Air Force to recruit 40 more female student pilots
A female pilot assigned to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command climbs into the cockpit of her JH-7 fighter bomber prior to an assault flight training exercise on January 23. (Photo/eng.chinamil.com.cn)
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force plans to recruit 40 female student pilots in 2019, the recruitment bureau said.
The recruitment will be the 12th of its kind. High school graduates between 17 and 20 from 31 provinces and regions can apply to be student pilots, Fang Chuanhong, deputy head of the bureau, said on Friday during a press conference at the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, right before the 69th anniversary (November 11) of the establishment of the PLA Air Force.
The best student pilots may be allowed to study in distinguished universities, such as Tsinghua University and Peking University.
The Air Force has been cooperating with top universities in training aviation talent since 2011, and 78 percent of the first group of their jointly trained pilots are incorporated into combat positions, said the report.
"We will recruit female student pilots on a regular basis to meet the demand of the air force female pilots' team and the national space industry," Fang told morningpost.com.
She noted the female pilots will perform a variety of tasks, such as joint training and conducting drills with foreign countries.
The Chinese Air Force has trained the first female test pilot Zhang Yumei, as well as female astronauts Liu Yang and Wang Yaping, who have traveled into space.
