Chinese people's Liberation Army Air Force participated in a major event in the founding of New China before its official establishment, and set a world record.
In August 1949, most of the country's provinces and regions had been liberated, and a new China was about to be born. A meeting of the New Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference decided that a military parade at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China would be held on October 1, and the Aviation Bureau of the Central Military Commission would organize aircraft to participate in the air column.
At that time, the number of aircraft and pilots in our army was extremely limited, and most of them revolted from the Kuomintang army. To participate in the military parade of the founding ceremony, the difficulty can be imagined.
As a result, there were initially no plans to send a flying team to attend the founding ceremony. It was not until the end of August that the Central Committee decided that in addition to the ground troops, the Air Force should also participate in the founding ceremony. When the Air Force's schedule for the founding ceremony was introduced, it was only eight days before the parade.
In order to safeguard the safety of Peiping, the smooth convening of the first meeting of the Political Consultative Conference, and the smooth progress of the founding ceremony, the Central Military Commission instructed the Aviation Bureau of the Central Military Commission to organize a number of aircraft to enter Beijing Nanyuan Airport. Today, these planes come in handy.
On July 3, nine aircraft overhauled entered Nanyuan Airport.
By August 5, 17 aircraft of various kinds had flown in. On the same day, the Aviation Bureau set up the "Nanyuan Flying Team". From September 5, the air defense mission of Peiping was carried out.
The flight captain was Xu Zhaowen, a former Kuomintang Air Force Officer School Graduate of the 14th Class. Later, due to Xu's parachute injury, he changed to Xing Haifan as the acting captain.
Xing Haifan is currently the president of the Beijing Aviation Friendship Association, and has been through the clouds and fog in the long sky for 50 years, with a total flight time of more than 5,000 hours. That's a staggering number.
In China, there are not many people who are fortunate enough to become pilots, especially fighter pilots. Only a few people participated in air battles with the Japanese army and the US army, and attended the founding ceremony. Xing Haifan is one of them. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the commander of the Mixed Regiment of the Sino-US Air Force and participated in the Air Battle of Wuhan and the Air Battle of Shanghai; to resist the United States and aid Korea, he entered the Korean War with the 2nd Air Division; at the founding ceremony, he was the first to fly over Tiananmen Square.
In 1988, Xing Haifan retired from his post as director of the Journal of the Air Force Academy. Looking back, I feel proud.
Xing Haifan is a former Kuomintang Air Force Officer School 12th graduate. In the autumn of 1948, he came to the Liberated Areas from the Kuomintang-ruled areas, and was later transferred to the North China Military and Political University to teach air defense courses. Soon, he received a notice to take over the aviation in Beiping.
In mid-December of that year, Xing Haifan and his party set out on foot from NanxinCheng, Huolu County, near Shijiazhuang, and after celebrating the Solar New Year in Liangxiang County, Beiping, on January 18, they were ordered to enter Nanyuan Airport and meet with the aviation takeover group organized by the old northeast aviation school under the Fourth Field Army to form the "Beiping Military Control Commission Aviation Takeover Office" was formed. Comrade Fang Hua, who was then the captain of the old aviation school aviation takeover team of the old aviation school in northeast China, served as the director of the department, and there were various sections and offices under it, and Xing Haifan and two other comrades served as secretaries in the office. Soon, the Aviation Division was renamed the Aviation Division of the North China Military Region.
One day in late May, Director Fang Hua told Xing Haifan that Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai had asked for the rapid formation of an air force unit (referred to as a flying team) capable of air defense operations to ensure air safety in Peiping during the upcoming session of the New Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Because in the past ten days, the Kuomintang 6 b---24 bombers air raided Nanyuan airport, causing the airport to suffer some losses. In order to implement the intention of the central authorities, Director Fang Hua immediately began to make preparations.
On June 4, Fang Hua and Xing Haifan boarded a train to the northeast and arrived at Gongzhuling Airport near Changchun City. The new p----51 aircraft training team of the old aviation school is located here. The captain was Xia Boxun, a veteran cadre of the Red Army who had studied flying in Xinjiang, and yang Peiguang, who was in charge of the flight training, was Director Yang Peiguang, who piloted the P-51 aircraft uprising.
Fang Hua and Xing Haifan came here for the purpose of conducting flight retraining of the P-51 aircraft. In the past, Commissioner Fang had only flown Soviet aircraft, and the US aircraft P-51 had never flown, and it had to be modified for training. Although Xing Haifan is an old pilot of the p-51 aircraft, he has also been grounded for a period of time, and he also needs to restore his technology and help director Fang complete the task of modification training. Early the next morning after arriving, they rushed to the airport to start studying and training.
