The first woman pilot to fly China’s J-10 fighter plane was killed in a crash during an aerobatics training exercise at the weekend.
According to the report of China Daily newspaper, Yu Xu was ejected from her aircraft during a training exercise in the northern province of Hebei.
She is 30, and a member of the “August 1st” aerobatic display team of Chinese Air Force.
Yu was killed when she hit the wing of another jet, although her male co-pilot ejected safely and survived the crash.
“As one of only four female pilots in the country capable of flying domestically made fighter jets, her death comes as a tremendous loss to the Chinese air force,” the Global Times newspaper said.
Based on the reports, Yu who hails from Chongzhou in the southwestern province of Sichuan, joined the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 2005.
The China Daily said that Yu graduated from training four years later, and she was one of the first 16 Chinese women pilots qualified to fly fighter jets. In July 2012, she was dubbed by her fans as the “golden peafowl” because she was able to fly the J-10 fighter plane.
She rose to become a flight squadron leader and even dreamed of becoming an astronaut, the Global Times added.
She became one of two female members of the August 1st team, which was named after the date of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
It was pictured at China’s premier air show in Zhuhai two years ago, and Yu appeared again earlier this month during the air show for this year.
When in the show, the pair come to their fighter planes together with male pilots, all wearing identical green jumpsuits and sungl(–foul word(s) removed–).
Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke said in the official news agency Xinhua that all its personnel were “deeply regretful and mournful” at her “unfortunate death.”
