Longtime PLA seed sowers earn 'role model' title

Pilot Ren Bin also stressed the importance of accuracy. "Whether we fly well or not, the land will not lie. If we don't fly well or fail to sow the seeds into their proper position, the success rate of seedling and forestation growth will be greatly affected," he said.

Ren added that his instructor once told him that when he flew the plane at an ultralow altitude, "50 meters is 50 meters. One meter higher or lower will not be allowed".

Ren said it was only after countless practice to create muscle memory that he is now able to fly over the belt zones precisely and sow seeds evenly.

In order to capitalize on the best meteorological conditions, such as the rain, the pilots usually wake up at 5 am every day in early summer and work about 10 hours a day with little rest. During the day, the blazing sun turns the cabin into a sauna, leaving the pilots drenched in sweat by the time they finished flying.

Furthermore, as the cabin is not sealed, rapid ascent or descent puts their eardrums under air pressure, causing many of the pilots' eardrums to painfully bulge.