(People’s Daily Online), August 23, 2016
A new batch of pilots receive aircraft carrier flight certification recently.
After an effective ground-based training, a new batch of pilots has just received aircraft carrier flight certification. In order to earn the certification, these pilots successfully drove J-15 shipborne fighter planes to carry out interrupted carrier landings, and also managed ski-jump take-offs using the Liaoning aircraft carrier. The updated training system has noticeably shifted away from army-civilian cooperation and toward autonomous training conducted by the navy.
One of the pilots, Zhang Chao, sacrificed his life when practicing the carrier landing during training this April. After Zhang’s death, the rest of the pilots pledged to work even harder in Zhang’s honor. Within a relatively short period of time, they made the transition from ordinary pilots to shipborne fighter plane pilots.
The training of shipborne fighter plane pilots is a brand new endeavor that comes with inherent difficulties. Forced to contend with great risks and heavy tasks, the officers and soldiers of the aircraft carrier force must meet extremely high standards. Adhering to the strict discipline and scientific design of the training process is the only realistic path to success.
A maritime training session was held recently on the Liaoning. The session fully demonstrated the pilots’ technical and tactical skills, in addition to testing their organization and command of the aircraft carrier.