"If one day I am needed on the front line, I will be the first aircraft there."

For PLA Air Force Y-20 captain Zhang Peng, those are not just words, they are a promise he lives by.

One of the first pilots selected to operate China's largest strategic transport aircraft, Zhang has spent nearly a decade flying missions ranging from emergency relief and humanitarian aid to long-range overseas deployments.

In 2025, he helped transport Chinese rescue teams and emergency supplies to earthquake-hit Myanmar.

Today, Zhang has taken on another mission: preparing the next generation.

As a flight instructor, he is passing on the flying skills, discipline, responsibility and sense of duty that define a military pilot.