Source: Chinese military bugle
Written by: He Qian, Li Yixuan, Wang Wen
Photography: Zhou Xingyu, Lu Fu, Huang Rongkai
30 years ago, they were recruited to join the army, moved to the north and south, piloted the war eagle, and soared in the sky; Thirty years later, on the festival of "11.11", which belongs to the air force alone, they reached the age of grounding, kissed the war eagle, said goodbye to the blue sky, and left a magnificent track of fierce loyalty and flying for the country in the airspace of the motherland.
At 9 a.m. on November 11, a fighter array and platoon assembled at an airfield in the southwestern frontier, and a certain air base in the southern theater held a grounding ceremony for the five special pilots of fighter planes who had reached the maximum flight life, expressing their praise and respect for cultivating the red clay dance and blue sky and concentrating on educating people and talents for the country.
Fighters line up at the ceremony
The chief read out the grounding order
The grounding ceremony kicked off with the majestic "March of the Chinese People's Liberation Army", where five veteran pilots, including Yao Lidong, Ma Cunxian, Chen Shuguang, and Zhou Wei, dressed in flight uniforms and wearing red ribbons with their respective safe flight hours, walked steadily to the war eagles, bidding farewell to their close comrades-in-arms who had accompanied them to soar into the blue sky for more than 20 years.
Zhou Wei said goodbye to the fighter
Yao Lidong saluted the fighter
The melody of "I Love the Blue Sky of the Motherland" sounded melodious and 5 flight cadets lined up neatly, reporting to the old instructors in turn, saluting, laying flowers, and sending sincere blessings and high respect. The old instructor also solemnly handed over the helmet he had worn for many years to the hands of the flying students. At this moment, it is not only the flight helmet that is handed over, but also the ardent expectations of the older generation of eagle breeders for the new generation of young pilots.
Representatives of flying cadets
Ma Cunxian presented the bouquet to his wife
"Fly, fly, fly in the long sky..." The grounding ceremony ended with the rousing "March of the Air Force." Farewell is for better inheritance, inheritance is to better forge ahead, although farewell to the blue sky, the original intention is still there.
After the grounding ceremony, four veteran instructors took to the stage and used their nearly 30 years of flying stories to send a "blue sky class" to the officers and soldiers on the stage of the "Cloud Sword Track" flight story sharing meeting.
The scene of the Yunjian track sharing meeting
Do you stay in your hometown as a teacher or go to the frontier to become a combatant? Is it to fly a third-generation aircraft to chase dreams in the sky or return to the old army to feed the eagles? In the face of two life choices, Yao Lidong chose the needs of the motherland and army construction with loyalty and great love, and interpreted the mission and responsibility of a soldier.
Ma Yunling, the daughter of Ma Cunxian, who has now followed her father's footsteps and joined the ranks of the People's Air Force, shared a letter to her father on the spot, pushing the touching atmosphere of the sharing meeting to a climax. As a flight instructor rooted in red clay for 25 years, Ma Cunxian brought out 36 excellent pilots, but missed many important moments in his daughter's growth. Behind his regrets and debts is all his youth dedicated to the construction and development of the People's Air Force, and it is also his unchanging faith and original intention.
Ma Cunxian's daughter Ma Yunling shared a letter to her father
Flying is the cause of the brave, and the pilot is the dancer on the tip of the knife. At the sharing meeting, Chen Shuguang shared what he saw and felt when he personally experienced the smoke of war during a certain combat mission, conveyed to the officers and men the mission and responsibility of the soldiers in the narration of war and peace, tranquility and gunsmoke, and also put forward to all officers and men, especially the young generation of pilots, the earnest hope of "learning from the battlefield, learning from strong enemies, learning from difficulties, and learning from various complex situations".
Chen Shuguang shared the views of flying to war and educating people for war
Planting peach and plum all over the world, only the heart is big and I cultivate green grass. Instructor Zhou Wei is recognized as a "strict teacher" in the unit, who is very strict with the students and does not hesitate to criticize and point out any small mistakes. But because of this, Zhou Wei brought out 37 outstanding flight students, and many of the trainees facing grounding returned to the blue sky under his careful help and guidance. At the sharing meeting, Wang Sen, a former student of Zhou Wei and a pilot who is undergoing the task of rearmament of a new domestic fighter, expressed his gratitude to his master in the form of a video, and expressed his determination to train his skills and guard the airspace in the future.
The story of Yunjian's track continues, and the spirit of flying in the blue sky will be passed on forever. The highest courtesy represents the respect and reverence of officers and soldiers, and also represents the firm determination of officers and men to take over the baton of their predecessors and strive to run a new journey. After the sharing meeting, pilot Ding Zhaowen said: I will definitely inherit and carry forward the good qualities of the old teachers, focus on the functions and missions, step up training and preparation, and continue to work hard and forge ahead bravely as the grand blueprint and goals and tasks described in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China!
(Produced by Chinese military horn)