For thirty years in the technical aviation industry, Hu Shuangqian has kept an error-free record of tens of thousands of parts.

With such unerring craftsmanship, Hu is an aviation technician and the head of the workshops for numerical control machines and bench work in the COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd) Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Making alignments, drawing lines, sawing off redundant parts, removing the burrs, and polishing… it is a series of maneuvers he has performed over and over again in the past three solid decades.

For thirty years in the technical aviation industry, Hu Shuangqian has kept an error-free record of tens of thousands of parts.[Photo from sinomach.com.cn]

Hu once tightened the screws and installed screw fasteners and exterior parts for a large aircraft under repair. “Before I sleep, things will float into my mind like a movie – what I have done today, and what I haven’t done so well.” said Hu. On that night, his peace of mind was disturbed by a flashback of the “screw fasteners” part—a device, as befits its name, that serves to keep screws from coming loose due to violent in-flight vibrations. Such was his anxiety that he biked back to the workplace to check it. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the removal of layers of exterior parts brought the screw fasteners into clear view.

 
On another occasion, Hu was about to go off duty when he was assigned to rush out overnight two tailor-made parts – for the new ARJ21 regional jet – to be used on the early morning of the next day right in the assembly workshop. He was keenly aware that ARJ21, as an innovative civilian jet, was entrusted with great expectations of the whole nation and must be more risk-resistant and meet higher standards.

Hu didn’t go home but worked until 3 am in the workshop to complete the urgent task to everyone’s satisfaction; and all of the parts were tested up to standard at one go.

Hu is an aviation technician and the head of the workshops for numerical control machines and bench work in the COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd) Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd.[Photo from sinomach.com.cn]

Hu has been crazy about airplanes since his childhood, when he would make light of an over two-hour-walk from his home to Shanghai Dachang Airbase and hide in the field near the runway to watch the airplanes taking off and landing.

Echoing the nation’s renewed efforts to build large airplanes, Hu decided to make his professional passion last for another 30 years in a special way — passing all his skills onto the ambitious younger generation. In the last COMAC skills competition, three members of the workshop he was in charge of made a clean sweep of the top three places for bench work.

“It’s my greatest honor to do my part in the development and manufacture of China’s large airplanes,” said Hu. “My greatest wish is to see our own planes flying safe and sound in the near future.”