Dreams of flying are forever young

China's oldest serving pilot has had a lifelong passion for flight and still loves soaring into the sky

We have just shaken hands, and at least one palm has been left smarting as Liu Yi bounds up a flight of stairs.

He is of medium height and stocky, his face is tanned from working outdoors and his eyes glisten. He is 76 years old but hardly shows it, and he has clocked up 7,000 flying hours over the past 54 years.

Liu is China's oldest serving pilot, and he has chalked up many firsts during his career. He was the first Chinese to get a private pilot license and the first general aviation pilot after the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). Liu has never tired of soaring through blue skies since first hopping into a cockpit in 1959.

Liu's given name is Yi, which means wings. "I don't know if my parents wanted me to be a pilot when they named me. But I know I've had wings in my heart since I was a child," Liu says at the Shenyang Faku Aviation Base, which is also the training base for Shenyang Aerospace University flying team.

His love for aviation and disregard for his safety have led him to pilot trial flights for eight different kinds of aircraft and he has gathered vital data for the design and modification of aircraft.

Being a test pilot is a risky business. In order to define the limit of safe flight, Liu must exceed the assumed limit during the trial flight. His navigational skills, courage and willingness to take out untested aircraft has earned him the nickname "Captain of the Death Squads".

Over more than 50 years' of flying, Liu has narrowly escaped death several times.

He recalls one incident when there were some miscalculations in noting the abilities of an aircraft. If he had reacted to the miscalculation an instant later, he would have crashed the plane.

Worried about his safety, 20 years ago his aunt begged Liu's bosses to forbid him to fly. But Liu's persistence and his enthusiasm for flying finally persuaded other family members to let him pursue his passion.

"Pilots have to take a very strict physical exam every year," Liu says. "The older I get the more frightened I become when undergoing the physical check. I am afraid of being forbidden from flying again. But I will stop flying if my physical condition really doesn't permit me to continue."

Liu's childhood is marked with memories of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). He can remember the terror of Japanese aircraft and bombings that destroyed villages and schools. "The planes left collapsing walls, burning debris and innocent people crying and covered in blood. It was then that I swore to be a pilot to protect the country," Liu says.

Liu's father was an air force pilot who died in battle. Possibly influenced by him, Liu showed great interest in planes as a child.

Liu sought out information about planes when he was in primary and middle school. His passsion eventually prompted his middle school teacher to recommend Liu apply to sit the pilot's exam.

Liu finished the introductory, intermediate and advanced courses and went from being a student to a pilot teacher within two years.

As a glider coach, he began training air force pilots in 1960. "China had a great shortage of pilots in those days, so the training was very insane. Sometimes I needed to fly 70 times a day."

But he thought the hard work was worth it because he trained more than 100 pilots for the air force, and most have played an important role in national defense, economic development and in rescue missions.

In the eyes of Li Wanfeng, deputy team leader of the Shenyang Aerospace University flying team, Liu is not only an excellent pilot and coach but also a plane designer.

"To help us grasp basic flying techniques, Liu is very strict with us. But after class, he is like a grandfather who cares about our study and daily lives."

Since the 1990s, Liu has been flown to many provinces and autonomous regions to help with forest and agricultural research and disaster rescues.

In 2010, when he heard that a plant pest had spread quickly in Weifang, Shandong province, and threatened the harvest, he flew to Weifang and helped spray pesticide for more than two weeks.

While most of Liu's peers play cards, exercise in the park or enjoyPeking opera at home, Liu's life is still devoted to work. Besides being invited to perform at various air shows, he is also chief pilot or test pilot for several domestic general aviation companies.

Among all his jobs, he likes training student pilots the most.

"China still has a long way to go compared with many developed countries and even some developing countries such as Brazil with general aviation, Liu says. And one of the key reasons is a shortage of people with skills."

Most of the best-known plane designers are experienced pilots, he says, but in China the situation is the opposite. The central government has attached more importance to aviation in recent years and opened some related courses in universities, but theory does not make for a great pilot, he says. They need experience in the sky. The disconnect between classroom and cockpit has greatly hindered the development of China's aviation industry, he says.

"The flying team that I am coaching now is all university students with an aviation background. Combing flying experience with aviation theory, these students are the future of China's aviation industry."

Liu Yi does not like people calling him China's oldest serving pilot, for in his heart his dreams of flying are forever young.

Contact the writers through hena@chinadaily.com.cn.

Liu Ce contributed to this story.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/11/2014 page29)