'Must-see' air show wows public, prospective pilots

A highflying stunt played out in blue skies as Changchun, Jilin province, kicked off its biannual aviation festival on Thursday. The festival is the largest sponsored since 2011 by PLA Air Force Aviation University and is open to the public.

Titled Chasing Dreams in Blue Sky, the festival aims to "show the charm of the Air Force and to attract into military service more young people who are interested in aviation," said Li Chunchao, deputy chief of staff of the Air Force.

A thousand new pilots joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force this year, including 60 who are also studying at Peking University, Tsinghua University and Beihang University, according to Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke.