'Master of aircraft design' wins accolade for aviation achievement

Gu Songfen, aircraft designer. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Gu Songfen has had a photo on his office desk for many years. The photo, taken in 1958, shows Chairman Mao Zedong holding a model of the Shenyang JJ-1, the first jet aircraft designed in China, and examining it closely.

The renowned aircraft designer, who won the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award on Wednesday, is the only person in the country's aviation industry to hold membership of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

It was then (in 1937) I realized that without aviation, our country would still be vulnerable in the future. I wanted to build aircraft when I grew up.

Gu Songfen, aircraft designer

He pioneered the aerodynamic design of aircraft, which advanced the development of a number of major jet fighters, including the Nanchang CJ-6, a basic training plane, and the Shenyang J-8, a high-speed, high-altitude single-seat interceptor.

Those aircraft not only greatly improved China's air defense capabilities but also laid the cornerstone of its aviation industry.

Gu's aviation achievements started with the JJ-1. In 1956, China's first aircraft design office was established in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

Its first task was to develop the country's first homegrown jet aircraft, and Gu was appointed as head of the aerodynamics team.

Zhao Xia, an aircraft designer at the AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, said aerodynamics is the "soul" of aircraft design. The study of the way objects move through air must not only ensure that an aircraft can fly efficiently and carry weapons, but also guarantee the stable, safe operation of the engine, she said.

However, in the 1950s, the country had no aviation experience, equipment or wind tunnels. When Gu heard that the library at Beihang University in Beijing had foreign literature on the subject, he headed to the capital and visited the library every day for a week to copy the information.

Using this as a general reference, Gu managed to gradually complete his research, and on July 26, 1958, after two years of development, the JJ-1 made its maiden flight from a facility in Shenyang.

Gu Songfen (right) interviews Lu Mingdong, the Shenyang J-8 jet fighter test pilot. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Wartime ambitions

Gu's ambitions for a career in the aviation industry were rooted in his wartime experiences. In 1930, he was born into an educated family in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, but he moved to Beijing in 1935, when his father was transferred to the city.

In 1937, the July 7 Incident marked the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China. The sounds of aerial bombardment are deeply rooted in Gu's childhood memories.

"It was then I realized that without aviation, our country would still be vulnerable in the future. I wanted to build aircraft when I grew up," he said.

After the Shenyang JJ-1, a trainer jet, Gu worked on the development of the Shenyang J-8.

The plane made its maiden test flight in 1969, but encountered serious vibration problems during subsequent tests.

The pilot described flying it as like being in "a broken bus driving along an uneven road".

To identify the cause of the vibrations, Gu volunteered to observe the aircraft in flight himself.

"We didn't have a camera, so it could only be done by a person," he said. He glued lines of knitting wool to the J-8's rear fuselage and tail wing to observe their flow during flight.

However, Gu had promised his wife that he would not fly again after Huang Zhiqian, his brother-in-law and chief designer of the J-8, died in a 1965 plane crash during a mission overseas.

So, without his wife's knowledge, Gu flew three times to observe the problems with the J-8.

So that he could get a clear view of the way the wool was disturbed, the two planes had to fly just 5 meters apart, posing great risks to Gu and his pilot.

In 1980, a development program for the J-8II was launched, with the second generation of the plane required to provide a much higher level of performance.

Gu was appointed as chief designer, and after just four years, the J-8II's maiden flight took place. The plane was recognized as the most advanced jet fighter used by the People's Liberation Army Air Force at the time.

It served as the Chinese military's main combat aircraft in the 20th century. The model's successful development marked the construction of a complete aviation industry system in China, and Gu was officially hailed as a "master of aircraft design" and "the country's pioneer of aircraft aerodynamic design".

Despite being in his 90s, Gu still shows up in his office at AVIC on work days. He said he gains most enjoyment from following developments in modern aircraft design, and he hopes the younger generation will be able to make great contributions to the nation's aviation industry.

zhangyangfei@chinadaily.com.cn