Deng Yanpei, 59, has dreamed of flying since he was a child.

59歲的鄧亞培（音譯）自小就夢想著能“飛”上天。

At the age of 7, he held up an umbrella and jumped off a second-floor platform onto a mound of sand. All he did was injure his feet, which after more than 50 years still sometimes ache.

7歲時,，他就曾撐傘從二樓平臺躍下,，落到一處沙堆上，傷到了自己的腳,，直到現(xiàn)在50多年過去,，依舊時不時會發(fā)疼。

Last year, Deng obtained a pilot's license for general aviation after training at Hunan Sunward General Aviation Co in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, realizing his dream of one day flying an aircraft. "I was about to retire soon, and as I had more time and financial means, I decided to chase my dream," he said.

去年,，鄧亞培在湖南省株洲市的湖南山河通航有限公司接受培訓(xùn)后獲得了通用航空飛行員執(zhí)照,，實現(xiàn)了自己駕駛飛機的夢想?！拔铱焱诵萘?，有更多的時間和精力，所以我決定去追求自己的夢想,?！彼f,。

"You cannot realize all of your childhood dreams, but once you achieve one of them, the sense of happiness is overwhelming," Deng added.

“你可能無法實現(xiàn)所有的童年夢想,，但一旦實現(xiàn)了其中一個，那種幸福感是難以言喻的,?！编噥喤嗾f。

As China steps up its efforts to develop the low-altitude economy and general aviation industry, more people have enjoyed the opportunity to fly.

隨著中國加大對低空經(jīng)濟和通用航空業(yè)發(fā)展的投入,，越來越多的人有機會能有飛行的體驗,。

Meanwhile, various aerial craft, such as large airships for low-altitude tourism, drones for express delivery, and aircraft used in emergency rescues, are being more widely deployed across the country, providing exciting new development opportunities.

同時，各種航空設(shè)備正在全國范圍內(nèi)“落地開花”,，例如用于低空旅游的大型飛艇,、用于物流投遞的無人機以及用于緊急救援的飛行器，這些都為航空產(chǎn)業(yè)帶來了令人興奮的新發(fā)展機遇,。

It is estimated that the market size of the low-altitude economy will surge from over 500 billion yuan ($70.3 billion) in 2023 to 2 trillion yuan by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

據(jù)中國民用航空局數(shù)據(jù),，2023年我國低空經(jīng)濟規(guī)模已超過5000億元，預(yù)計到2030年將達到2萬億元,。

Pilot program

試點項目

Hunan is the first province to pilot the reform of low-altitude airspace management. In Zhuzhou, the city where China's first aircraft engine was made, development of the low-altitude economy has accelerated in recent years.

湖南是全國首個全域低空空域管理改革試點省份,。中國第一臺航空發(fā)動機誕生地——株洲，近年來低空經(jīng)濟的發(fā)展步伐不斷加快,。

Zhuzhou has more than 120 enterprises involved in the aviation industry. The city is home to Zhuzhou Lusong Airport, the only A1, or highest-level general aviation airport, in the province.

株洲聚集了120多家航空企業(yè),，擁有湖南省唯一的A1類通用機場（即最高等級通用航空機場）——株洲蘆淞通用機場。

Dong Rui, a marketing manager for the airport, said it has opened two sightseeing routes flying to Zhangjiajie in Hunan and Jinggangshan in Jiangxi province.

蘆淞通用機場市場部經(jīng)理董瑞介紹,，該機場已開通了飛往湖南張家界和江西井岡山的兩條觀光航線,。

About 30 to 50 aspiring pilots train at the airport every year. The airport also tests and licenses operators of large-scale drones. Hundreds of people take such tests every month, Dong said.

董瑞表示,，每年大約有30至50名志向成為飛行員的人來機場接受培訓(xùn)，該機場還支持為大型無人機操作員測試及頒發(fā)執(zhí)照,。

Wang Jingyi, general manager of the airport, said they are planning to add a new runway to meet the burgeoning demands of the general aviation industry.

蘆淞通用機場總經(jīng)理汪靖宜表示,，機場計劃增加一條新的跑道以滿足通用航空業(yè)日益增長的需求。

More people are eager to do pilot or drone-operator training, while aircraft manufacturers need more space to test their products, she said. "Although it is still a niche market, we are optimistic about its prospects," Wang said.

