A cracked aircraft windshield test piece is lying quietly in the exhibition hall, Hong Kong and Macao media representatives and Hong Kong and Macao university students are listening attentively to the explanation. A scene in the exhibition hall of "Wings of China - Domestic Civil Aircraft Theme Exhibition".
In May, a number of Hong Kong and Macao media in Beijing and Hong Kong and Macao university students in Beijing were invited to visit the Civil Aviation Museum and get close to the domestic large aircraft C919.
Take off! The theme exhibition of China's wings - domestic civil aircraft is divided into three parts: chasing dreams of blue sky, pathfinder ARJ21 and take-off road C919, mainly introducing the development process of China's civil aviation successively operating Y-5, Y-7, Y-8, Y-11, Y-12, Xinzhou 60 and other models, especially after entering the new century to support the domestic large aircraft industry, ARJ21 and C919 have been delivered to many domestic and foreign airlines, etc., showing the development process of domestic civil aircraft from imitation to self-development, from regional airliners to trunk airliners.
Visits to air shows are not often available. Representatives of Hong Kong and Macao media picked up their cameras to capture these rare exhibits. Sometimes they lowered their heads to read the introductory text next to the exhibits, asked questions to the docents in a timely manner, and sometimes exchanged their views and feelings with each other. Some Hong Kong media colleagues told me that most of the previous cognition of aircraft stayed on the name of the aviation and the comfort of the ride, and only after seeing these real aircraft, physical parts, in-flight supplies and other exhibits did I realize how complicated and delicate the aircraft is.
I still remember that the movie "Chinese Captain" showed the picture of the broken windshield of the cabin and the co-pilot flying out, which was such an inconspicuous windshield that almost led to the Sichuan Airlines crash.
Civil aviation safety is a top priority, and safety is scattered in every design and every part of the aircraft.
But its difficulties are more courageous. The domestic large aircraft project has gone through more than ten years from being included in the national major scientific and technological projects, to the successful development of the large aircraft, and then to the first commercial flight in 2023. C919 is a large jet trunk airliner developed by China in accordance with international civil aviation regulations and with completely independent intellectual property rights, which was established in 2007, the first aircraft was assembled and rolled off the assembly line in 2015, and successfully made its first flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in 2017, and obtained the type certificate (TC certificate) of the Civil Aviation Administration of China on September 29, 2022, the production license was obtained on November 29, and the first user China Eastern Airlines was delivered on December 9. On May 28, 2023, China Eastern Airlines' C919 large passenger aircraft successfully completed its first commercial flight and officially entered the civil aviation market.
For me, it was only in the exhibition hall that I saw the real C919 airworthiness certification certificate and the C919 technology 495 project clause closure burndown chart, and I had an accurate understanding of the efforts made by Chinese civil aviation people for the "big aircraft dream".
Liao Tianjun, a Hong Kong student at Peking University, told me that this exhibition, from the initial Y-5 to the current C919, has made him see a scientific research and development path for China's civil aircraft, and at the same time, he has greater confidence in our domestic aircraft.
In fact, Hong Kong compatriots are no strangers to the C919 domestic large aircraft. On December 16 last year, the C919 aircraft took off from Hong Kong International Airport and flew over Victoria Harbour from west to east at an altitude of 1,000 feet, and flew around Hong Kong Island twice for a demonstration flight. This is the first time that a domestically produced commercial aircraft has soared over Hong Kong, and the majority of Hong Kong citizens have witnessed this important moment.
Seventy-five years ago, when the civil aviation of New China started, the uprising of the two airlines showed the deep relationship between Hong Kong compatriots and the civil aviation industry of the motherland. In the early morning of November 9, 1949, 10 planes of the former China Airlines and 2 planes of the Central Airlines took off from Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport one after another, and after leaving the view of the tower, they turned around and flew north, one flew to Beijing, and 11 flew to Tianjin. On the same day, more than 2,000 patriotic aviation operators of Hong Kong China Airlines and China Central Airlines resolutely chose to revolt and bring their planes and personnel back to the motherland, laying a solid foundation for the civil aviation industry of New China. This historical event not only demonstrated the patriotic feelings of Hong Kong compatriots, but also injected a strong impetus into the development of China's civil aviation industry.
All the rebels took a group photo after arriving in Tianjin
Hong Kong's "Wen Wei Po" reported on the uprising of the two airlines Source: Civil Aviation Museum
Now, the Civil Aviation Museum is preparing to be held in November this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the uprising of the two airlines, donated exhibits from the civil aviation industry and other units are gathering here, to be completed, look forward to more people to understand the history of civil aviation, cultivate civil aviation intelligence. Standing in its unfinished exhibition hall, I can already feel a little bit of the weight of history and the power of inheritance.
Not long ago, the Federation of Shanghai-Hong Kong Community Organizations announced the launch of the "Shanghai-Hong Kong Gathering in Shanghai - C919 International and Regional Routes Inaugural Flight Plan", which will organize 150 Hong Kong students to fly from Hong Kong to Shanghai on June 1 for internship on C919, realizing the first overseas ("domestic" refers to Chinese mainland) commercial flight of a domestic large aircraft. This sincere dialogue between Hong Kong and the mainland is warm and powerful, and will inject new vitality and hope into the vigorous development of the civil aviation industry. I believe that these Hong Kong youths who are about to go to Shanghai for internship will definitely bring the story of the C919 domestic large aircraft to more people.
Author丨Huang Rujuan, Shenzhen Satellite TV direct news reporter