Chinese President Xi Jinping Honours Veteran Naval Test Pilot
Quick Look
- Chinese President Xi Jinping awarded a first-class merit to veteran naval test pilot Yang.
- Yang was honored for his bravery during a life-threatening incident where his plane lost cabin pressure at 10,000 meters but he maintained course to avoid a civilian flight path before landing.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Chinese President Xi Jinping honored veteran naval test pilot Yang with a first-class merit award for defence science and technology, following a documentary detailing Yang's life-threatening aviation incident.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has honoured a veteran naval test pilot with a first-class merit award for defence science and technology.
Yang featured in a documentary that aired this week on state broadcaster CCTV and described a life-threatening incident in which his plane lost pressure at an altitude of 10,000 metres (33,000 feet) following a leak in the cabin.
“If the aircraft does not descend, the cabin pressure will completely dissipate. If the pilot becomes incapacitated, the aircraft will lose control and [the situation will] become uncontrollable,” Yang said.
But he was not able to make an immediate descent because a civilian flight path lay directly below him, forcing him to maintain his course for 13 minutes before he could land.
“My physical sensations were getting worse, but unless instructed otherwise, we had to maintain our current altitude,” he said. “As I descended, my physical sensations gradually returned, including my hearing.”
Open Questions
- What type of aircraft was Yang piloting?
- When exactly did the cabin pressure incident occur?
- What specific defence science and technology did Yang contribute to?
