-military pilots.

The training course was intended to give a brief introduction of the civil aviation side of things as opposed to military. Most of the stuff that they spoke about were familiar to the foreign pilots since we completed our training outside of China in Europe, Australia, USA or Canada.

The course ranged from rules and regulations (CCAR Part 121), training (CCAR Part 61), dispatch division, details on weather terminology, performance numbers on the 737, CRM, human factors, administration, company rules and policies, and a few other topics. The whole course ran for almost 3 weeks and there was a test at the end to cover the topics. Obviously the test was open book...but there was not much material they provided, so it is all dependant on what notes you took.

The test was 75 questions and they really weren't difficult as it was tailored mainly for the military pilots. What I did find that was difficult was the chinese. I had to read this stuff in chinese. My chinese is fluent when I speak and listen, but when it comes to reading and writing...then it becomes difficult. Oh well...we had the whole morning to finish it. Key thing is....I passed it.

A few days later a few of us were selected to go back to the testing office of the Northern Division of CAAC in Beijing to rewrite the CPL conversion license test. This time we were all ready...we all studied from that Gleim book. Low and behold....I was done in 45 minutes and came out with a shining 96%!! This news was then passed on to the other foreign pilots to study this book and there shall be no problems. As for the chinese pilots, they had their own book provided by CAAC...so they too were in good shape, just as long as they studied from the book, all is good.

Eventually all foreign and local military pilots passed the exams. A pretty big achievement I must say. There were about 25 of us in total and we all passed. Next up...the IR exam in February.

The original plan was to start training in October, but something came up with bringing the first aircraft into China. So things got postponed.

Keep in mind that Okay Airways hired the first batch of foreign pilots with low-time hours and to provide additional training to start flying on the 737s.

When I got there, I had pre-arranged with the company that I was provided with residence, since I didn't know my way around Beijing. So they put me in a 3 room apartment that lived 10 guys, mainly maintenance guys, but also other departments. It was definitely a sausage-fest. I stayed in a room with 2 maintenance managers.

So CAAC has not actually made any rules or regulations official regarding hiring foreign pilots with low-time. So it's kind of like complete one item at a time before taking a look at what's next. There is no one at CAAC that wants to take the responsibility in creating these policies.

So nothing happened until the first week of December. By this point I was really beginning to lose faith in the company, since all that I was doing was staying at the apartment all day long! But luckily the flight deparment received word that we had to write some exams. I was the first foreign pilot to arrive in October. Four more arrived in December. CAAC required us to write the CPL and IR theory exams. So interesting enough and no surprise, the company had no test material to help us prep for this exam. No one knew anything about the exams. Except that there is 100 questions, multiple guess, require 80% to pass and you have 2 hours to finish it. Brutal!

At this point in time I also moved out to our Tianjin base. The base just finished renovations. I remember I moved in with 2 managers. They have a residence attached to the side of the office buildings. Section C was for the pilots, Section B was for the rest, including flight attendants, maintenance crew and administration. Pilots really get treated very differently here in China. I was living in a large room with 2 beds, also had a private bathroom. But for Section B, each room was very small and it had 3 bunk beds that could live 6 people. Their bathroom was down the hall, used by everyone, a public bathroom I guess. The renovations were complete but no cleaning was done at all, dust on all the furniture, cement on the tiles and dirt in the toilet. The radiators used to heat the rooms were not good at all, combined with thin windows, the rooms were very cold in the winter. So let's just say it was a big adjustment from big city to another big city but not as developed.

In China, their attitude for writing exams are to keep trying until you are familiar with the exams, at least until you pass it. I heard that someone took 9 times to pass an exam!! What are they thinking of! The ATPL exams are in english, even for the locals. So I can see how the ATPL could be very difficult for locals to write. Some don't know a single word in english.

The exams are in english. But we were the first batch to actually write them. All the former exams are in Chinese. Not unless you were an experienced pilot, depending on your situation, you could write the ATPL or maybe not. The ATPL (english) was published a while ago.

