5-year-old boy pilots plane over Beijing Wildlife Park

Duo Duo prepares for the flight with his instructor

 

Duo Duo

 

Duo Duo during the flight with his instructor

 

　　   On the first day of the Lunar New Year 2012, he ran barefoot in the snow in New York, USA; in July of the same year, he solo "played" with a sailboat at Jinniu Lake; in August, he joined the international OP-class sailing competition in Qingdao; by the end of September, he climbed Japan’s Mount Fuji in 15 hours.

　　   On New Year's Day 2013, he sold newspapers at Xinjiekou subway station to train his "financial IQ"; in February, “Eagle Dad,” based on his experience raising “Barefoot Boy,” wrote the Three Character Classic of the Eagle Dad; in May, “Barefoot Boy” became the youngest volunteer of the Nanjing Red Cross Blood Donation Volunteer Association; in August, he won the championship at the 7th National Jinzita Abacus Mental Math Elite Competition; by the end of August, he flew over Beijing Wildlife Park, setting a Guinness World Record as the youngest pilot.

　　   After the start of the school term, 5-year-old Duo Duo will be an auditor in the fourth grade at the Experimental Primary School of Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

　　   On August 31, the Modern Express reported that 5-year-old “Barefoot Boy” was going to pilot a plane over Beijing Wildlife Park. Although the plan almost “fell through,” it was eventually realized thanks to the efforts of “Eagle Dad” and the airport authorities. That afternoon, 5-year-old “Barefoot Boy” successfully completed a solo flight, flying over Beijing Wildlife Park and setting yet another world record.

　　 Know More
　　 The “Bee-3” Aircraft

　　 The “Bee” series aircraft are China’s first ultralight airplanes, designed and manufactured by Beihang University. The “Bee-3” is a two-seater ultralight aircraft featuring a high-wing configuration, semi-enclosed cockpit, conventional tail, tricycle fixed landing gear, and a three-axis control system. The wing has a rectangular planform and a flat-cambered airfoil section.

　　 Due to weather conditions, the flight was delayed by one hour from the original schedule and took place at 5:30 in the evening. As this was the first time colored smoke trails were released and the first time flying over Beijing, and considering the longer duration, “Eagle Dad” mentioned he was “a bit stressed.”

　　 Duo Duo appeared calm and collected. Dressed in a sky-blue air force uniform and leather boots, he looked spirited. Changing clothes, putting on the cap, adjusting the headset, aligning the walkie-talkie… he moved like a well-trained soldier. After reporting to Instructor Yang Yanwu, he picked up a foldable stool, marched forward while waving to the onlookers. Arriving at the light aircraft “Chinese Youth” – the Bee-3 – he stepped onto the stool, swung his right leg into the cockpit, turned over, sat down, fastened his seatbelt, put on his headset and goggles, and fixed his gaze on the front windshield.

　　 Following Instructor Yang’s commands from the back seat, “Throttle up, clear the propeller, wait for the command, prepare for takeoff!” Duo Duo shouted the commands loudly. Then the Bee-3 circled the ground three times. Instructor Yang stretched both arms straight out of the cockpit to show that Duo Duo was piloting. With a loud roar, the small plane began taxiing on the field path, accelerating rapidly, and one minute later, it lifted off. The “Chinese Youth” flew toward the distance... During the flight, Instructor Yang also released two streams of colored smoke—one red and one yellow—recording the graceful trajectory of Duo Duo’s flight in the sky for all to see.

　　 About 10 minutes later, the Bee-3 returned, descending gradually before landing smoothly. Duo Duo safely exited the cockpit, and everyone cheered.

　　 Facing Turbulence, Calmly Says “I’m Not Afraid”

　　 The first was a performance involving circling and releasing colored flares. The second was the official flyover of Beijing Zoo.

　　 At 18:08, Duo Duo piloted the Bee-3 again, officially attempting to fly over Beijing Wildlife Park. This flight lasted 35 minutes, and at 200 meters above the Yongding River, the aircraft encountered strong turbulence.

　　 “Are you scared?” “No.” “Are you tired?” “It’s okay.” … Even though Duo Duo didn’t ask for help, considering his young age and lack of experience, Instructor Yang Yanwu still assisted him. “But most of the flight was completed independently by him!” After the flight, Instructor Yang spoke highly of Duo Duo, “This child exceeded our expectations. He’s smart, brave, and has a strong ability to learn. Just a bit lacking in stamina, after all, he’s only 5 years old.”

　　 “Eagle Dad” told reporters that through years of practice and reflection, he feels the educational method he proposed—emphasizing seven quotients: physical, moral, emotional, intellectual, financial, resilience, and courage—is essentially the Eagle-style Education Method. The essence of this method is the importance of an eagle-like environment. As for how parents create such training environments, approaches may vary, which is why Eagle-style Education has growing relevance. In reality, it depends on whether parents have the insight to create such environments anytime, anywhere. For example, many parents overly emphasize academic performance, which is actually just the “IQ” component of the seven quotients.

