One day in 2015, Feng Panlong, a student, visited Chengfei, China Aviation Industry Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “Chengfei”). He remembered that when he and his classmates first saw the J-10 fighter jet at the door, they were so excited that “the heart almost jumped out.”
Ten years later, Feng Panlong, born in the 1990s, has transformed from a young student who looks up to Chengfei fighter jets to a direct participant in China's aviation industry, becoming the chief operating technician of Chengfei aircraft riveting, the manufacturer and guardian of my country's multiple advanced fighter jets. Today, he is also the winner of the China Youth May Fourth Medal.
Feng Panlong grew up in rural Gansu since childhood. His love for machinery can be traced back to his childhood experience of working with his father in repairing cars and handing tools to his father.
One day in high school, Feng Panlong accidentally saw a documentary about China's aviation industry on TV. He suddenly thought: repairing an airplane is definitely more “advanced” than repairing a car. So, after the college entrance examination, Feng Panlong applied to Xi'an Aviation College.
During his studies in the aircraft manufacturing technology major at Xi'an Aviation College, Feng Panlong pursued excellence in his studies. He would spend several weeks completing a picture for the mechanical drawing assignments assigned by the teacher.
Feng Panlong did not go to the cafeteria to eat when he was painting pictures, and he often placed steamed buns his classmates brought to him by his design table. But he often forgot to eat, “As soon as I get to draw pictures, I feel very excited, and I don't seem to feel hungry.”
When Feng Panlong was still a student, new types of aviation equipment in my country were emerging in large numbers. Around 2010, a variety of advanced aviation weapons and equipment independently developed by my country were manufactured, tested and tested not far from Xi'an Aviation Institute.
At that time, Feng Panlong could only look up at them from afar. The first time I came into close contact with a real fighter was when he first entered Chengfei.
In April 2015, Feng Panlong went to Chengfei to participate in pre-job training. Here, he saw the J-10 fighter.
It is also here that Feng Panlong followed his master, national model worker, national technical expert, and expert in Chengfei riveting skills, and started a career of “striving for excellence”.
Half a year after entering the factory, Feng Panlong participated in a worker skills competition in a professional factory, but failed to enter the finals. The master said only one thing: “Put one more rivet and you can make it to the top six.”
Feng Panlong remembered it in his heart and began to practice one by one. After completing his daily work, he will continue to stay in the workshop and spend an hour or two to practice his skills. A year later, he participated in the professional factory skills competition again, and Feng Panlong won the first place.
This is an amazing achievement for a newcomer who has just joined the factory for less than two years. After the game, the master said to Feng Panlong: “Work hard and don't be proud.”
At the beginning of 2025, Feng Panlong received an emergency special mission. He immediately took tools and parts, and took a flight and then took a train with several apprentices, and arrived at the outfield. They didn't have time to put their luggage away and started working, and they didn't close their eyes for a full 33 hours.
7 years ago, my master also received a similar task, taking Feng Panlong, who had just worked for three years, to the outdoor venue. On that business trip, Feng Panlong saw his master's unique skills. “Walking through a 10mm hole, and making a new hole without hurting the original hole. This is like a sniper who wants to pass through the bullseye in front and hit the latter bullseye perfectly. The new hole is in place in one step, which is incredible!”
Now, Feng Panlong has also experienced difficult tasks. Looking back at the past, he said: “Now, I can also chew these hard bones like my master and shoulder some burdens.”
Four years after entering the factory, Feng Panlong had his own apprentice. Now, he has become the head of Cheng Fei's “Feng Panlong Youth Innovation Studio”.
The main work of the studio is to carry out innovative work outside of production, undertake scientific research projects, coordinate relevant resources to promote front-line research, and also undertake training for young workers.
Feng Panlong led the studio members to in-depth linkage with the doctoral innovation workstation, give full play to the advantages of front-line skilled personnel and technical personnel, and completed 16 projects such as technological innovation and innovation and efficiency creation, saving the company more than 14 million yuan in production costs.
Feng Panlong proposed to apply final hole assembly technology, which greatly improved assembly efficiency and quality by optimizing the front-end assembly process. In order to ensure production quality and reduce labor intensity, he also promotes the engineering application of advanced innovative technology such as three-dimensional auxiliary projection and human-machine exoskeleton.
Over the past 10 years, Feng Panlong has participated in the manufacturing of multiple models of equipment and has personally experienced the transformation of my country's aviation manufacturing industry. On the production line, there are fewer and fewer work equipment, and the work accuracy is getting higher and higher; there are fewer and less repetitive and heavy labor, and there are more and more applications of digital equipment.
But no matter how it develops, the demand for people in aircraft manufacturing has never decreased, and it has even become higher and higher. Feng Panlong said that this work still has high requirements for experience and feelings and cannot make mistakes.
This challenging professional experience enriched Feng Panlong's young and enterprising life, and also reflected the new era of aviation service spirit of Chinese aviation people who are loyal, self-reliant, hard work and bravely climbing to the top.
Wu Chen, Pan Ying, China Youth Daily·China Youth Network reporter Wang Xinxin Source: China Youth Daily
2025-06-05-01