China's first airplane developed by private firm makes maiden flight

NANCHANG - China's first aircraft independently developed by a private company, the Guanyi GA20, made a successful maiden flight in East China's Jiangxi province on Wednesday.

The GA20 is a four-seater, general purpose, single propeller-driven aircraft developed by Guanyi General Aviation, a private company based in Shanghai.

During the 26-minute maiden flight, the plane ascended to a height of about 300 meters, made a number of routine tests, before landing smoothly at an airport in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi.

With an overall length of 8.1 meters and a wingspan of 9.4 meters, the plane is powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine and equipped with a Garmin aviation system. It is designed for multiple purposes such as aviation training, private aviation and tourism.

Guanyi began to develop the aircraft in 2014 and has settled its general aviation industrial base in the Nanchang High-tech Zone. It plans an annual output of 200 by 2022.

After the successful maiden flight, Guanyi plans to produce five more GA20s. The company is also developing self-driving cargo aircraft and twin-engine planes.