Reach for the sky

Deng obtained his pilot's license at the airport on Oct 10 last year, after signing up for training in July of the same year.

Any Chinese citizen aged 17 or above and with at least a junior high school education, can apply for a private pilot's license. After receiving a certified report of their physical fitness, they have to go through 40 hours of theoretical studies, five hours of simulation studies if a flight simulator is present, and 40 hours of flying training before they take the relevant tests.

Deng said in the beginning, the weightless feeling from doing different flying moves made him uncomfortable, but he quickly got used to it. "After getting over the discomfort, excitement kicked in and I was able to make more difficult moves," he said.

He has flown almost 500 times and is getting more relaxed and skilled as a pilot.

"Rather than being at a loss navigating so many things simultaneously, as I was in the beginning, I can enjoy flying now and I feel happier," he said.

Deng said many of his friends envy him for getting his pilot's license, and he has re-posted videos of himself practicing flying.

He views the pilot's license as a retirement gift to himself. "You are never too old to get out of your comfort zone and realize decades-old dreams," he said.

Zeng Qinglun, 25, who works for a media outlet in Zhuzhou, obtained a pilot's license at the airport in July.

When he was in high school he tried a flight simulator at the airport, and after he started work he decided to fulfill his dream of learning how to pilot a plane.

"What I like most about flying is that it is so free and relaxed, and I feel that I belong in the air once the aircraft takes off," he said.

Yu Zhangchang, general manager of Hunan Sunward General Aviation Co, said the company has trained more than 300 pilots and more than 4,000 people have used their flight simulators.

With more support from the government for the general aviation industry, Yu said he is witnessing an increasing number of people wanting to experience flying.

"I am very optimistic about the industry and I believe it will take three to five years for flying to become common in people's lives," he said.