The skies above a general aviation airport in east China's Zhejiang Province buzzed this week as multi-rotor drones darted and dived, balloons popped mid-air and crowds roared. It was the opening of the 2025 China Universities Aircraft Design Competition (CUADC), where college students showcased engineering skills and aerobatic flair.

Nearly 4,000 undergraduates from more than 150 universities, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University and Poznan University of Technology, as well as military academies, participated in the fourth edition of the event, held from October 6 to 14 in Zhejiang's Deqing County. 

The competition started with FPV (first-person view) aerial battles, where student pilots flew micro drones through balloon-popping dogfights, thrilling the audience with inverted hangs, swallow-rolls and sideslip maneuvers.

"Through this competition, we focus on integrating talent cultivation with national needs, connecting education and industry to foster an ecosystem for aerospace innovation," said Wang Gaofeng, deputy dean of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Zhejiang University.

Guided by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and other national aerospace leaders, the CUADC has grown into a key platform for cultivating aviation talent. Organizers say it not only promotes innovation in next-generation aircraft design but also supports China's ambitions in the low-altitude economy – an emerging sector that includes drones, air taxis and other short-range aviation.

The host county, Deqing, aims to strengthen its position as a center for low-altitude flight by attracting investment, talent and research resources.

The airport, the Deqing Moganshan Airport, is China's first general aviation airport been assigned with a three-letter code "DEQ" by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The same organization assigns global commercial airport codes, such as "PEK" for Beijing Capital International Airport. Having such a code indicates that the airport is officially recognized within the global civil aviation system – a rarity for general aviation facilities.

Deqing also hosts a B-type bonded logistics zone. In this customs-supervised area, multiple companies can store, process and distribute goods with import duties and value-added taxes deferred until the goods enter the domestic market. Unlike A-type zones reserved for a single enterprise, B-type zones are open to many users, making them more flexible and better suited for industries like aviation that rely on importing and exporting specialized parts and materials.

(China Media Group's Xin Ren also contributed to the story.)