Helicopters continue tough missions in quake areas

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-12-2008 08:59

Three helicopter divisions from Jinan, Chengdu and Guangzhou Military Area Command have been sent here. They’re some of the army's best and most experienced air divisions.

Besides working long hours on important missions, pilots say the biggest challenges are the quake zone''s ever-changing weather and complicated geography.

Pu Qingjin, chief engineer of Jinan Military Area Command Helicopter Division, said, "Up until today, our division has flown 70,000 hours during 800 flights. We have delivered hundreds of tons of relief supplies and carried thousands of personnel into the quake zone. Our pilots often fly 7 to 8 hours a day. Our crew members get up every morning at 5 and finish work at around 7 pm, so they work for 14 hours a day. It's hard work, but nobody ever complains. We know our mission is to fight against the disaster and save more lives."

Besides working long hours on important missions, pilots say the biggest challenges are the quake zone's ever-changing weather and complicated geography.

Senior Colonel Feng Yuejun is a pilot from Jinan Military Area Command Helicopter Division. He has more than 20 years of flying experience. But he still considers the rescue and relief missions in Sichuan as among the most difficult and dangerous of his career.

Feng Yuejun said, "The weather is a big challenge for us. In the past few days, the weather was particularly bad. Sichuan is a place where the weather changes at any time, especially in the mountains. The weather may allow you to enter the valleys at one moment but not just a little later. Fog often prevents us from entering the valleys. And sometimes the weather lets you fly into the valley but not out again. So our missions are often quite risky."

Strong turbulence and fog caused a transport helicopter to crash in the mountains on May 31st while transferring injured residents from the epicenter. It took almost 10 days for hundreds of rescuers to find it.

Other crew members from the Chengdu Military Area Command Helicopter Division were shocked and saddened. But they've promised to carry on with their job. And they say that's the best way to commemorate their fallen comrades.

A crew member from Chengdu Military Area Command Helicopter Division said, "When we heard the news, all of our crew members were very upset. But we have to carry on with our important missions, and fulfill our responsibilities in the disaster relief work."

The chief engineer says that though the most pressing missions have almost all been completed, they will continue to help with relief work at the front line.

Pu Qingjin said, "As the time passes, our missions have changed. In the beginning, our jobs were very urgent because we were trying to rescue as many people as possible. Now the focus of our work is helping with the relief and reconstruction work. All our crew members have been working intensively for 20 days but everyone is still anxious to help more people in the quake zone."

And there's still no time to rest. After a brief interview, the crew is off once again, this time carrying experts back to the Tangjiashan quake lake to inspect the latest situation there.

Editor:Zhang Ning