她表示,，越來越多人渴望接受飛行員或無人機操作員培訓(xùn),，而飛機制造商則需要更多的空間來測試他們的產(chǎn)品?！氨M管這還是一個小眾市場,，但我們對它的前景持樂觀態(tài)度?！?/p>

Reach for the sky

觸及藍天

Deng obtained his pilot's license at the airport on Oct 10 last year, after signing up for training in July of the same year.

鄧亞培去年7月報名參加培訓(xùn),，并于去年10月10日在機場獲得了私用飛行駕照。

Any Chinese citizen aged 17 or above and with at least a junior high school education, can apply for a private pilot's license. After receiving a certified report of their physical fitness, they have to go through 40 hours of theoretical studies, five hours of simulation studies if a flight simulator is present, and 40 hours of flying training before they take the relevant tests.

任何年滿17歲及以上,、具有初中以上文化程度的中國公民都可以申請私用飛行駕照,。在取得民用航空人員體檢合格證后，須完成40小時的理論學(xué)習(xí),、如果有飛行模擬器的話還要完成5小時的模擬學(xué)習(xí),，以及40小時的飛行訓(xùn)練，才能參加相應(yīng)的考試,。

Deng said in the beginning, the weightless feeling from doing different flying moves made him uncomfortable, but he quickly got used to it. "After getting over the discomfort, excitement kicked in and I was able to make more difficult moves," he said.

鄧亞培回憶,，一開始做不同的飛行動作時，產(chǎn)生的失重感讓他感到不舒服,，但他很快就適應(yīng)了,。“克服了不適之后,，興奮感就來了,，我能做出更難的動作了?！彼f,。

He has flown almost 500 times and is getting more relaxed and skilled as a pilot.

他已經(jīng)飛行了將近500次，作為飛行員,，他變得越來越放松和熟練,。

"Rather than being at a loss navigating so many things simultaneously, as I was in the beginning, I can enjoy flying now and I feel happier," he said.

“與一開始面對眾多事情不知所措相比，我現(xiàn)在可以享受飛行了,，而且感覺更開心了,。”鄧亞培說,。

Deng said many of his friends envy him for getting his pilot's license, and he has re-posted videos of himself practicing flying.

鄧亞培表示,，他的許多朋友都羨慕他拿到了飛行員執(zhí)照,，他還重新上傳了自己練習(xí)飛行的視頻。

He views the pilot's license as a retirement gift to himself. "You are never too old to get out of your comfort zone and realize decades-old dreams," he said.

他把飛行員執(zhí)照看作是給自己的退休禮物,?！澳挲g不會限制你走出自己的舒適區(qū)，你依然能實現(xiàn)幾十年來的夢想,?！?/p>

Zeng Qinglun, 25, who works for a media outlet in Zhuzhou, obtained a pilot's license at the airport in July.

25歲的曾慶倫（音譯）在株洲一家媒體機構(gòu)工作，今年7月在該機場獲得了飛行員執(zhí)照,。

When he was in high school he tried a flight simulator at the airport, and after he started work he decided to fulfill his dream of learning how to pilot a plane.

他上高中時曾在機場嘗試過飛行模擬器,。在開始工作后，他決定實現(xiàn)自己學(xué)習(xí)駕駛飛機的夢想,。

"What I like most about flying is that it is so free and relaxed, and I feel that I belong in the air once the aircraft takes off," he said.

他說：“我最喜歡飛行是在于它非常自由和輕松,，一旦飛機起飛，我就覺得自己屬于天空,?！?/p>

Yu Zhangchang, general manager of Hunan Sunward General Aviation Co, said the company has trained more than 300 pilots and more than 4,000 people have used their flight simulators.

湖南山河通航有限公司總經(jīng)理余章常表示，該公司已培訓(xùn)了超過300名飛行員,，并且有超過4000人使用過他們的飛行模擬器,。

With more support from the government for the general aviation industry, Yu said he is witnessing an increasing number of people wanting to experience flying.

隨著政府對通用航空產(chǎn)業(yè)的支持力度不斷加大，余章常表示,，他看到越來越多的人想要體驗飛行運動,。

"I am very optimistic about the industry and I believe it will take three to five years for flying to become common in people's lives," he said.

