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Hero pilot awarded after emergency landing

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-29 11:01

BEIJING -- A Chinese pilot who has successfully tamed a malfunctioning homemade jet fighter, J-10, was recently awarded the First-Class Merit Citation and a Meritorious Pilot gold medal.

Li Feng, a 38-year-old air force pilot, speaks at the award ceremony after his successful emergency landing of a malfunctioning homemade jet fighter, J-10, at an unnamed air force headquarters Thursday, March 26, 2009. [Xinhua]

Li Feng, a 38-year-old air force pilot with more than 2,000 hours of flight, encountered with a mechanical problem in his J-10's engine during a tactical training about 4,500 meters above sea level on March 7.

Related readings:  Pilot lands Jian 10 after engine fails

With the assistance from the command center of a nearby air base, Li  tried every possible means to drive the fighter back to the base.

However, the problem caused a complete power failure when the fighter plummeted to the height of about six kilometers above the runway. Then Li glided the fighter without instructions from the control tower, and succeeded to land safely.

An awarding ceremony was held by the People's Liberation Army's Air Force Command last Thursday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Li received the medal from Yang Dongming, Deputy Commander of the PLA's Air Force who specially came to the city for the ceremony on behalf of Commander Xu Qiliang.

Li Feng serves as a deputy commander of an aviation regiment with the PLA's Guangzhou Military Area Command.

The First-Class Merit Citation is the second-highest military award after the honorary title that an individual in active service could obtain.

A Meritorious Pilot gold medal is the top award that the PLA Air Force grants to its pilots. Only a very small number of outstanding pilots have been awarded with the medal since 1991.

Li was also given 200,000 yuan (US$29,411) for his brave and calm endeavor to save the 200 million worth aircraft by the Air Force. The bonus will be shared by Li and other people involved.

Meanwhile, those who worked at the control tower during the accident occurred was awarded the Second-Class Merit Citation.

J-10 is the third generation of a single-engine fighter made by China's largest state-owned aircraft maker, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

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