First foreign light travel aircraft lands in Lijiang

A Czech Piper Meridian light travel aircraft landed in Lijiang Airport on Nov 21. The plane took off from Russia and crossed five countries and eight provinces in China.

The light aircraft was sponsored by Yulong Snow Mountain Eagle Aviation Club.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China approved the flight and sent navigators for the voyage. Aviation authorities also opened up the air route. Kunming airport and Lijiang airport preferentially arranged the flight time, ensuring its successful take-off and landing.

The aviation club owns six light sport aircrafts and has a record of 15,000 safe flights. The club booked two Piper light travel aircrafts to put into operation in the second half of next year, in accordance with flying tour projects proposed by the municipal government of Lijiang.

The trial flight on Nov 21 seeks to investigate the feasibility of the flying tour project, gathering data and accumulating experiences for the future tour.

With a flight distance of 1,800 kilometers, elevation of 9,200 meters, and speeds reaching 480 kilometers per hour, the six-seat Piper Meridian is suitable for flying over plateaus.

The aircraft takes 45 minutes to fly from Kunming to Lijiang, 20 minutes from Lijiang to Lugu Lake, and 20 minutes from Lijiang to Shangri-La. If the flying projects are approved, it will significantly save journey time between different scenic spots in Yunnan province and promote tourism to a new level.

Edited by Li Yang and Michael Thai