‘Eagle Dad’ says his pilot son, 5, broke no rules
Print Edition
CHINA’S “Eagle Dad” has dismissed suggestions that he broke aviation laws by letting his five-year-old son fly an ultralight aircraft over Beijing.
He Liesheng, whose son He Yide and a flying instructor circled Beijing Wildlife Park, insisted he adhered to all requirements, Beijing Evening News reported yesterday.
He said he hoped to get the boy — nicknamed Duoduo — into the Guinness World Records as the youngest child to pilot an aircraft.
The native of Nanjing, capital of the eastern Jiangsu Province, became known as “Eagle Dad” — the male equivalent of the pushy and demanding “Tiger Mom” — after posting footage last year of a shivering Duoduo running and doing push ups in the snow in New York City, wearing only shoes and underpants.
After Saturday’s flight, questions were raised whether the flight broke aviation rules.
Private flights in China subject to a lengthy and complicated application process, and under China Civil Aviation Law applicants for pilot licenses must be at least 17.
But He said the ultralight Duoduo flew had been modified to make it safer and the flying club in Beijing’s neighboring Hebei Province where the boy learned to fly has flight approval.
And as China places ultralights in the same sports category as cycles, users don’t require a license, he told Beijing Evening News.
Duoduo first took a 10-minute flight at 5:30pm. Then, at 6:08pm, the boy and his instructor took off again on a 35-minute circuit, Modern Express reported.
The boy encountered turbulence at around 200 meters but didn’t call for help, said his instructor, Yang Yanwu.
He told Beijing Evening News that Duoduo had trained for 20 days, at a cost of 1,000 yuan (US$163.50) a day.
Following criticism for making his son work out in the snow, He said he’s seeking to make him strong and healthy as he was born prematurely.
Last year, Duoduo took part in a sailing competition and spent 15 hours climbing Mount Fuji in Japan, according to Modern Express.
He now wants his son to fly across Kekexili, also known as Hoh Xil, an isolated region in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
He also has plans for Duoduo to learn to ride a motorcycle and drive a tractor.
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