In the cockpit of p-51 aircraft, Xing Haifan introduced the role and performance of various instruments, the functions and operation methods of each control system for Fang Hua. At the end of the flight practice, another aircraft in the air was entering the course, ready to land. After Fang Hua stepped off the plane, he entered the runway along the taxiway and stood there intently watching the landing of the last plane.
At this moment, a comrade in charge of flight training did not notice a person standing at the taxiway intersection, started a p----- 51 aircraft parked on the parking line, and slid towards the place where the chief of the taxiway intersection was standing.
Xing Haifan stood on the plane and did not get down, screaming loudly and urgently, but the roar of the engine drowned out everything. In an instant, watching Fang Hua being beaten to pieces by the propeller, he couldn't bear to see it. This accident caused huge losses to the new China's aviation construction industry, which had just started.
Fang Hua joined the revolution from an early age, experienced the 25,000-mile Long March, and then learned to fly in Xinjiang, with excellent character and learning, and returned to Yan'an after several tribulations. Participated in the creation of the old northeast aviation school. This time, he went back to the p-51 aircraft modification training, and unfortunately died in the line of duty.
After this accident, the organization decided that Xing Haifan would stay in Gongzhuling and be responsible for the flight training of the P----51 aircraft.
On August 15, the Air Force Flying Squadron was set up at Nanyuan Airport in Beiping, with Xu Zhaojiao as the captain, and the main combat aircraft in the team, the P-51, was centrally repaired and transferred from the northeast, with a total of more than a dozen aircraft.
This is an air force unit with a certain air defense combat capability, and it is also the first air force unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
After the official establishment of the flying team, while organizing flight training, it also served as a duty mission for Beiping air alert. One morning, the captain Xu Zhaowen piloted the plane to practice flying, the plane malfunctioned and parachuted, landed in the field of Maju Bridge, his foot was punctured by sorghum stubble, the injury was very serious, and he could not recover in a short period of time. Organizationally, Xing Haifan was urgently transferred back to Beiping to act as Xu Zhaowen as the captain.
At the beginning of September, the flight team received an aerial parade to participate in the Kaitong Ceremony.
As a pilot, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and everyone is rejoicing. Xing Haifan, as the acting captain, felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. Although he had seen the air parade flight, he had not personally participated in and was responsible for organizing it. The pilots had recently been gathered together from all over the country, and many of them had just revolted and were unfamiliar with each other; most of the aircraft were captured in tatters, of a large variety of aircraft types, and had a high failure rate. Time is so tight, it's really difficult.
After the flight team received the mission, the team leader immediately carried out communication mobilization and deployment, and conducted repeated studies with all pilots to determine the specific plan------
The aircraft participating in the parade were 9 p-51 aircraft, organized into the first, second and third detachments; 2 Mosquito-type aircraft, organized into four detachments; 3 c----46 aircraft, organized into five detachments; 1 l---5 communication aircraft and 2 pt-----19 trainer aircraft, combined into six detachments. Except for the two Mosquito planes in a one-line horizontal formation, the other detachments are all finished aircraft in a line formation.
The pilot group is: the air chief leader and the commander of the aircraft group, with Xing Haifan as the captain of the first detachment. The left and right wingmen were Lin Hu and Meng Jin; the second squadron leader, Yang Pei
Guang, the left and right wingmen were Yan Lei and Wang Yanzhou; the third detachment captain was Zhao Dahai, and the left and right wingmen were Ma Hanzhou and Mao Luwu; the fourth detachment leader was Deng Zhongqing, and the wingman was Wang Yuke; the fifth detachment captain was Liu Shanben, and the left and right wingmen were Xie Paifen and Xu Junying; the sixth detachment captain Was Fang Huai, and the left and right wingmen were An Zhimin and Ren Yongrong.
Flight speed: 340 miles per hour for p----51, 300 miles for Mosquito, 250 miles for C---46, 70 miles for l-5 and pt-19.
Flight route: flying from east to west, the starting point over the twin bridge radio towers in the eastern suburbs, about 30 kilometers away from Tiananmen, the target is very obvious.
Flight altitude: It is convenient for the party and state leaders on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square to observe, and it is also considered that once the aircraft fails during the parade, it can slide outside the city and make a forced landing.
