[Hong Kong Stories] The Guardians of the Clouds of Xiangjiang tell the stories behind protecting the flag, rescue and chasing the wind-Chinanews.com Video

　　[Concurrent] Wu Weixiong, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　Our Flying Service Team is one of the six disciplined forces under the Security Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. It may be different from other disciplined forces in that when we perform missions, we will often be a small team and go to a very large area. Unfamiliar environment, an environment with many variables, changes in weather, changes in terrain, heavy wind and rain, sun (exposed to the sun), dark night, etc., our plane cannot turn back after flying out.

　　[Explanation] Rescue at sea in stormy seas, emergency extinguishment over raging mountain fires, and night search and rescue at sea in the middle of the night. These thrilling and shocking scenes are not movie scenes, but the daily work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Flying Service.

This well-trained team undertakes various SAR government missions, including firefighting, rescue, and patient transport.

　　[Live Voice] Wu Weixiong, Director of Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　Compared with ordinary civilian helicopters (compared), they are only used for carrying passengers and not for rescue. We have an extra screen in the middle, and we can choose to have search radar, weather radar, and a moving map...

　　[Explanation] For Hu Weixiong, director of the Government Flying Service, the aircraft is the office for him and his team members, and it is also a partner who fights side by side when working in the air.

There are many thrilling scenes in the rescue work, and the speed of life and death is also common.

In the early morning of July 2, 2022, affected by the strong typhoon "Siamba", a dangerous situation suddenly occurred in the sea area 300 kilometers southwest of Hong Kong. The floating crane ship "Fujing 001" during the construction of the offshore wind farm project broke the anchor chain and was in distress .

A race against time began.

　　[Concurrent] Wu Weixiong, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　Very bad weather, poor visibility, sometimes (visibility) so poor that it could be (only) one or two kilometers, or even 500 meters.

At that time, the biggest difficulty was not the weather, but the nearby wind power plant.

The windmills in the wind power plant are as high as 800 feet, and the diameter of their blades is often more than 70 to 80 meters. There are more than 100 (such windmills) near this ship.

Because especially 300 kilometers is almost the farthest for the range of our helicopters.

In fact, the first helicopter had only 5 minutes of fuel at that time, the boat had already been disconnected, and (the first plane) led the second helicopter down before leaving.

The only thing they saw was three crew members, our aircrew rescued the last one (crew) onto the helicopter, and as soon as they left the ship, the whole (ship) was submerged by the waves.

　　[Explanation] Unknown weather, terrain, unfamiliar search and rescue environment... For the members of the flight service team, every mission is a new challenge.

In Hu Weixiong's view, the most special one happened in 2008.

　　[Concurrent] Wu Weixiong, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　I went to Wenchuan in 2008. As a Hong Kong citizen, I was able to help the country in a time of crisis. This is an unforgettable experience.

Those mountains are several times higher than Lantau Island (in Hong Kong), and the environment inside is unfamiliar to us, and there are also weather problems.

At that time, my first mission was to take some PLA airborne troops to the mountains to rescue an old couple living in the mountains.

We've all had a little bit of a thrill, a nearby electrical pylon collapsed, we couldn't see those wires, and our plane nearly crashed into them.

In the end, there was no danger and the couple was rescued.

　　[Explanation] In addition to rescue work, in order to accurately monitor typhoon data, the flight service team also cooperated with the Hong Kong Observatory to send fixed-wing aircraft equipped with meteorological data measurement systems to the center of the storm to collect data for astronomical monitoring and early warning. The role of "wind chaser".

　　[Concurrent] Wu Weixiong, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　Put some instruments down from the top of the typhoon, and then we can detect its (typhoon) wind speed, wind direction, its humidity, air pressure, and different meteorological data.

In the sky above the typhoon, the weather was very bad, because of the wind speed (very large), our turbulence and turbulence made it very difficult to control the aircraft.

So the requirements are very high, the technical requirements and training requirements are very high.

　　[Explanation] Bravely rushing into the storm, going to the sky and entering the sea, performing flight missions is not only a challenge to courage and perseverance, but also a test of team spirit and professional ability.

July 1, 2022 is the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, a grand flag-raising ceremony is being held at the Golden Bauhinia Square by the Victoria Harbour.

When the last note of the national anthem was played, the fleet of flying planes flying the national and regional flags in the shape of "an arrow" flew over the Victoria Harbour, which became a classic scene in the hearts of thousands of spectators.

It is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Flying Service that performs this aerial flag protection mission.

　　[Concurrent] Wu Weixiong, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service

　　They have to achieve high accuracy, because we have to fly over the Golden Bauhinia Square (Golden Bauhinia Square) within 5 seconds before and after the moment when the national flag is raised to the top. ), forming a straight line.

The flying national flag is 9.9 meters by 6.6 meters, so that it can have a very powerful momentum.

　　[Explanation] Through the clouds and fog, fighting the sky, with superb flying skills, this team that has been in service for nearly 30 years not only provides peace of mind and convenience for the daily life of Hong Kong citizens, but also brings life to people in danger. hope.

　　Reporter Fan Siyi and Luo Siyu report from Hong Kong

Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]