Piloting an aircraft is becoming more than just a dream for many Chinese, as flying schools report a sharp increase in the number of people applying for private pilot licenses.

Private training courses usually take two to three months to complete and cost around 200,000 yuan ($32,360).

The application conditions for private pilot licenses are lower than they are for commercial pilot licenses.

Any Chinese resident, aged between 17- and 60-years-old, with a middle school degree or above, can apply for private license training after passing a physical examination.

There are now around ten flying schools in China, qualified to train private pilots, and learning to fly a helicopter is actually a popular option among trainees.

Yi Xiaoli, a 36-year old woman from Hubei province, will take the theory test for her private pilot license at the end of April.

"I plan to buy a small helicopter, priced between 1 to 2 million yuan, after I get my licence," said Yi, who runs a beauty parlor in the city of Yichang, in western Hubei.

She trained for more than three months with Hainan Aviation Academy Co Ltd, the second largest flying school in China, which is also headquartered in Yichang.

Pupils at the academy are mainly aged above 30 years old, and generally come from high-income groups.

The school, which has 38 training aircraft, expects the numbers for private pilot training to continue to grow, as general aviation develops in China, and currently its private training students take up ten percent of its total number of pupils.

"The school is preparing for growth, and will be adding aircraft and teachers in future," said a spokesperson, adding that it now plans to buy 22 new training aircraft.

(China Daily 05/01/2013 page9)