Challenge the limit, dream cloud

In the past 7 1 year, the air force's test flight force has been determined to fight at the forefront of national aviation equipment construction and has embarked on a new road of independent innovation test flight with the characteristics of a big country. Relying on brave and tenacious fighting spirit and excellent flight driving technology, the test pilots constantly broke through the limits to obtain test flight boundary data, participated in the design of new aircraft, conquered a large number of cutting-edge technologies, and completed many national scientific research projects.

Ten thousand meters high in the clouds, calm, forced landing with the plane, 8 minutes of life and death staged a stunning fall. He is Liang Wanjun, a special test pilot of a certain air force; The huge tires were lifted off the ground, and the fighter plane floated for hundreds of meters at a height of about 1 m from the runway, and then landed smoothly. He is Deng Youming, the chief test pilot of Yun -20; Safe flight for 3 150 hours, flight test of 26 types of aircraft, creating the first in the history of domestic flight test of 10. He is the "hero test pilot" Li Zhonghua; …………

Try the sword in the blue sky and challenge the limit. In the organizational sequence of the People's Air Force, there is such a team with a glorious mission and special tasks-the Air Force Flight Test Force. 1952, the air force flight test unit was established in Shenyang. In the past 7 1 year, generation after generation of test pilots have been determined to fight at the forefront of national aviation equipment construction, and have drawn a magnificent track in the blue sky with their youthful blood and even their lives.

I will try to fly the plane back as long as I have the chance. Since the birth of fighter, the test flight has been accompanied by the growth of fighter. Flight test is a process of scientific research and product test under real conditions. The test objects are all kinds of aircraft, such as fighters, bombers, transport planes, helicopters and special test and research machines. Zhang Jian, a flight test expert at China Flight Test Institute, said that the aircraft and weapons tested by test pilots have no stereotypes and precedents, and they must be flown with high risk, high precision and difficulty, so as to verify the limits of expanding aircraft performance.

The vast sky is boundless, and fighters have strict flight restrictions and safety boundaries, which is often called "flight envelope". Wei Hongwei, a test pilot, said that if the "flight envelope" is crossed, the fighter may have problems such as out-of-control operation and engine flameout.

For example, how small the flight speed is, the combat opportunity cannot be controlled because of insufficient lift; The flight speed may cause irreversible damage to the fighter structure ... The purpose of the flight test is to verify and determine various "flight envelopes" under various extreme conditions, fill in various performance parameters for the new aircraft, and draw a "red line" for the fighter. "If we take more risks, the hidden dangers of the equipment will be less; We fly one more data, and the plane can equip the troops one day earlier. " Zhang Jingting, a test pilot, said that in the unpredictable sky, it is extremely risky to constantly break through the limits to obtain test flight boundary data, relying on brave and tenacious fighting spirit and excellent flight driving skills.

Therefore, test pilots are often called "dancers on the tip of a knife". How hard does the test pilot strive for data? Zheng Xin, a colonel test pilot of an air force unit, won the first class, the second class and the third class three times/time. During the performance test of the aircraft under various extreme conditions, he successfully handled major dangers many times and collected valuable extreme data for many fighters. Zheng Xin carried out the live-fire shooting test mission of a certain missile. After the flight met the conditions, he decisively pressed the launch button, but the missile deviated from the direction. Almost at the moment of launch, the missile exploded not far away, and Zheng Xin subconsciously pulled up the plane and quickly avoided the debris. According to the judgment, if the evasive action is 0.5 seconds late, the plane is very likely to be hit by missile fragments. In order not to affect the progress of the mission, after only half an hour, he quickly adjusted his state and took off again. He captured the fleeting launch window from the cloud gap, hit the target in one fell swoop, successfully completed all the target test tasks and obtained flight data.

"At the moment of the explosion, I could clearly see the missile fragments flying towards me." Talking about the most thrilling flight test experience, Zheng Xin was very calm. "If the test pilots take more risks, the combat effectiveness of the equipment will be improved, and the air and space safety of the motherland will be guaranteed." There is a touching image in the China Air Force Flight Test Force History Museum. He was interviewed by the media as a sacrificial test pilot before his death.

"There are special circumstances in the air. Will you choose skydiving? " "No, the plane crash, the loss is the country's huge property, is the painstaking efforts and efforts of millions of researchers day and night. As a test pilot, as long as there is an opportunity, I will try to get the plane back. " This is the choice of Yu and the choice of 10,000 test pilots.

The test pilot is a member of the design team. Aircraft flight test is a systematic project with huge investment and complex technology, which is scientific, practical and risky. Zhang Jian believes that the test pilot is the direct executor of flight test, a special kind of pilot who flies scientific research aircraft to explore the unknown areas of aviation, verifies the performance index of aviation model design and develops the ability to use aviation equipment, an explorer and researcher of flight test theory and technology, and also an appraiser and developer of subjects' performance.

Test pilots can not only fly, but also study flight test, correctly understand the clear intention of each flight test project, express flight test feelings in the most accurate language, and actively participate in the design of aviation equipment. In the eyes of Tang Changhong, chief designer of Yun -20, "the test pilot is a member of the design team." Test pilots Deng Youming, Liu Hongliang and Yuan Zhipeng were approved to be the first flight test pilots of Yun -20.