According to the above conditions, the flight team also carried out navigation calculations and operations on the ordinary map of 50,000th of Beiping, and obtained the data on the distance between the detachments and the departure time in sequence, so as to achieve an orderly appearance over Tiananmen.
The CCP quickly approved the plan.
The flying team seized the time to train. After the completion of the operation on the map, in order to test whether the flight plan and various calculations were accurate and feasible, many trials were conducted on the planes of the general leader and the captains of each detachment, and finally a preview of all the participants in the aircraft was organized.
During the aerial rehearsal, an interesting vignette occurred.
On this day, a new CPPCC meeting was being held in The Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai, at which Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai spoke.
Suddenly, there was the rumbling sound of planes outside.
When the deputies heard the sound of the plane coming from far and near, they thought that the Kuomintang planes had come to bomb Peiping City, and their hearts became a little uneasy, and some of them whispered to each other.
Zhou Enlai smiled heartily when he saw the situation, and he told everyone in a loud voice: "Please don't misunderstand, this is our own plane." They are undertaking the air defense mission of Peiping, they are protecting us, and this is what they are doing in flight exercises. ”
After the deputies listened, they immediately turned from worry to joy, could not stop the joy in their hearts, and warmly applauded, and it took a long time before they calmed down.
In the early hours of the morning, the pilots arrived at the airport and were busy preparing for training and combat readiness. Suddenly, the staff officer on duty came and asked Xing Haifan to answer the phone.
"Xing Haifan?" I am Nie Rongzhen. ”
"Why did Mr. Nie call directly?" Xing Haifan was suddenly shocked.
Nie Zong continued on the phone: "Just now, I reported to me that they heard a rumbling sound in the distance, as if it were an airplane, afraid that the enemy plane was coming, is there such a thing?" ”
Xing Haifan immediately replied that there was no information on the air raids of enemy planes or a rumbling sound, and our flying team was ready for battle and could take off to fight at any time.
After a while, General Director Nie's office called and said that after investigation, it turned out that it was a mistake, and it was the comrades below who heard the sound of ordinary people getting up early and pushing the big grind, and mistakenly thought that the enemy planes were coming from afar.
A false alarm, a misunderstanding. This is enough to show how much people from top to bottom attach importance to and care about air defense in Peiping, which has just been liberated.
The flight team waited hard until 3 p.m. on October 1, and the pilots pointed their heads at the watch and waited in a strict position.
At 4:00 p.m., the parade departed according to the scheduled flight time. Seventeen aircraft, including p-----51 fighters and Mosquito bombers, including pt-19 and l-5 trainers, took off from Nanyuan Airport in turn, formed formations, and hovered over the Shuangqiao Radio Tower in the eastern suburbs of Beijing.
At 16:35, the air column began, 17 aircraft divided into 6 detachments, under the unified order of the air commander-in-chief, when the detachments approached Dongdan, the flow of people and red flags on the ground could be seen from the air, and further ahead were the tanks, cavalry, and artillery units on parade, and the torrent was huge and rolling forward. At this time, the aircraft swarm roared through Tiananmen Square to be inspected by the party and state leaders.
The first, second and third teams maintain the specified height difference and speed interval, at an altitude of 900 meters, 600 meters and 450 meters respectively, and enter the route from east to west. After passing over Tiananmen, it immediately joined the speed, turned to the right rear over the Fuxing Gate, along the Xizhimen, Deshengmen, Andingmen, Dongzhimen, Chaoyangmen, and then turned to the Jianguomen, and when it reached the skies above Dongdan, it was just connected with the coaching aircraft of the Sixth Detachment. Because of the natural connection, the masses watching on the ground thought that there were 26 aircraft under review.
Watching the planes under review whistle over Tiananmen Square one after another, the foreign reporters present were astonished: It is a miracle that the CCP has such strength overnight!
In fact, at that time, everyone still had a secret that they didn't know. Of the aircraft on review, 4 fighters took off at full capacity. That is, the plane was filled with shells. This is a forced measure to prevent enemy aircraft from sneaking in. The bomb was read, creating a precedent in the history of the world's parade flight.
After the plane landed safely, Xing Haifan led the representatives of the pilots on parade and drove to the Beijing Hotel. Commander-in-Chief Zhu hosted a banquet at the hotel for representatives of the army, navy, and air force units who were on parade that day. In the midst of the staggering, the commander-in-chief came to the air force representative seat and said happily: "You have flown well, from now on, I am a veritable commander-in-chief of the army, navy and air force." ”