Chinese air force to reduce pilot training costs

China's air force has undergone reforms in order to reduce the cost of training new pilots and enhance the quality of their training, an air force official said Monday. Reforms related to theoretical study, the pilot selection process, training subjects and methodology have taken place, He Weirong, deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, said at an international symposium on military flight held in south China's Zhuhai city. Air force training has become more diversified and complex due to the reforms, He said. The ultimate aim of the reforms is to enhance training quality and reduce costs, said Xie Hong, deputy head of the PLA Air Force training command. "We have made a lot of efforts to develop and use flight simulators to shorten training and save costs," said Xie. The time pilots spend in basic education has been extended to four years and teaching methods have been upgraded, Xie said. The air force is making more efforts to recruit pilots from local militaries and universities, Xie said. Since last year, the air force has cooperated with top universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, to nurture the creation of a high-quality pilot roster, he said.