BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Yuan Luogeng vividly remembers every time he has escaped death since becoming a test pilot for the Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) nearly a decade ago.
Every critical situation, be it landing with a missile, a stub wing breaking off, or a rotor hit by a rocket projectile, could have resulted in his helicopter crashing, and certain death for all onboard had he not handled the danger promptly and properly.
"You don't have time for fear. You just act on instinct," said Yuan, 50, who joined the Army's test-pilot battalion in early 2007.
Thanks to the composure and skill of Yuan and his peers, the battalion, founded in February 2001, has survived more than 60 highly dangerous situations, with no helicopters destroyed and no one hurt.
"Death could come at any moment. These test pilots are the closest to death in peacetime," said Chen Fenghua, the battalion's political commissar.
The battalion, the only one of its kind in the Army, tests military helicopters during the research and development stage, and before they are delivered to users.
To test a helicopter's performance, pilots must push it to its limits to find out its maximum speed, load and ceiling, as well as other useful data.
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