An infant in the Chinese town of Shantou needs emergency medical care for a life threatening congenital heart disease. That kind of treatment for one so young isn’t available in Shantou, so to save her life, the parents of this five-month-old girl have to get her to the provincial capital of Guangdong.

By car, it’s a rough overland journey of more than six hours, and doctors at the People’s Hospital of Guangdong decide there’s not enough time for that. In a civilian helicopter, the journey takes less than two hours.

In the United States, this would have been a routine medical case, hardly newsworthy. But in China, it was a milestone in the ongoing effort to introduce the routine use of civilian aircraft.

“The fact they’re going to establish emergency medical service operations clearly indicates the Chinese recognize the value of helicopters and their abilities to serve all aspects of society,” said Matt Zuccaro, president and CEO of Helicopter Association International (HAI).

China has made it a priority to weave general aviation into the nation’s transportation infrastructure as part of the government’s five-year plan. Last year, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s counterpart in China organized a first-of-its-kind convention in Beijing, one that would have included a helicopter migration from a town east of the capital. But when an unrelated aviation accident involving a Beijing police helicopter killed five people, the event was canceled because of what observers noted was the government’s sense of supreme caution.

Earlier this year, two Beijing Capital Helicopter Company rotorcraft were used in a disaster drill to showcase their life-saving capabilities. In the simulation, one of the aircraft flew a boy from Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, to a hospital in Beijing. The trip would have taken more than three hours by road. By air, it took 41 minutes. Officials declared the experiment a success.

Recently, Beijing Capital Helicopter signed an agreement with Shanghai Gaodong Airport, a new heliport near Pudong that HAI’s Zuccaro said is breathtaking to behold.

“There’s a four-story building with a control tower on top of it and a very substantial hangar adjacent to it – all dedicated solely to helicopters,” the HAI president remarked. “I tell you, if that isn’t optimistic about what’s going to happen with helicopters in China, I don’t know what is.”

Beijing Capital will begin operating aircraft from the facility later this month, according to reports published in China.

“The initiative of some of the manufacturers has played a significant role” in the rapid development of flight-based medical services in China, Zuccaro explained. “They’re providing education and guidance.”

He also credited the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, held in Shanghai earlier this year, with increasing the appreciation for general aviation in China.

Already, helicopter operations are ramping up with remarkable speed in some parts of the country. In Shanghai, four hospitals now have helipads. In Guangdong Province, authorities are building new facilities to accommodate rotorcraft and drafting new regulations that allow for their use.

However, the costs associated with such flights is a concern. For example, the expense of flying the infant girl from Shantou to Guangdong was an estimated $1,586. In the Beijing disaster drill, the cost was 10 times that amount. While Chinese authorities appear convinced about the value of medical helicopter operations, finding ways to finance them in this developing market may be a challenge.

As NBAA previously reported, the Italian government has implemented a tax on all private aircraft that spend more than 48 hours on the ground in Italy. For many business aircraft, that could mean a yearly tax of over 300,000 Euros. This week, the Italian Chamber of Deputies passed new legislation that would significantly modify the tax. At the urging of NBAA and other stakeholders, the new plan would allow non-Italian registered aircraft to spend up to 45 consecutive days in Italy before being subject to the tax. The legislation is now headed to the Italian Senate for consideration. NBAA strongly supports this positive change and encourages legislators in Italy to act quickly. Learn more about the proposed Italian luxury tax on aircraft.

A “Proficiency Protection Program” that kept hundreds of unemployed business pilots and maintenance professionals current at no cost to them in 2009 is being reinstated by training provider FlightSafety International.

The re-born program will run through December 31, 2012. Pilots and technicians who became unemployed since January 1 of this year through staff reduction or job elimination are eligible for the training, which will be provided on an as-available basis.  Those taking advantage of the offer will not be required to repay the cost of the training or enter into a new training agreement once re-employed.

Runway Excursions are on the rise.  Based on claims statistics from insurance companies, the greatest claims they have had recently, have been for RUNWAY EXCURSIONS. Two 3-4 hour long Best Practices and statistical programs will be held, each identical to the other. Even when you do everything correctly, it doesn’t assure you that you will not have a runway excursion.

The FREE programs will be held at HPN – Westchester Hilton starting at 0830 on May 1, 2012 sponsored by WAA, USAIG and NBAA. The other will be held at OXC - Key Air on June 20, 2012 sponsored by CBAG, Key Air, USAIG and NBAA also starting at 0830.  Please contact Dean Saucier at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Lori Rosa at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for seat confirmation at HPN and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for seat confirmation at OXC.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today thanked a group of U.S. senators for reminding President Obama that they oppose the $100-per-flight user fee proposed in the president's fiscal year 2013 federal budget.

In a recent letter, 28 senators told the president that bipartisan passage of the comprehensive, multi-year FAA reauthorization bill was "in part because it did not assess new user fees on general aviation (GA)." The letter was circulated by Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Mike Johanns (R-NE), co-chairs of the Senate GA Caucus.

Plan on attending a most important safety program. Most of us are familiar with the idea behind high-performance takeoffs. When do you need to fly a high performance landing? Runway excursions are a mishap trend on the rise that, beyond the obvious risks of injury and damage, also result in increased insurance claims and FAA citations.Beginning next month, a number of forums will be held in NBAA's Northeast Region for those with an interest in mitigating the risks and reducing the occurrence of runway excursions.