The sky after a heavy rain is filled with steaming clouds and mist, making it not suitable for flying.
But Zhang Ming knew that he had to go on this trip.
In early August 2023, the raging heavy rains and floods gradually showed signs of subsidence, but bridges were destroyed and roads collapsed. The affected people were still waiting for supplies of materials and medicines, and the injured were in urgent need of medical treatment.
If the ground doesn't work, go air.
Zhang Ming, a female pilot from the Police Aviation Corps of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, and her comrades are the key to erecting this "lifeline in the air."
The visibility was low, the time was tight, the route was unfamiliar, the helicopter had a heavy load, and there was almost no place on site for the helicopter to land smoothly and safely.
How to find the right place to drop supplies and choose the right hover location?
Every choice you make while flying is a matter of life safety.
At the most dangerous moment, the high-speed rotating blades of the police helicopter were less than two meters away from the high-voltage line, leaving no room for deviation.
However, nearly a thousand hours of flight training gave Zhang Ming the confidence and allowed her to successfully complete the mission.
"At that time, we had a belief in our hearts that we should deliver urgently needed supplies to the people safely and quickly, and transfer the wounded to the hospital safely." Zhang Ming recalled that all the police officers of the police aviation team worked hard for more than 10 consecutive days, transporting 14.3 tons of supplies and grabbing 14.3 tons of supplies. Transported 12 seriously injured people.
This may be something she couldn't imagine herself doing when she first entered the police barracks 13 years ago.
In 2011, after Zhang Ming obtained a master's degree in sociology, he chose to become a people's policeman.
At that time, she was still an internal police officer at the police station, immersed in paperwork every day.
However, a chance encounter completely changed the trajectory of her career.
More than a year after joining the job, Zhang Ming learned that the Police Aviation Corps was recruiting and selecting zero-level pilots.
At first, Zhang Ming just accompanied his friends to sign up.
After listening to the lecture at the scene, she also filled out the registration form with the attitude of giving it a try.
Zhang Ming also didn't expect that from the time he filled out the form, he would stand out from thousands of registered police officers, go through several rounds of physical examinations and inspections, and become the last person standing at the training site.
Four months of theoretical study and military physical training, and nine months of flight piloting skills... Zhang Ming, who is thin and has a liberal arts background, needs to work hard to stand out among a group of classmates who have more physical and professional advantages than her. Greater efforts by others.
She got motion sickness, but she had to endure the anti-vertigo training.
She lost count of how many times she had vomited and how many times she had done extra exercises during physical training.
In the end, she practiced until she had abdominal muscles in her lower abdomen, and she had many bruises on her body. She took more than 10 engineering courses such as aerodynamics, power plant science, and meteorology, and she took them all bit by bit.
In 2013, Zhang Ming finally officially became a pilot of the Police Aviation Corps.
But the real test has just begun.
The cool flight attire and the handsome black leather jacket uniform in daily life are just "face".
But only they themselves know the hardships of "Lizi".
For example, a plane parked in mid-air may look cool, but a slight gust of wind may cause the pilot to lose all his previous efforts.
Just a "hovering takeoff and landing course training" is enough "torture".
Zhang Ming gave an example. For example, one of the requirements is that "the flight trajectory must be in the prescribed standard glide line, and the glide trajectory must be in the prescribed angle with the ground." This requires her to practice for a long time.
Until now, Zhang Ming, who is already very skilled, never dares to take training lightly.
No matter whether they are veterans or novices, they still have to face special weather, terrain and other conditions when going on a mission, not to mention tasks such as carrying supplies, rescuing the wounded, and even surveying the airspace near fire scenes, crime scenes, etc. They must be prepared in peacetime. .
As pilots, especially police pilots, each of them knows that to complete the mission reliably, it requires boring and arduous training day after day, and then the formation of muscle memory - this is just the most basic.
Tests always come unexpectedly.
One day, Zhang Ming flew a helicopter to patrol near the mountainous area. The weather conditions were very good when he set off, with blue sky and white clouds.
But as soon as we entered the mountain, the wind suddenly became stronger, and a thin layer of yellow smoke appeared in the originally clear sky, followed by blowing sand.
The sand curtain dispersed, then came again. After half an hour of repetition, the crew finally decided that they must return today.
Every inspection on the ground and every decision in the air are related to not only your own safety, but also all your comrades on the plane, as well as the lights of the capital.
"On New Year's Eve, everyone is having a reunion. We will see some slogans such as 'Happy Spring Festival' in the air." Zhang Ming said slowly, "While patrolling in the air, I also feel the excitement of the New Year and miss home. But being able to protect everyone and see everyone celebrating the New Year safely and happily down there will give me the same sense of honor and happiness as a police officer."
The sound of the rotor is always noisy, but Zhang Ming's world is always quiet.
"I like the feeling of flying." After becoming a pilot, Zhang Ming felt that his personality had changed.
"Even when we are not flying, we still have the chord of flying in our hearts." When he worked at the police station, Zhang Ming was a fiery person with a loud voice and a bad temper.
But now, her mood is almost always stable.
Even when he talks normally, Zhang Ming's voice is not loud.
In addition to daily training, she is also very careful about her body management.
Someone once asked Zhang Ming, is there any difference between "female pilots" and male pilots?
Zhang Ming answered based on his own personal experience. There is no difference between pilots of different genders in terms of excellent technical skills, high concentration, fine and steady operation, decisive decision-making ability, and accumulated rich flying experience.
But due to pregnancy and childbirth, Zhang Ming was unable to get on a plane for a year and a half.
The physical changes brought about by childcare and the impact on work energy have also added a lot of difficulties to Zhang Ming.
After returning to the team, Zhang Ming seemed to have returned to the "starting from scratch" state again, facing great psychological frustration.
She kept encouraging herself, "I told myself to take it slow and don't rush."
During training, she practiced every move again.
"I practiced hovering well today, and next time I will control the height of the lower line, and the next time I will control the speed." Zhang Ming recalled that it took her half a year to refine and recover one action at a time, and all these difficulties were solved by her. One overcomes.
Because of the special nature of the police force, once you become a colleague in the Police Aviation Corps, you are almost a lifelong comrade.
They trust each other's lives and protect tens of millions of people in the capital Beijing in the air.
In 2023, Zhang Ming passed the national police aviation flight instructor theoretical assessment, and she officially changed from an "apprentice" to the role of her master back then.
In Zhang Ming's eyes, the people's police are the same whether in the air or on the ground. "Our purpose is to protect this city and these people."
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Hu Ning trainee reporter Yin Xining Source: China Youth Daily