Air force dazzles crowd in founding show

By Peng Kuang (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-16 07:07

Air force dazzles crowd in founding show
A bailout performance is seen during an air force show in Beijing, November 15, 2009.[Xinhua]

Although gusty winds stung the faces of any braving the coldest day this winter, it did not stop the 6,500 who were in attendance Sunday at the anniversary show of the People's Liberation Army's Air Force.

Warplanes knifed through the winds, creating trails of red, white and blue smoke across the skies over Beijing Sunday morning at Shahe Airport in northwest Changping district as the military branch celebrated its the 60th anniversary of its founding.

Two-year-old Zhang Chongyue was shocked by the dazzling aerobatics, his father said.

"He was excited when we told him we would go to this air show," the elder Zhang said. "But in the field, he was so quiet, just holding me and gazing at the maneuvering aircrafts.

"We also brought him to the National Day's military parade, and he grew interested in all of the equipment on display. And now, airplanes count among his favorites," he said.

Yan Feng, a J-10 fighter pilot in the aerobatics team, said this particular air show was much more difficult than the National Day's air parade. The range of difficulty in the team's maneuvers has made them among the elite teams in the world.

Four J-10 fighters and six J-7 fighter jets from the team took part in the 21-minute show.

It was announced that all of the planes in the team will upgrade to J-10, the third generation fighter with more advanced aerodynamics and flying control. The show was the first and last for the second- and third-generation fighters to perform in the same show.

The demonstration also included a skydiving performance from the air force's paratroopers, who unfolded China's national flag and the PLA flag in the air.

The PLA Air Force had originally planned to stage the aerial demonstration on Nov 11, exactly 60 years after the air force was founded in 1949.

But the show was cancelled because of bad weather conditions and was postponed until Nov 13, when fog and snow again forced the show to reschedule.