Devoted to the Sky and Strong Country: College Students and Teachers Visit Zhuhai Air Show for Industry Practice

On November 12th-17th, 2024, the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition was successfully held in Zhuhai. The "Following Dreams in the Sky" industry education practice team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University traveled to the air show site to witness the splendid achievements of China's aerospace industry and conduct a large political education class at the forefront of the industry. The Secretary-General of the Student Work Committee and Director of the Student Affairs Office, Zhao Xin, the Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of SAA, Yi Lili, relevant leaders, professional teachers, and political teachers led the team, with 11 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students from the SAA participating in the event.

At this year's air show, many new equipment, new technologies, and new achievements were unveiled for the first time, covering all areas of "land, sea, air, space, electricity, and network". In the static display area, lunar soil samples brought back from the far side of the moon by Chang'e 6, heavy-lift launch vehicles, "Sperm Whale" large stealth unmanned combat boats, and various unmanned transport aircraft were on display, and the students and teachers of the practice team were delighted to see them. In the viewing area for flight demonstrations, a systematic display of 36 types of Chinese Air Force weapons and equipment was presented, with the new stealth fighter J-35A, naval aircraft J-15T from the People's Navy, and shipborne helicopter Z-20J, among others, teaming up with the Air Force's Eight One Aerobatic Team and the Russian Brizmolot Aerobatic Team to deliver a spectacular performance, leaving the members of the practice team deeply impressed. "The feeling of being present at the scene, with the strong roar and ground vibrations, watching fighter jets take off, climb, and perform aerial maneuvers is an experience that cannot be compared to watching it on screen," said Sun Lihui, a member of the practice team. This time, she saw the J-20 she had been looking forward to for a long time, as well as the J-35A, which was making its debut, and felt very surprised and excited.

The Party Secretary of COMAC ARJ21 Project, Xu ShuKui (right one), is explaining the C909 and its derivatives to the members of the practice team.

Visit the C919.

China Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) brought 7 aircraft to the exhibition, showcasing the scaled, standardized, and industrialized development achievements of its domestic commercial aircraft. In front of the C919 passenger jet, the Party Secretary of the ARJ21 Project at COMAC, Xu ShuKui, gave a lively on-site political education class to the practice team members, detailing the Chinese commercial aircraft brand consisting of C909, C919, and C929. At the exhibition, the ARJ21 aircraft officially announced the addition of its commercial name "C909". Xu ShuKui introduced the series development prospects of the C909, noting that it is currently undergoing modifications for cargo, medical, emergency command, business, and firefighting missions to meet the country's diverse and significant needs. Finally, Xu ShuKui encouraged the students to firmly uphold their ideals and beliefs, strengthen their professional skills, and contribute their youthful strength to the cause of China's large aircraft industry.

The 2025 graduate master students from the practice team, Zhang Jiajin and Zhao Zekai, have signed with the Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute of COMAC, and they said, "It's exciting to see the achievements of the domestic large aircraft industry today. The long-term internship at COMAC and this visit have provided us with the opportunity to combine our theoretical foundation with the actual manufacturing operations, enhancing our understanding of aircraft design theory. We hope to contribute to the development and improvement of large aircraft in our future work."



In addition to domestically-made large passenger planes, domestically-made civil aviation onboard systems also attracted the attention of the practice team. This year's air show is the first time that civil aviation onboard systems have participated as an independent exhibition area. The exhibition theme is "1 comprehensive + 7 major systems," and it uses a combination of virtual and real, static and dynamic display methods to systematically showcase the full range of technologies from basic products to core systems, as well as the future trend of marketization, scale, industrialization, and internationalization of civil aviation onboard systems.

At the booth of AVIC Aircraft Equipment Systems Co., Ltd., Aviation Industry Aircraft Equipment Vice President, alumnus of the School of Aerospace Engineering 2022, Deng Pingyu, gave practice team members a detailed introduction to the products on display, and led the students to experience the civil aviation aircraft integrated program trainer, advanced helicopter flight control system integrated display cabin and other interactive exhibits, to feel the latest development achievements of aviation onboard systems. Deng Pingyu encouraged the students to dare to think and act, to be grounded and diligent in their studies, to pay attention to practical applications, to understand the direction of industry development, and to be bold in exploring the frontiers of the industry.

Members of the practice team visited the booth of AVIC Aircraft Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.

Alumnus Zhong Xinyu introduced the products on the exhibition booth to the practice team members.

2022 Master alumnus Ma Xuyang (AVIC Aviation Simulation System Co., Ltd.) and 2024 Master alumnus Zhong Xinyu (AVIC Civil Aircraft Onboard System Engineering Center Co., Ltd.) enthusiastically exchanged their feelings and experiences after entering the workforce with younger students. Practice team member Yin Yufei, a 2023 Master's student, said that it was both delightful and proud to witness the diversified development of civil aircraft onboard systems, and it also increased her confidence and determination to devote herself to the industry.



On November 13th, the practice team went to the South China Base of AVIC General Aviation to hold a discussion and exchange. Wang Jing, the Minister of Human Resources of AVIC General Aviation, and Li Jinming, the Secretary of the Disciplinary Inspection Commission and a member of the Party Committee of AVIC General Aviation in Southern China, attended the event. Li Jinming introduced the general situation and main business areas of AVIC General Aviation and the current status of general aviation. In the AVIC General Aviation Exhibition Hall, the guide introduced the development process of the AG600 aircraft to the students in detail, showing the rapid response of the AG600 aircraft and the emergency command system through two forest fire extinguishing cases. Later, the practice team also visited the exhibition hall and production lines of AG600 and the Cessna series aircraft to feel the vigorous vitality of China's general aviation industry.

The AVIC General Aviation Southern Base interacted with the practice team members in a warm and friendly manner.

The members of the practice team took a group photo at AVIC General Aviation.

Liu Qiqing, a PhD student in the Class of 2020, said that the dual-capability of AG600 to operate on both land and water makes it capable of performing tasks in various environments, which is the result of the design and manufacturing team's persistent efforts. The successful development of AG600 not only showcases China's strong aviation industry, but also inspires the patriotic sentiments and aviation dreams of the younger generation.

In recent years, the School of Aerospace Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has been continuously building a practical education and training system that is oriented towards the country's key strategic needs. The school has organized the "Dreaming of the Sky" industry education practice team to visit the four major space launch bases to witness the successful launches of "Tianwen-1", the Tianhe Core Module of the China Space Station, "Shenzhou-12", and "Chang'e-6", and to conduct practical teaching at the first site of the design of the domestic large passenger plane. In this practical activity, the team members witnessed the rapid development of land, sea, air, and space weapons systems of the country firsthand and experienced the continuous improvement of the national defense industrial system and the high-level self-reliance and self-sufficiency of aerospace science and technology. The students said that their awareness of "choosing Jiaotong and choosing responsibility" has become stronger, their value orientation of "aeronautics and astronautics national service" has become more conscious, and they are looking forward to going to the front lines of the research and development and production of major national strategic equipment in the future to build a career of achievement by contributing to the forging of powerful weapons for the motherland.