Blue sky thinking

Though Zhao didn't obtain his pilot's license until the age of 35, his dream of being a pilot began as a child.

Zhao was born in a rural family. He loved model planes, but the family couldn't afford to buy them for him, so his father made one for him out of a corn stalk.

"I learned all my general aviation knowledge from reading aviation magazines and books. I am not a good student in academics, but I have read all the books I could get about aviation," Zhao, 39, says at Shenyang Faku General Aviation Base in Liaoning province, where his team is based.

After graduating from Shenyang University of Technology in 2000, Zhao entered into a Stated-owned electrical equipment enterprise. Several years' working experience helped him hone mechanical skills. He established his own enterprise in 2008 and began practicing parachuting and flying gliders in his spare time.

Zhao got his private pilot's license in 2011 and then went to Germany three times to learn aerobatics.

Through assiduous training and natural talent, Zhao made progress and passed the exam after only receiving 200 hours' training and became the first Chinese to fly an Unlimited aerobatic plane.

As a rising star in the aerobatics field, Zhao has a very busy schedule this year. Besides being invited to perform in several air shows, his focus is on preparing for the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships to be held in South Africa in November. Zhao got the qualification for competition through a qualifier match.

"This will be the first time a Chinese pilot participates in such a top-level competition. My dream is to be the world champion," Zhao says.

The nature of unlimited aerobatics is to explore the limits of the human body and the harmony between the pilot and plane.

As an aerial feat, aerobatics requires great skill and daring.

"The selection of pilots is almost as strict as selecting astronauts," Zhao says.

"Aerobatics not only requires a pilot with good physical qualities and good reaction capacity, but also it requires a broader set of piloting skills and exposes the aircraft to greater structural stress than normal flights."

Zhao owns four XA42 planes. These are top-level aerobatic planes that allow the pilot to fly at a much lower altitude and comparatively slow speed. The XA42's performance has a much stronger visual impact for spectators.

"The best plane also puts high demands on the pilot. Aerobatics is a dangerous sport that dances with death. In some countries, pilots must wear a parachute when performing aerobatics," Zhao says.

Though his wife has worried about his safety, she knows it's impossible to persuade him to give up. To fully support Zhao's career, his wife Jiang Lin also joined the pilot club and helps him deal with daily affairs.

"Even if I got the world champion, it's still a personal action and achievement. Honestly speaking, I felt a little lonely when competing with foreign players. My next plan is to select and train more Chinese aerobatic pilots," he says.