Representatives lay the foundation for the project funded by Wenfa Aerospace in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 16. [Photo provided to wedz.gov.cn]
Construction work on an aviation industrial park started on April 16 in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province.
Funded by Wenfa Aerospace, a Wuhan-based company, the project received 2.6 billion yuan ($386.88 million) in investment and will contain plants for producing aerospace materials and parts and assembling engines, a research and design center, and engine and aircraft inspection and maintenance centers.
The park will be engaged in the manufacturing of FK sports aircrafts, which used to be produced by German aircraft company B&F until it was acquired by Wenfa Aerospace in March 2018.
FK aircrafts weigh more than 200 kilograms, lighter than comparable aircraft, and can fly at speeds of up to 290 km/h, which is 40-50 km/h faster than typical sports aircraft.
This ultra-light aircraft is widely used in agriculture, forestry, tourism, geological exploration, firefighting, and aerial photography.
The aircraft costs about 1.5 to 2 million yuan.
The industrial park will be able to produce 500 aircrafts and 2,000 engines annually, and will provide around 4,000 jobs.
Luo Aiping, chairman of Wenfa, said that its industrial park in the WHDZ will begin producing small business jets and high-performance helicopters in the future.
WHDZ has a strong foundation in the aviation sector, as it successfully hosted the World Fly-in Expo in November 2017 and the RENO International Championship Air Races in November 2018.
In 2015, the zone established the General Aviation and Satellite Industrial Park, which covers an area of 24.75 square kilometers. The Hannan General Aviation Airport was also built, with a 1,600-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway and 40,000-square-meter FBO (fixed-base operation) area –– the largest among the country's general aviation airports.
In the future, the zone will continue working to attract more aviation projects to develop the industry.
Construction workers participate in the inauguration ceremony for the new aviation project in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, April 16. [Photo provided to wedz.gov.cn]
A photo of an FK sports aircraft [Photo/Changjiang Daily]
