China honours first woman pilot after her death in air crash

BEIJING: The Chinese military has conferred the title of "revolutionary martyr" on Yu Xu, the first lady pilot and a member of the air force aerobatics team, who was killed in a training accident over the weekend.

Yu, the first Chinese woman to fly the J-10 fighter jet, died in the accident during a routine flight on Saturday.

Born in 1986 in Chongzhou in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Yu joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in September 2005, and had flown four types of aircraft.


She was one of the pilots selected to fly over Tian'anmen Square during the 2009 National Day parade and had flown the J-10 in air shows at home and abroad, according to Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke.

From country girl to China's first female J-10 pilot, Yu devoted her most precious years to the building of a strong army, Shen said.

Yu's death has sadden the country, with people across China mourning her in various ways. About 10 million people laid virtual wreaths at an online mourning hall set up for her, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.