他說：“我很看好這個產(chǎn)業(yè)，我相信飛行運動將在三到五年內(nèi)成為人們生活中的常態(tài),。”

Homegrown thrills

本土刺激

To popularize flying, the company established China's first civil aerobatic team in 2014, which has since performed at more than 40 air shows in 16 provincial regions.

為了推廣飛行運動,，湖南山河通航于2014年成立了首支國產(chǎn)民間飛行表演隊,，此后在16個省份的40多場航展上進行了表演。

Yu, also a retired flyer of People's Liberation Army Air Force, is a member of the team.

余章常是中國退役空軍飛行員,，是該表演隊的成員之一,。

"We are the first civil aerobatic team in China piloting aircraft developed by Chinese companies, and we are very proud to have led the development of civil aerobatic shows in the country," he said.

他說：“我們是中國首個駕駛國產(chǎn)飛機進行特技飛行的飛行表演隊，能夠引領(lǐng)國內(nèi)民用特技飛行表演的發(fā)展,，我們感到非常自豪,。”

The team is very proud of its aerobatic routine, which is renowned for its precision and creativity, he said.

他介紹,，表演隊以其精湛的技藝和富有創(chuàng)意的編隊飛行而聞名,，對此他們感到非常驕傲。

Starair Aircraft Co's Aurora — the first lightweight sports aircraft developed domestically — is the only model flown by Yu's team.

山河星航生產(chǎn)的“阿若拉”飛機是國內(nèi)首款輕型運動飛機,，是余章常團隊唯一駕駛的型號,。

The first Aurora was manufactured by the company in October 2008. As of Sept 20 this year, the company had made 300 of the aircraft, which is sold to clients in 28 provincial-level regions across the country.

第一架“阿若拉”飛機是由該公司于2008年10月時制造,。截至今年9月20日,，該公司已生產(chǎn)交付了300架,，客戶覆蓋全國28個省市區(qū)。

The plane also won flying approval from aviation authorities in the United States in 2019, and Australia in 2023.

據(jù)悉,，該飛機還分別于2019年,、2023年取得美國航空局、澳大利亞民航局適航認證,。

Weighting only 350 kilograms, the two-seat airplane has a maximum flying distance of 1,200 kilometers and can fly at a speed of up to 265 km per hour.

這種兩座型飛機重量僅為350千克,，最大航程1200千米，飛行速度可達每小時265公里,。

Deng Yu, general manager of Starair Aircraft, said the company is very optimistic about the future commercial prospects of the plane.

山河星航總經(jīng)理鄧宇表示,，他對這款飛機的商業(yè)前景非常樂觀。

"In the beginning, we named the plane the Aurora because we wanted to sell it to overseas market, but it is the Chinese market where we first realized a breakthrough," he said.

他說：“我們剛開始把飛機命名為‘阿若拉’,，是因為我們想把它推向海外市場,，但實際上，它在中國市場實現(xiàn)了突破,?！?/p>

Deng said the company is striving to improve the quality of the Aurora while lowering its price, so it is competitive in the international market.

鄧宇表示，該公司正努力提高“阿若拉”的品質(zhì),，同時降低其價格,，以便具有國際市場競爭力。

"The design and technology of the airplane are among the top levels in the world," he said. "We want to further cut the manufacturing costs so that after the costs of tariffs, shipping, and sales agents are factored in, the airplane is still competitive in overseas markets."

他說：“這架飛機的設(shè)計和技術(shù)在世界上處于領(lǐng)先地位。我們希望進一步降低制造成本,，以便在考慮關(guān)稅、運輸和銷售代理費用之后,，該飛機在海外市場仍然具有競爭力,?！?/p>

The company wants to expand the Aurora's sales to markets including North America, Europe, Oceania and Southeast Asia, he said.

他還表示,，山河星航希望將“阿若拉”飛機的銷售市場拓展至北美、歐洲,、大洋洲以及東南亞。

Despite the progress in the domestic general aviation industry, Deng believes there is still a wide gap to other countries in infrastructure building and the opening of lower-altitude space. The US, for example, has more than 20,000 airports for general aviation, while China only has around 400, he said.

盡管國內(nèi)通用航空產(chǎn)業(yè)取得了進展，但鄧宇認為,，在基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)和開放低空領(lǐng)域方面,，中國與其他國家仍有很大差距,。例如,，美國擁有超過2萬個通用航空機場，而中國只有大約400個,。

While the central government has encouraged the development of the low-altitude economy and general aviation, safety is still its top priority, so opening up low-altitude airspace has been done in an incremental way, he said.