I found out that the exams were tailored exactly to the FAA exams. But it was too late since we had no time to prep for this stuff. We went in blind to write the exam, not knowing what to expect. So with a lot of bad luck, I ended up failing my CPL exam. An 80% was required to pass and I ended up with a 79%. The other 4 ended up with similar results. No one passed.

So with my pride beaten up, I dragged myself back home to Toronto and picked up the Gleim series for the CPL, IR and ATPL FAA exams. This turned out to be the best investment I could've made. No one knows anything about these english exams since no one had taken them before, so with one try I figured it out.

Stay tuned for events that occurred in the new year 2005....

Okay Airways Company Limited (really bad name!)

Currently only operating 1 plane, Boeing 737-900. It seats 188 passengers and was leased from Korean Airlines. It is holding talks over the sale of a stake to KAL.

The company is operating routes to Changsha, Kunming, Hangzhou and Harbin. During the Chinese New Year break, they will be operating temporary charter flights to Sanya, Haikou and Guilin.

The company was committed to a low-cost strategy to engage in air cargo and express services plus passenger charter and ground distribution services. But not too long ago, the company had to drop its low-cost, no-frills business model, citing regulatory barriers that make it economically unviable in the country. Around 80% of the costs in China are out of an airline’s control, including restrictions on ticket pricing, regulations on which airports can be served and tightly controlled jet fuel pricing.

Other private airlines include Shanghai-based Spring International Airlines, the Chengdu-based Eagle Airlines, Huaxia Airlines in Gansu Province and the Wuhan-based East Star Airlines. Spring and Eagle Airlines started operating last summer in 2005. They operate Airbuses.

Hello,

My name is Karl Chang. I have decided to accept Aviation.ca's offer to write about my "wacky" journey to becoming a commercial airline pilot in China.

A little bit about myself and how I got myself to China....

I graduated from York University, Toronto with a BSc in Kinesiology. I decided to stay with the University and work in the Security, Parking and Transportation Department. I was there full-time for about 1.5 years when I realized that this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I knew I've dreamed of flying ever since I was a kid, but never was given the opportunity to explore that idea. So with hard work I was lucky to get myself into the flight program at Seneca College in 2001. In my first flying summer at the hangar, a B737 Captain and VP of a chinese airline came to tour the facility. I was given the opportunity to show him around and to speak to him in his native language of Mandarin. At the end of the tour, he presented me with his business card and if I was still interested after I graduated, to contact him afterwards.

So I stayed in contact with him and eventually in my last year in 2004, he wanted me to come to China to meet him for an interview. As soon as I completed my flying in June 2004, I made the trip to Beijing, China. This was a big gamble since my contact had quit his VP position and picked up an Executive President position with a new start-up private airline. Also, I had to come up with the trip money on my own, so this was no cheap trip. The plane ticket cost me $1800 alone. Yikes! This was a huge gamble but I guess it was worth it in the end. The interview went very well and I decided to take the position.

CAAC, Civil Aviation Administration of China, the equivalent to Transport Canada, required that all pilots must have a total of 250 flight hours before starting the license application process. So I completed an extra 50 hours back in Toronto on top of my 200 hours from Seneca and then off I went to China in October 2004 for training.

Please note that I am a Canadian citizen and do not carry any other citizenship. Therefore, I am a foreign pilot, with low-time, applying to a Chinese airline. Also keep in mind that while CAAC has told the media that they welcome foreign pilots into their country to fly, in actuality they really don't want any foreigners coming in to the country and taking their jobs. There are many "experienced" Captains and First Officers currently flying for many Chinese airlines but are restricted to certain cities. This is mainly due to the language barrier at many ATC locations. Not all airport ATCs are occupied with bilingual (chinese and english) controllers.

My training has taken me more than 1 year to complete due to many political reasons as well as new rules and regulations taking effect during the year of 2005. I am currently going through the line indoc phase of training. Therefore, I will take you through my year of training while in China...