China seeks to fill gap in civil aviation sector

In Liaoning province, helicopters from the maritime rescue force of the Ministry of Transport assisted in the relief efforts after floods hit several areas in the province in August, airdropping 3.6 metric tons of aid supplies and relocating 104 residents trapped or injured, according to Chen.

Chen's center has set up a training base for aviation rescue professionals in Henan province in cooperation with a Guangdong general aviation company and plans to recruit 100 helicopter pilots and 50 medical workers by the end of this year, he added.

Ten hospitals in Beijing have built landing facilities for helicopters, according to Fan Da, deputy head of Beijing Emergency Medical Center. He said the center has performed several operations in which injured people were transported to a hospital by helicopter.

He noted that the center is negotiating with Beijing police's aviation squadron on cooperation on a helicopter emergency medical service.

"Helicopters have been used by Beijing police since April 2007, when the squadron was formed," said Yang Dongfeng, chief of the aviation squadron under the city's public security bureau.

Sober attitude urged

To boost the country's civil helicopter sector, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China has integrated its three manufacturing subsidiaries and one research institute into Avicopter and is implementing a series of favorable policies to recruit talent, according to Lin Zuoming, chairman of AVIC.

"We have established an after-sales service system that can cover the entire lifespan of our helicopter products," Lin said, adding that the company will allocate more funds and resources to solve the heavy dependence on imported engines that has long haunted China's helicopter industry.

Though the prospects for China's civil helicopter market are promising, Cai suggested that local governments and private businesses should take a sober attitude and avoid blindly investing in this field.

"It seems like many local governments and companies can't wait any longer to plunge into the industry, but it will lead to cutthroat competition and a waste of resources," Cai warned.