Chinese Aviation Industry

A tribute to worker, engineer of aviation industry in Chine man and women. Working late hour, neglecting family these geeks are the unsong hero of China airforce about time they were given the respect that are due. Without them I can't imagine the spectacular rise of Chinese airforce and its aviation industry!
But these people derive satisfaction from their work well done and that is enough!. I am mad at anyone who diminish the respect for these people by saying copy or giving credit for other people

When is the last time Holywood give tribute to technical worker? Never geek is uncool in US and in the west in general

"Hapiness in not elsewhere"

It seems to me that the aircraft companies under the AVIC umbrella are getting into specialization. Shenyang and Chengdu are building fighter jets. Shaanxi and Xi'an are focussing on transport planes. Hongdu and Guizhou are making trainers. Harbin and Changhe are doing helicopters. COMAC is making passenger planes. Its just UAV's that's all over the place.

Franklin said:

It seems to me that the aircraft companies under the AVIC umbrella are getting into specialization. Shenyang and Chengdu are building fighter jets. Shaanxi and Xi'an are focussing on transport planes. Hongdu and Guizhou are making trainers. Harbin and Changhe are doing helicopters. COMAC is making passenger planes. Its just UAV's that's all over the place.

Click to expand...

You are right about Hongdu and Guizhou.

They are a mix or in role-transition, they made fighters from the beginning, but now focus on trainers. But that is not surprising, they were meant to be backups since day one.

But the rest (majority) are consistent in their roles, COMAC, Harbin, Changhe, Shenyang, Chengdu, Shaanxi and Xi'an are specialized in their current roles since their inception days.

As I said before eventually they are going to source most of the part from domestic supplier but it is a long term struggle
Since China only recently start building civilian airliner


Local content of C919 jet reaches 60 percent

Source:Global Times Published: 2017/7/7 19:43:39

About 60 percent of the newly launched passenger jet C919 was made in China, far higher than the initial estimate, according a domestic media report.

The report also noted that the C919 will eventually be 100 percent locally made.

When the C919 project was launched, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), C919's maker, said that it would be acceptable if more than 10 percent of the jet was locally made, as the domestic workers didn't have experience in the manufacturing of a large aircraft since the Shanghai Y-10 in the 1970s, the cyol.com reported on Friday.

However, the C919 achieved a localization rate of nearly 60 percent and received 570 orders after it was rolled off the production line, the report said.

Zheng Xiaohui, deputy director of the department of plane stability characteristics and control laws at the Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute (SADRI), said that it was hard to design the control laws because it was the first time for them to do it.

"It would be much easier to design control laws for follow-up aircraft models," Zheng said.

As for the parts that couldn't be manufactured in China, they were either made by joint ventures between domestic and overseas firms or imported.

The report also said that the jet would be 100 percent locally made in the future, and it was made clear to every overseas supplier that their products would be localized gradually in the end.

The cyol.com report also stressed that the follow-up aircraft models of the C919 including C929 and C939 are also being researched.

The report cited Zhang Chi from the Beijing Aeronautical Science & Technology Research Institute as saying that he and his team are currently researching a flight model called "spirit sparrow," which is an autonomous, mini version of large aircrafts.

Global Times

I live in LA, I have friend who's husband is indirectly involved in the C919 project, he told me for this C919 project China sent over dozens of teams over here to set up joint ventures in designing and producing every single little parts for this jet, he said this is something that is very not normal, because Airbus and Boeing are never hands on like this, they just contract it out to other bidders who offer lowest price.

At that time he said the C919 project is going way over budget and overtime and he thought what Comac was doing was not very wise.

Now I understand why China did what they did, they are literally buying technology by teaming up with US and EU company, once they learn the technology they will able to product the next jet fully on their own, the effort is worth it.

sanblvd said:

I live in LA, I have friend who's husband is indirectly involved in the C919 project, he told me for this C919 project China sent over dozens of teams over here to set up joint ventures in designing and producing every single little parts for this jet, he said this is something that is very not normal, because Airbus and Boeing are never hands on like this, they just contract it out to other bidders who offer lowest price.

At that time he said the C919 project is going way over budget and overtime and he thought what Comac was doing was not very wise.

Now I understand why China did what they did, they are literally buying technology by teaming up with US and EU company, once they learn the technology they will able to product the next jet fully on their own, the effort is worth it.

Click to expand...

Basically all decisions are strategic and not economic based. Good for the long run for their aviation industry.

This basically proves c919 will not be anywhere close to economical or profitable. But in the long run a lot more skilled manufacturing jobs in China and profit for next plane. Can basically call this R&D cost.

PiSigma said:

Basically all decisions are strategic and not economic based. Good for the long run for their aviation industry.

This basically proves c919 will not be anywhere close to economical or profitable. But in the long run a lot more skilled manufacturing jobs in China and profit for next plane. Can basically call this R&D cost.

Click to expand...

And these R&D cost would be more appropriately counted in other airliner's R&D cost as well, 929 for example.

Hendrik_2000 said:

The cyol.com report also stressed that the follow-up aircraft models of the C919 including C929 and C939 are also being researched.

Click to expand...

What is this C939? I haven't heard about this model until today. Could it be referring to a jumbo wide-body like B747 or A380?

Iron Man said:

What is this C939? I haven't heard about this model until today. Could it be referring to a jumbo wide-body like B747 or A380?

Click to expand...

C939 is not a model that has a developing program established as far as open information reveals. But it is an envisioned target or milestone from the inception of COMAC. If I remember right, there was an official statement of the mission of COMAC to become the player on par of Boeing and Airbus, so a plane in that class is a certain thing in their mind. In short, it was meant to be developed than wish (maybe) to develop.

The eventual program for C939 is also reflected in the way they decided the numbering scheme of C9?? C being COMAC initial, 9 is a choice due to it is the biggest numeral, the last two digits represent the weight class in number of passengers. 19 being around 200 (more or less depending on seat arrangement), 29 is 300 and so on. 39 by the same definition is around 400 (only slightly more). It won't be a A380 equivalent, nor 747, but similar to a 787.

I remember the original official wording explaining the numbering scheme was something like "the last two digits represent the weight class, 19, 29 and so on."

BTW, I think this is the report The report actually mentioned the scale down flying model (blend wing design) that circulated some months ago. It is one of the nine future designs that are under investigation by COMAC, it could be one of the proposals for a C939 (or successor to C929 in the same class) IMO.

2nd C919 made ready for tests
Source:Xinhua Published: 2017/7/27 15:22:21


A second made for flying tests is seen taking shape at a Commercial Aircraft Corp of China plant in Shanghai yesterday. The plane is set to undertake onboard tests soon and is expected to make its first flight in the fourth quarter of the year, the corporation said. The first C919, China's first home-developed narrow-body passenger aircraft, made its maiden flight at the city’s Pudong International Airport on May 5. It was used to test flying conditions, onboard equipment and landing gear while the second will be tested on engine and fuel systems, the developer of the single-aisle, 150-seat jetliner said earlier. Six C919 jets will be assembled for flying tests before it begins commercial operation, which is scheduled to take place around 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)