Three years later, this flight attendant finally became a co-pilot

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On September 7, flight number OQ2317 was on its way from the Chongqing Municipality to Guangzhou, in south China's Guangdong Province. Before departing, a female co-pilot, 29-year-old Du Qian, did the final preparation, including checking the weather conditions and the flight route to make sure every detail was correct before the flight.

It was also the first time that Du Qian, as her flight as a female co-pilot of Chongqing Airlines, not as a stewardess.

Before the depature, Du and her captain checked every detail of the flight. /Photo via Xinhua News

Since childhood, the love of adventure has fueled Du's dream of becoming a pilot. Through a combination of determination, passion and dedication, Du Qian is realizing her piloting dream step by step.

"Aviation fascinated me when I was young. I will never forget the first time when I saw the handsome movement of the captain to operate the plane," said Du. But she started her sky-high dream as an attendant.

Still, in China, flying planes is still a male-dominated industry. Being a female pilot means overcoming several obstacles.

As a flight attendant, she was reminded again of her ultimate goal of flying a plain, but this idea was strongly opposed by her family.

"Why don't you live a stable life?" Du's parents said, "There are only few girls can do that."

"Who will take care of our daughter if you fly planes everyday?" asked her husband.

However, Du never gave up and told her family that she would regret for the whole life if she never tried.

In 2015, Du quit her flight attendant job and applied to flight academy. To fund her 800,000 yuan (around 116,706 US dollars) flying lesson, Du and her husband sold their apartment. Meanwhile, Du's parents moved to Chongqing to help take care of their one-year-old granddaughter.

To get the Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), Du completed the elementary flying course, including aerobatics theories, low-level flying and aircraft systems engineering.

The study note of Du./Photo via Xinhua News

After three months of theoretical studies, Du entered the cockpit. When her first flight landed smoothly, Du realized that her dream was getting closer.

In February, 2018, Du was recruited by Chongqing Airlines. Before being an official co-pilot, Du needed to perform a variety of tasks, including running a flight simulator, practice for emergency situations like engine fires or depressurization.

The three-month simulator session made Du lose over seven kilograms (around 15.4 pounds) in weight.

"But it was worth it", she said with a smile.

At present, the flight license Du attained is A-1, which is an entry-level license. To be a pilot, she needs to pass additional tests to attain a B, C, and then a D level license.

Before departure, Du and her captain checking the details including the flight route as well as weather conditions. /Photo via Xinhua News

"I hope I can be the first female flight captain in the company," she said.