China – what a morning!

Around three weeks ago (Tuesday 13th October) I was visiting China on business and staying at a hotel on an industrial area near Tanjin. I had decided to take a stroll at around 07:30 before breakfast and was wandering around a lake in the hotel grounds when I heard the distinctive sound of a fast jet climbing into the sky. Puzzled I scanned the sky and was surprised and delighted to see what I recognized as a Chengdu J-7 (MIG 21 copy) in what I could see was a strange blue and white colour scheme. The aircraft passed right over me at around 1000ft and gently climbed away into the distance. I was delighted – this being the first time I had ever seen anything like it outside the UK.

Imagine my excitement and curiosity when I again heard further jet engines in the distance. I once more looked up to see not one but three similar J-7 aircraft climbing out in quite close formation followed by yet three more! The aircraft passed over me and turning left in a wide gentle climb to only around 1500ft formed up into one formation (2 vics astern). I was further stunned to then see a full 45 minute display of team and solo acrobatics (now and then with smoke) around a mile away – but still easily close enough for me to clearly see what was going on in the still, cool early morning air! On several occasions the main group turned right over me at around 1000ft. At first I thought I was dreaming!

The display was not the tightest I have seen and was obviously a rehearsal session of some type with many manoeuvres being repeated several times. These mostly included a four ship formation cruising around in a series of tight, but steady ‘flybys’ with two ‘singletons’ doing their stuff in between. The singletons’ seemed quite nervous and kept a good distance in the sky from each other. To see anything unexpected like this is always thrilling but to see something surely quite rare to Western eyes was a real privilege.

But it gets better! At the end of the ‘display’ the J7’s (including the single one I saw first on its own -coming in a few minutes later than the others) dropped down obviously preparing to land somewhere hidden from my view. I thought that was finally that. So (elated) off I go to meet my (non aircraft enthusiast) work college who (despite my excited babbling) could not have been less impressed! Finally sitting at breakfast (still babbling) I hear yet more (fast jet) noise. I got up and walked quickly outside to see flying right over my hotel at around 500ft what I now know to a Chengdu J10 in what looked to be a light grey finish (NATO type) with dull red Chinese markings. For the next three hours or so at various times our factory (very close to our hotel) was flown over by at least two of these at around 500ft. Once or twice the pair were in a really tight prefect formation but mostly they were flying alone. Needless to say I got very little work done that morning!

On checking things out I think now that I was watching the Chinese August 1st aerobatic display team during a ‘working up’ session with their new aircraft as I understand that the J7s are being replaced by the J10s. And no – I have no pictures due to the fact that I had no camera with me and even if I had one on me it might not have been the wisest move to stand out taking pictures of military aircraft in broad daylight in the middle of China! I have now been to the same place in China four times, each for a week or so, but have never even seen (let alone heard) any military aircraft in the area. I know now that the team is based only about a mile or so (at Yangcun Air Force Base) from our factory. What a once in a lifetime morning the memories of which will stay with me forever . Does anyone of any good video of this team apart from whats on U tube?