Breakthrough in light aircraft

The first amphibious light sports aircraft wholly designed and manufactured in China successfully made its maiden voyage on Tuesday on Shanghai's Dishui Lake, and its designer said mass production and delivery of the aircraft were likely next year, pending regulatory approval.

The all-composite, two-seat aircraft Feng Ling is the result of eight years of research and development and more than 50 million yuan ($7.53 million) of investment by Shanghai Oxai Aircraft, said Mao Yiqing, the company's president.

Unlike many Chinese aircraft makers who acquired old-fashioned aircraft models from overseas companies to save the time spent on R&D, Oxai Aircraft decided to conduct its own research and development.