Destination Report: Henan Province, China - Aviation Manufacturing Industrial Park

Continuing my series of articles on my recent visit to Henan proving in China, this one focuses on visiting the Aviation Manufacturing Industrial Park also located close to the airport.

HNCA has also invested in related aviation services, including simulators, for training pilots, flight crew, air traffic controllers and rescue services: these are all grouped together in one cluster and I got to visit some at the Aviation Manufacturing Industrial Park, including:

- HNCA FEIYU Aviation Simulation Company: there I was treated to helicopter rescue demonstrations, both on land and in water. I learnt that there is currently just one rescue centre operating in Henan, with four others currently being developed, with the aim being that anywhere in the province can be reached within one hour. Its facility currently acts primarily as a visitor centre and includes three flight simulators (Airbus 320; Boeing 737; Comac 919) as well as a training centre.

- U-Wing: a simulator manufacturer established in 2016 for pilot training. Their simulators are mainly for smaller planes (Cessna; Cirrus; Diamond) as well as Boeing, with Airbus and Piper to be added in the future. HNCA invested in the company in 2022 and brought it to Henan which is now the centre of the flight simulation industry in China. Their manufacturing capacity is currently 40 units annually, up considerably from the seventeen produced just last year, with clients both domestic and international.

- BAA (now fully owned by HNCA as part of the Air Silk Road initiative): this is both a full flight training centre (for pilots) and a flight attendant training centre, with future plans to develop training for engineers and others. They operate six Full Flight Simulators, for both Boeing and Airbus, and also for flight crew (attendants): it started operations in 2020 for the former, with the latter added in 2021. It currently has 60 staff and they now build their own simulators while still operating Canadian-built simulators. They are also building a hotel to house those being trained: currently their clients for crew training include China Airlines and China Southern Airlines, while they already train pilots from 10+ airlines.

Interestingly, I was invited to try one of the full flight simulators. After receiving an introductory briefing, apparently I scored well in both taking off (from Zhengzhou) and landing (in Beijing); however, taxiing from the runway to the terminal was not my best... It was truly a nerve-racking experience during which I felt my heart rate increase, and following which I was very glad we had a break with some tea and coffee.

For the main / introductory article on my trip to Henan, please click here.