他表示,，雖然政府鼓勵低空經(jīng)濟和通用航空的發(fā)展，但安全仍然是首要任務(wù),，因此低空空域的開放是逐步進行的,。

Aerial rescue services

空中救援

Starair Aircraft has also spent three years in research and development of a firefighting truck equipped with drones to put out fires in high-rise buildings.

山河星航花了三年時間研發(fā)了一款配備無人機的消防車，用于高層建筑滅火,。

The drones, which carry fire hoses as well as electric wires for power, can fly as high as 280 meters to fight a building fire.

這些無人機攜帶消防水管和電纜,，可以飛到280米的高度來撲滅建筑物火災(zāi)。

Deng is optimistic the sales prospects of the drone-equipped firetruck, and believes it can exceed the sales revenue of the Aurora in one to two years.

鄧宇對配備無人機的消防車的銷售前景持樂觀態(tài)度,，并認為它可以在一,、兩年內(nèi)超過“阿若拉”飛機的營收。

The drone-equipped truck is expected to hit the market by the end of this year, and is predicted to become one of Starair Aircraft's flagship products.

配備無人機的卡車預(yù)計將于今年年底上市,，并有望成為山河星航的旗艦產(chǎn)品之一,。

Deng said the company expects to sell more than 1,000 firetrucks, with forecast sales revenue of up to 10 billion yuan.

鄧宇表示，山河星航預(yù)計將銷售超過1000輛消防車,，銷售額可達100億元,。

The low-altitude space economy is an important part of China's new-quality productive forces and has a very bright future, which is why the company has stayed in the industry for such a long time, he said.

他表示，低空經(jīng)濟是中國新型生產(chǎn)力的重要組成部分,，具有非常光明的未來,，這也是該公司長期堅守這一行業(yè)的原因。

However, the development of aircraft requires a large amount of investment and time. It also takes time to build the required infrastructure and popularize a "flying culture", Deng added. Companies operating in the industry, therefore, still need to take a rational approach to development and not be too impulsive, he said. "It is an industry worth the long-term investment," he added.

不過飛機的研發(fā)需要大量的投資和時間,。鄧宇表示，此外還需要時間來建立必要的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施,，并普及“飛行運動文化”。因此,，相關(guān)行業(yè)企業(yè)仍需采取理性的發(fā)展方式,，不要過于沖動?！斑@是一個需要長期投資的行業(yè),。”他補充說。

Emergency rescue is another area where general aviation companies are making a big difference.

緊急救援是通用航空公司能夠發(fā)揮重要作用的另一個領(lǐng)域,。

Ou Deqing, president of Xiangwei General Aviation in Zhuzhou, said that during the disastrous landslides in Zixing, Hunan, in July — which left 50 people dead and 15 others missing — roads and communications were cut, and the company's helicopters transported emergency goods and lifted stranded people to safety.

湖南翔為通用航空有限公司董事長歐德清表示,，今年7月，湖南資興發(fā)生了嚴重的山體滑坡災(zāi)害,，造成50人死亡,、15人失蹤，道路和通訊中斷,。翔為通航直升機運送了應(yīng)急物資,，并將被困人員救至安全地帶。

The helicopters were deployed in Zixing for more than 10 days and made more than 600 trips, he said. "People said that they had hope with the arrival of each aircraft and we are very proud of our work," he said.

他說,，這些直升機在資興駐守了十多天,，飛行了600多次?！懊慨斢酗w機到達時,，人們都會說‘有希望了’，我們?yōu)槲覀兊墓ぷ鞲械椒浅Ｗ院??！?/p>

In cooperation with emergency response, firefighting and public security authorities in Hunan, the company established the first flight teams in the province for emergency rescues, firefighting and air police work, he said.

他表示，翔為通航與湖南的應(yīng)急救援,、消防和公安等部門合作,，成立了湖南首支航空消防救援大隊。

It has also conducted fire rescue operations, forest firefighting, flood rescues, and agricultural seeding and spraying across the country, he added.

他補充說,，航空消防救援大隊還開展了全國范圍內(nèi)的消防救援,、森林滅火、防洪救援,、農(nóng)業(yè)播種噴灑等工作,。