There I was at 15,000 feet above Iwakuni and suddenly....
Shen Yuanzhong (L), commander of an aviation brigade of the PLA Air Force, talks with a young pilot as some maintenance men perform pre-flight checks on a JH-7 fighter bomber during an around-the-clock flight training exercise at the foot of Tianshan Mountains in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on January 18, 2017. (81.cn/ Liu Yinghua)
JH-7 fighter bombers attached to an aviation brigade of the PLA Air Force conduct training against the backdrop of snow-covered Tianshan Mountains in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during an around-the-clock flight training exercise on January 18, 2017. (81.cn/ Liu Yinghua)
Two pilots walk to their Q-5 ground attack aircraft in preparation for a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. They are assigned to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)
A Q-5 ground attack aircraft attached to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command taxis on the runway during a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)
Maintenance technicians run away from the runway before a fighter jet takes off for a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. They are assigned to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)
A Q-5 ground attack aircraft attached to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command takes off for a sortie during a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)
Model of a Wing Loong II drones from Aviation Industry Corporation of China is displayed during the 52nd International Paris Air and Space Show in Le Bourget near Paris, France, on June 19, 2017. The 52nd International Paris Air and Space Show kicked off on Monday to showcase the cutting-edge technology of today and the future of the air and space industry. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)
The model of a J-31 gyrfalcon stealth fighter plane designed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China is displayed during the 52nd International Paris Air and Space Show in Le Bourget near Paris, France, on June 19, 2017.
A Chinese PLAAF(Peoples Liberation Army Air Force)J-10B fighter jets conduct training at a military training base of a brigade under the air force of the PLA Northern Theater Command in preparation for the upcoming "Aviadarts" competition event of the 2017 International Army Games（IAG）from July 29 to August 12. This is the fourth time for China to participate in the IAG, and the first time for J-10B fighter jets to participate in the "Aviadarts" event. (Photo/eng.chinamil.com.cn)
Pilots assigned to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command listen to President Xi's instruction during a grand kicking-off mobilization ceremony for military training in the year of 2018.
Maintenance men assigned to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command remove chocks and chains from a fighter jet after comprehensive inspections prior to a flight training exercise on January 3, 2018. (Photo/eng.chinamil.com.cn)
Pilots assigned to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command navigate their fighter jet to taxi out an aircraft hangar onto the runway during a flight training exercise on January 3, 2018. (Photo/eng.chinamil.com.cn)
Chinese J-16 fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command take off for combat sortie's during a flight training exercise on January 3, 2018. (Photo/eng.chinamil.com.cn)