As the head of the first flight team, Deng Youming participated in the design, evaluation and test of Yun -20, and actively explored and discussed key issues with researchers. "Test pilots and aircraft design engineers get together, and everyone gets along day and night." You Deng said that communication is "zero distance" and problems can be solved in the first time. Is the cockpit layout suitable? Are the control panel and monitor reasonable? Is the unit operation manual complete? Does the ground simulation platform "like"? You Deng Ming said: "In these details, the design team fully absorbed the suggestions of the test pilots."

Once, in a test, when the air-ground control rate changed at the moment of landing, Deng Youming found that the rudder surface automatically deflected, which might endanger flight safety. To this end, they studied and put forward improvement measures together, and after repeated research and verification with designers, the potential safety hazards were finally eliminated.

In order to master the flight quality characteristics of the aircraft in a deeper level, the members of the first flight team participated in the compilation and review of the crew operation manual, quick check list, first flight requirements, first flight outline and task list, carefully defined the aircraft performance indicators and the working principles of each system, and formulated a special disposal plan. In the production and finalization stage of weapons and equipment, the test pilot is not only a tester and designer of weapons and equipment, but also a developer of tactical actions and a veritable "flight engineer" by virtue of his high technical and tactical literacy. Before the test flight of a new domestic aircraft, Liang Wanjun took part in the on-board test and found it difficult to control the lateral control of the steering column, so he put forward feasible suggestions. The factory immediately organized scientific researchers to tackle key problems and adjusted the steering column; As the model leader of the J-20 fighter, Li Gang led the flight test team to actively communicate and discuss with the flight test institute, the main engine factory and the finished product factory with the goal of combat use. Many of his suggestions for improvement were adopted by the industrial sector.

In the past 70 years, China Air Force test pilots have successively conquered a large number of cutting-edge technologies related to the core competitiveness of the country and the combat effectiveness of the troops, such as fighter spin, day and night aerial refueling, natural icing of transport aircraft, mechanical backup, stall, helicopter anti-rotor deicing, and slope landing. Participated in more than 2,000 national scientific research projects, which effectively improved the Air Force's stealth attack, strategic transportation, strategic early warning and strategic strike capabilities, and embarked on a new road of independent innovation test flight with the characteristics of a big country. Young test pilots are the hope for the development of new equipment in the future. With the rapid development of China's aviation weapons and equipment, heavy weapons from countries such as J-20, Yun-20 and Zhi-20 were born, and all flight tests were independently completed by China. "We are fortunate to participate in and witness the rapid development of the national aviation industry. We are the luckiest generation. " Li Jikuan, commander of a flight test unit of the Air Force, said that with the continuous independent innovation and development of China's aviation industry, high and new technologies are widely used in aviation equipment, and the task of flight test verification is getting heavier and heavier, and the difficulty and risk of flight test are getting higher and higher.

This poses new challenges to the engineering literacy, knowledge structure, ability to perform key tasks, technical research and project management of test pilots, and also puts forward new requirements for the training of test pilots. It is understood that China has basically formed a professional training system for test pilots, which integrates qualification training, in-depth training, model training and general training for all staff, which has strongly supported the growth of the test pilot talent team and the development of national aviation equipment construction. The Air Force decided to restart stall spin training in colleges and universities. Li Jikuan and his comrades entered a flight academy and took over the flight tasks of the first batch of seed instructors. In aviation, stall spin is a hot topic. When the plane enters the stall spin, it will spiral down with a small radius, which will cause the plane to crash. In order to relieve the students' psychological pressure and fear of difficulties, Li Jikuan and his comrades-in-arms adopted the strategy of "slow and steady, step by step", teaching from easy to difficult-first let the students feel the state that the plane is about to stall, master the technology bit by bit, and then control the plane to stall before entering the spin.

"It's like setting up a platform on the edge of a cliff. You should be very careful with every step. " Li Jikuan said. When taking the flying cadets, he pulled the plane to a certain height, then slowed down, increased the angle of attack and pedaled. In an instant, the plane roared and rolled like an angry lion and entered a spin state. Soon, Li Jikuan and his comrades-in-arms made the first batch of seed teachers master the control characteristics, teaching methods and risk prevention and control means of stall spin and left boundary flight. "Young test pilots are the hope for the development of new equipment in the future, and old test pilots have the responsibility to teach them flight concepts and experience and skills." After Liang Wanjun became the leader of the test flight force, he took it as his responsibility to teach young test pilots. What he talked about most was how to avoid risks and ensure safety.

Aviation is a relay race between generations. From 1956, Wu Keming, a 27-year-old test pilot, flew the first domestic J -5 plane with an overload of 8 G, risking the crash and death of the plane. By the 1980s and 1990s, Li Zhonghua, a test pilot, and his comrades-in-arms had overcome the worldwide technical problem of stall spin of delta wing aircraft. Starting from 1994, China Test Pilot College was formally established, and a number of test pilots who graduated from key universities of science and engineering entered scientific research flights. ...

"The country's heavy weapons are forged by life." Generation after generation, the blue sky pride, who loves the cause of test flight, drove fighter planes to plateaus, mountains, deserts and the open sea. Their heroic feats have written a wonderful chapter for the rapid development of China's aviation industry. Just like the monument standing at the main entrance of the aviation industry test flight center, it is engraved with seven characters, "The test flight workshop will lead to the sky."