Things are happening in China. “So, what’s new,” you say? “We’ve been hearing about China for months.”
Things may move slowly in China but recently Airshow China was held in the southern city of Zhuhai and my colleague, Jan Fridrich was present. He reported that some LSA are displayed including Triton’s Mermaid and SC3D (based on the SportCruiser), Flight Design’s CTSW (pictured), Colyaer’s Freedom, and other aircraft.
Triton is the new China-based factory run by Chip Erwin. LSA leader CubCrafters gained Type Certificate approval in China for its Part 23-certified Top Cub. General Manager Randy Lervold said they have taken no steps with the LSA models but that they expect to pursue that in the future.
Meanwhile, though the company announced the sale of two Carbon Cubs in Europe, they are taking a similarly measured approach using Permit to Fly privileges for now. “We’re feeling our way along,” said Randy about both China and Europe. However, he mentioned a commonly-expressed feeling among American producers that the USA opened its doors to European LSA but that restrictive regulations in other countries is less welcoming. Yes, you might bring an LSA to Europe but costly government approvals are offputting, perhaps explaining Cessna’s choice of using Primary Aircraft rather than pursue EASA’s particular form of LSA. Read more about private aviation in China.
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