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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 04, 2003

PLA pilots display flying feats in Beijing

China's Air Force presented stunt flights and parachuting at Nanyuan Airport, a military airport in the southern suburbs of the national capital of Beijing on Monday, to mark the centenary of aviation.


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Beijing marks centenary of aviation history with air show
Stunt pilots from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force exhibited their superb flying feats Monday, dazzling 11,000 viewers with spectacular acrobatic performances at Nanyuan Airport in the southern suburbs of Beijing.

Among the viewers from the units of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) stationed in Beijing and all walks of life in the capital city were Luo Gan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and other senior officials including State Councillor Zhou Yongkang, Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gu Xiulian, vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), and Bai Lichen, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The pilots, part of the "August First" Aerobatics Team, performed two dozen flight manoeuvres in a half-hour stunt show, staged to commemorate the centennial anniversary of aviation for human beings.

After the air show, 27 male and female parachuters with the PLA Air Force, arranged into seven groups, thrilled the onlookers with their mid-air performances.


Air show in Beijing
The air show started with six F7 EB fighter jets skimming over the rostrum in a tight formation, with only 5 metres in between the wings.

One of the most breathtaking feats was when two jets flew in a head-on course from opposite directions.

They were only 30 metres apart when they passed each other in mid-air at a relative speed of 1,300 kilometres an hour.

The F7 EB jet is an improved version of the domestically produced F7 fighter plane. With a maximum speed of Mach 2 (roughly 2,400 kilometres an hour), the one-pilot jet may reach an altitude of 18,300 metres.

The "August First" Aerobatics Team was established in 1962.

During the last four decades, it has given stunt performances for VIP guests from 100 countries and regions, without a single accident.

The team and the parachuters have already performed in Tianjin, Nanjing and Shanghai during the last month to mark the centennial anniversary of manned flight.

China was expected to hold a series of programs including air shows in four major cities to mark the centenary, with focus on the development and reforms of the Chinese Air Force, according to military sources.

This year, celebrations have been going on in more than 20 countries and regions worldwide in memory of the historical invention by the Wright brothers of the United States.

By People's Daily Online


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