Air Force launches flight training for high schoolers

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is setting up training bases in civilian high schools to provide flight training for around 1,000 students aged 14 to 16.

It is currently selecting the schools and plans to begin running the training later in 2015 after selecting the students based on applications, the ministries of education and public security and the PLA general political department jointly announced on Thursday.

Under the measures, the selected students will take the training in addition to their regular high school studies.

Successful applicants will receive a subsidy and should board at the schools. They will sign contracts committing to apply for PLA aviation universities and participate in pilot recruitment tests after graduating from high school, said Peng Junxia, head of the Air Force pilot recruitment bureau.

Applicants will be evaluated "comprehensively" including by psychological tests, while the choice of civilian high schools where the training bases will be built should be decided by both educational authorities and the Air Force, according to the announcement.

Peng stressed fairness and impartiality in the selection process.

He said that as air force weaponry is becoming more sophisticated, pilots should have a broader education, and the new scheme is designed to ensure they get it.

The PLA Air Force will also continue to recruit high school graduates without flight experience. However, it is common in other countries for pilots to accumulate flight experience before joining the air force.

The PLA Air Force recruited just over 1,000 high school students last year.