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Aerobatic flying is a career for the adventurous. Few of the world’s air forces boast any women aerobatic fighter pilots. In December 2013, the Bayi Aerobatics Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force recruited its first female pilots. One year later, the women staged successful performances in the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition.
Facing challenges
“I never thought I would be chosen to fly a fighter, nor did I imagine being part of the Bayi Aerobatics Team,” says Yu Xu, a woman pilot from Sichuan Province. She says she applied out of curiosity.
In September 2005, more than 200,000 female high school graduates applied in the PLA Air Force’s eighth women pilot recruitment. Only 35 were accepted. After training and further selection, some became fighter pilots. After more years of training, a few were members of the Bayi Aerobatics Team.
Yu and teammates Tao Jiali, Sheng Yifei and He Xiaoli joined the team on Dec. 15, 2013.
“I had mixed feelings when I learned I was selected. I looked forward to doing aerobatic fighter shows, but at the same time I was scared as it’s a dangerous occupation,” says Yu.
She decided to accept the hard-earned opportunity because she believed a young woman like herself should face challenges.
Yu and her teammates had flown different aircraft, including fighters, but aerobatics was a totally new domain. The four watched the team’s performance video the day they joined the team.
“The aerobatic maneuvers were hard enough for a single aircraft, let alone a formation,” says Sheng Yifei. What made them more incredible was the aircraft were just 5 meters apart throughout the sequence.
Aerobatic maneuvers require years of hard work. An outstanding fighter pilot could be a lousy aerobatic pilot. Sheng says all four of them made up their minds to spare no effort in learning the skills.