　　 “Eagle Dad” stated he would continue with Eagle-style Education. He also has a seemingly even more audacious plan: to have Duo Duo cross Hoh Xil. Of course, safety remains the top priority, and he joked, “I am Duo Duo’s real dad.”

　　 At the flight site the day before, Duo Duo’s mother was not present. “I had something to do,” Duo Duo’s mom told reporters with a smile, but she quickly admitted that she actually couldn’t bear to watch.

　　 She told reporters that she had heard about Eagle Dad’s plan for Duo Duo to fly a year ago but didn’t take it too seriously, thinking it was “just talk.” Unexpectedly, after her son won the championship at the 7th National Jinzita Abacus Mental Math Elite Competition, he was taken directly to Hebei for training.

　　 “I found it unbelievable and was very nervous, but there was nothing I could do. Once his dad decides something, no one can stop it.” Duo Duo’s mom could only go along with “Eagle Dad.”

　　When talking about the "Flying Plan" of the "Barefoot Boy," "Eagle Dad" said that soaring through the sky is a human dream. In the early 20th century, the Wright brothers in the United States invented the airplane, and since then, people have continuously made one attempt after another to conquer the skies. However, no Chinese name appears in the history of aviation world records. "Eagle Dad" said that if 5-year-old Duo Duo's test flight is successful, it will set a new world record for the youngest pilot. As far as he knows, there is already a record abroad of a 9-year-old flying solo under ballast.

　　"Eagle Dad" said that among the seven types of intelligence he promotes in his educational philosophy, "flying" falls under "daring quotient" training, which is different from the "physical quotient" of running barefoot in the snow and the "financial quotient" of selling newspapers on cold winter streets. He said that training his son to be "daring" from a young age is meant to inspire a spirit of exploration toward the unknown world — a practical lesson that cannot be learned in classrooms or from books.

　　"It's too dangerous!" "A child with a father like this must have a tough life." ... Just like when Duo Duo ran barefoot in the snow a year ago, Eagle Dad letting Duo Duo fly a plane has once again sparked widespread discussion and criticism online.

　　"I would never use my son’s life as an experiment. I can’t afford to and I won’t allow myself to lose," said Eagle Dad. He told reporters that he chose the "Bee-3" because it is currently the safest aircraft available in China. It is a mature, standardized product produced by Beihang University for 30 years, weighing only 100 kilograms. During flight, if it loses power, the "Bee-3" becomes a glider. If the tilt exceeds 60 degrees, the fuselage will automatically right itself. Even if it loses its tail or even a wing, it will only spiral down, not dive, and certainly not fall straight down. Moreover, the "Bee-3" flies at an altitude of just one or two hundred meters, so in case of an emergency, it can make an emergency landing anywhere on the ground. Also, the flight is conducted as a solo flight under ballast, where the pilot sits in the front cockpit and controls the flight independently, while the instructor sits in the rear cockpit giving commands. In an emergency, the rear instructor can take over the aircraft. To help Duo Duo fly more comfortably, "Eagle Dad" and the instructors specially modified the aircraft at Beihang University.

　　The "Warriors Flight Club" is located in the countryside about 60 kilometers from Beijing, surrounded by crops, with a dirt runway in the field. Seeing such a young child come to learn how to fly a plane, curious villagers gathered around asking all kinds of questions. "This kid could fly the Shenzhou 11 in the future!" "Kid, when you appear on TV one day, don’t forget — you and your first coach both come from the grassroots!" the villagers joked.

　　In the high temperatures of August, they arrived at the training site every morning at 5 a.m. and finished by 9 a.m. Before each flight, permission had to be requested from air traffic control. Each flight required coordination between at least three people: the flight instructor, the mechanic, and the ground safety officer. They didn’t fly non-stop but alternated between theoretical lessons and short flights. Instructor Yang explained the theory very carefully, and the little guy studied diligently as well.

　　At first, Duo Duo sat in the rear cockpit and operated together with the instructor. After two weeks, he moved to the front cockpit and flew solo. After landing, Duo Duo looked very excited and said it was thrilling and he wasn’t scared at all. However, perhaps having passed the curiosity stage, he said, "I don’t want to fly a plane anymore in the future."

　　How much does it cost to play with airplanes?

　　"Eagle Dad" did the math for the reporters: the daily cost for flying is about 1,000 yuan, plus food, accommodation, and transportation, bringing the total cost of the entire training to around 30,000 yuan. Calculating based on 7 hours of daily flight training and theoretical study, the cost per hour is about 180 yuan — roughly the price of an extracurricular tutoring session. Though the price is not cheap, it is still manageable, comparable to the cost of an overseas trip.

　　"Eagle Dad" said that Duo Duo gained a lot from this flying training. Over the three weeks, although he got tanned, he had already mastered the flying skills.

　　According to the original plan, they were going to disassemble the "Bee-3," pack it up, transport it to Nanjing, reassemble it there, and then have Duo Duo fly solo across the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River. But due to real difficulties in obtaining the necessary permits, they ultimately decided to conduct the flight over the training base instead.