The clear skies over Beijing were painted blue, red and white Wednesday as the Chinese Air Force aerobatics team performed thrilling stunts in their new aircraft.

More than 70 military attachés from 50 countries watched the first public show by the August First team since they acquired their new Chinese-made F7-G aircraft in late April.

 The heart-stopping show started with six fighter jets skimming the rostrum in a tight V formation -- the distance between wings was only 5 meters.

Onlookers were thrilled as the six pilots showed off 20 manoeuvres in the 25-minute performance. They constantly changed formation, performing loops, crosses and champagne splits.

When the No. 5 aircraft flew over spectators at just 30 meters -- the minimum altitude permitted -- at 900 kilometers an hour releasing colourful fireworks, the audience burst into thunderous applause.

 One of the most breathtaking feats was when two jets flew in a head-on collision course -- they were only 30 meters apart when they swerved to pass each other at 1,300 kilometers an hour.

"Wonderful!" said Colonel Sergey V. Netkach, air attach at the Russian Embassy in Beijing.

"That's the third time I've watched the Chinese stunt-flying team's performance, and every time they have improved a lot," he said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Thierry Mace, military attach at the French Embassy, said he was impressed by the Chinese team's new formations which he described as "full of grace and flair".

 Lieutenant-Colonel Lu Bing, pilot of No. 5 aircraft, said: "It is our first public show after we switched to the F7-G jet almost two months ago. We are now working on new training programs which fit the new aircraft."

The F7-G is an improved version of the domestically-produced F-7 fighter plane. The single-pilot jet can reach a speed of Mach 2 (roughly 2,400 kilometers an hour) and climb up to 18,300 meters.

The August First team, based in Yangcun in Tianjin, is known as China's "Flying Ambassadors of Friendship". They have performed about 320 times for VIPs from 100 countries since their establishment in 1962 and are China's only full-time military aerobatic team.

(China Daily June 16, 2005)