Photos of ten Chinese female army pilots debut solo flights went viral on Chinese social media last year. Among the ten female flight students, Xu Fengcan, 21, from East China’s Zhejiang Province stood out as the first to pass the solo flight test.

Xu Fengcan, 21, from East China’s Zhejiang Province, stood out as the first PLA Ground Force's female trainee to pass the solo flight test. (Photo: CGTN)

Though the Chinese air force has enrolled female pilots since 1951, these 10 women were the first to be trained by the Ground Force as aviators.

Xu Fengcan (center) and the other female pilots during their first solo flights at a Ground Force airport in Shanxi Province. (Photo: CGTN)

A pilot is required to be familiar with the functions of thousands of components and the ability to monitor dozens of data at the same time while flying. During breaks, Xu would take tree branches to practice steering. With her hard work, Xu scored full marks in the training test and became the first trainee to debut solo flight.

Female pilots salute during their first solo flight training at an airport in southern Shanxi province. (Photo: Xinhua)

“I am proud to have finally fulfilled my dream of flying in the blue sky and become a female army pilot,” said Xu, who has been awarded Outstanding Student for two consecutive years.

Xu Fengcan salutes in uniform. (Photo: PLA Ground Force WeChat account)

The female trainees were selected from high school graduates across the country in 2017 when the Ground Force began to recruit women for flight training. They are now students at the PLA Ground Force Aviation Institute and are expected to graduate and join operational units in 2021.

Before graduating, Xu and her fellows flight students will continue taking flight training and on new challenges.

(Compiled by Cai Cai; Edited by Yang Yang)