Qiandao Lake in East China's Zhejiang Province is famous for its "thousands of  islands" and its breathtaking water landscapes. But for some aircraft enthusiasts, the big attraction there is the sky above. Student helicopter pilots gather at Shouchang town near the lake, all aiming to fly high. This is the base of the Shanghai Kingwing General Aviation Co Ltd in the Qiandao Lake area. One of the best-known aviation businesses in the Yangtze River Delta region, Kingwing is East China's only commercial flight training organization authorized to issue private pilot licenses.

With the Civil Aviation Administration of China deregulating controls on low-altitude flying, soaring into the skies is no longer a distant dream preserved just for the super rich. A market for private pilot training has emerged in recent years and is booming, with an estimated minimum of 1,000 people across the country now carrying private pilot licenses.

Eager students

The Qiandao Lake base is one of Kingwing's two major flying bases in the country - the other one is in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Behind a two-story gray building is a spacious open area with several R22 helicopters standing ready. While a flight crew in dark blue uniforms conducts a routine maintenance checkup, a few flight instructors are surrounded by a group of students eager to figure out the internal workings of the aircraft.

Kingwing has adopted a quasi-military approach. Students dress in a uniform of white shirt, blue trousers and black shoes. Though their outfits look a little heavy for a hot summer day, they all glow with confidence. The instructors wear uniforms with epaulettes. "Four bars is the insignia for a captain," noted Li Chunyu, the deputy general manager of Kingwing.

"We usually ask students to live in the dormitories at the base while they take courses here, as the training is intense," Li said. "And by students, I mean those who want to get commercial flying licenses, not those who want to get private licenses - they are usually businessmen who demand more flexible flying lessons."

One big difference between private and commercial pilot licenses is that it takes longer and costs more to obtain a commercial license. According to Li, the cost of training for a private helicopter license is about 280,000 yuan ($44,105) whereas a commercial license will cost between 700,000 and 800,000 yuan. A commercial license means the pilot can not just fly for pleasure but can be hired to fly with passengers.

A feel for flying

One of Li Chunyu's students, a man surnamed Wei, is about to climb into a helicopter for the first time in his life. Newcomers are first taken out on a tour in a helicopter to help them get a "feel" for the experience, Li explained. But Wei is not terribly excited about the adventure. He said becoming a pilot was more his father's idea than his own.

Wei's father runs a restaurant in Xuzhou, near Kingwing's base there. Through his daily encounters with instructors and students from the base, he figured it would be a good idea for his son to become a pilot. "My dad said that pilots are well-paid and it's a stable job - much better than my previous job," Wei said. He worked on the production line in a car factory. The job involved regular night shifts and his salary dropped if sales went down.

Unlike those learning to fly purely because they are passionate about flying, Wei is typical of a larger slice of the flying school market. These students pay all of the training fees for their private pilots' licenses themselves, and then sign contracts with companies like Kingwing to obtain commercial flying licenses. While these companies subsidize the fees for commercial licenses, the students are contracted to work for them after they qualify.

For many, the 300,000 yuan or so training fee for a private helicopter pilot's license is a big investment. "Some kids wouldn't be here if it were not for financial help from relatives," Li said. Even so, more students are signing up because of the excellent job prospects for pilots.

Xie Huajie is another student at the Qiandao Lake base. Born in 1989, Xie majored in finance at university, but he decided to do something completely different after graduation. "I feel there is less competition in the aviation industry and pilots enjoy fairly good pay and conditions," he said. Born into an ordinary working-class family in Fujian Province, Xie is the only one in his family involved in aviation. He said he looks forward to becoming a pilot because he has thought of it as a really cool job ever since childhood. To give priority to his flying lessons he even broke up with his girlfriend. "Training takes up a lot of time and I didn't want her to feel neglected," he said.

Xie has got a private pilot license and has signed a contract with Kingwing. If everything goes smoothly, he will be able to get a commercial license this summer. "Flying a helicopter is really cool and I love the freedom it gives me - you can fly between clouds just like a bird," he said. His longest flight to date is three hours and 57 minutes. Students can fly solo for no longer than four hours.

Despite his enthusiasm, Xie didn't seem to have a comprehensive understanding of a career in the air except for the fact that there's good money in it. He couldn't discuss any details of the contract he has signed with Kingwing. "My mom signed the contract for me," he said.

According to a report from the West China Metropolis Daily, a pilot on a commercial mission can expect to earn 6,000 yuan an hour. However, Kingwing declined to disclose exactly how much its pilots are paid. "They invest a lot in this job and, in turn, they get a lot from it. That's fair, isn't it?" one manager, surnamed Yang, commented.

From super rich to super students

Founded in 2007, Kingwing initially focused on providing private flight services for the super rich. But while this section of their business has not expanded a great deal, flying lessons have been booming over the years. "Although China's private aviation industry is still in its infancy, more and more people are interested in getting private pilot licenses. There is certainly a big potential in the market for providing flying lessons," Li Chunyu said.

Li, who is in his 50s, likes wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses. A retired air force serviceman, Li had spent some years working with fighter aircraft. At one stage he worked on the air rescue team in Shanghai and often had to complete difficult flying tasks in bad weather. "Comparatively speaking, it's much easier to fly an R22 helicopter," he smiled. "It takes an average 40 hours of training to get a private pilot license and 110 hours of flying time to get a commercial license, whereas you need 250 hours to qualify for a fighter plane." He said 70 to 80 percent of candidates fail to qualify for fighter aircraft licenses, but few people fail to get a license for an R22.

An R22 helicopter costs around 2.5 million yuan. As it is light and simple in design it is often used for aerial photography and pilot training. "China has adopted a fairly strict licensing system. There are licenses for different types of aircraft," Li explained.

Generally speaking, obtaining a pilot's license is like obtaining a driver's license. Students have to pass theory tests as well as taking practical flying lessons. The lesson fees vary depending on the flying hours required. There are different licences for airliners, commercial and private aircraft, and for flying instructors and students.

For all licenses pilots have to undergo annual checks by the State civil aviation authorities. Licensed pilots have to have good eyesight, hearing and no history of heart disease, high blood pressure or air sickness.

Where 'boss' students hang out

At the Qiandao Lake base, the private and commercial license students are distinctively different. Commercial license students are usually younger people wearing uniforms while the private license students are often older and with a somewhat "mysterious" background - they are often called "boss students."

Zou Jianming, the founder of Kingwing, might be considered a typical "boss student." Having built his wealth in real estate, Zou is a hard-core aircraft enthusiast. Back when he was trying to get a license, he bought a helicopter to practice. It was only after buying his helicopter that Zou realized that it also took a team of professionals to maintain the helicopter. Then he also needed an airport to base the helicopter in and organize flights. With these setbacks to be solved, he established Kingwing.

Most "boss students" tend to keep a low profile. A 30-year-old man known as Xiao Fan said: "Many of my friends have a private license, which is no big deal. It's not like I want to show off or anything." Working in international trading, Xiao Fan has made friends with many flying enthusiasts. When friends took him to a flying school he fell in love with the pastime immediately. Still excited about flying, he said it was in many ways "like driving a car."

Another "boss student" surnamed Zhuang was more reserved about the joys of flying. "I had to stop the lessons for a while," he said. Some of these students are often too busy with their work to attend regular lessons.

Zhuang said he was taking lessons because he was interested in flying. "At first I was a little bit nervous I have to admit," he said. But after a few lessons he gained more confidence and he now enjoys his time in the air.

Translated from a Chinese feature from the Bund Pictorial