Yu Xu (Chinese: 余旭; March 1986 – November 12, 2016)[1][2] was a Chinese female fighter pilot who served as a flight squadron leader in the August 1st aerobatic team of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Yu Xu | |
|---|---|
| 余旭 | |
 Yu with a U.S. Air Force F-16C at Langkawi, Malaysia. | |
| Born | March 1986 |
| Died | 12 November 2016 (aged 30) Yutian County, Hebei, China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Occupation | Military pilot |
Early life
editYu was born in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Chinese province Sichuan.[3]
Education
editYu entered the military as a student at the PLA Air Force Aviation University in 2005, and graduated in 2009.[4][5] Sixteen women (including Yu) had graduated that year, which made her among the first women certified to fly fighter jets.[3]
Career
editYu joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force in September 2005. Yu appeared with the other female pilots at the 2010 CCTV New Year's Gala.[3] In 2012, she was certified to fly the Chengdu J-10, single-engine jet.[1] Yu's fans referred to her with the nickname, "Golden Peafowl."[6]
Death
editYu died during an aerobatic training session on November 12, 2016, after being struck by another plane as she ejected from the J-10.[7] However, some official press reported she was unable to eject on time from her plane before it made impact with the ground.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Lendon, Brad (November 14, 2016). "Horrific crash kills Yu Xu, 1st woman to fly China's J-10 fighter". CNN. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "Chinese female pilot dies in flight training". Xinhua. November 13, 2016. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c Li, Jing (November 13, 2016). "Death of China's first female J-10 fighter pilot Yu Xu sparks call for more training". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Lei, Zhao (November 14, 2016). "Woman fighter pilot inspired nation". China Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ Hersher, Rebecca (November 14, 2016). "Questions About China's Military Training After Female Fighter Pilot Dies". National Public Radio. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "China's first female J-10 fighter pilot killed in air crash". UPI. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
- ^ "China mourns first female J-10 pilot after death in training". BBC. November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "Chinese female fighter pilot dies in crash". www.skynews.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-11-14.
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