高原挑戰者

At the corners of his eyes are some unusual wounds caused by high eye pressure during his flying in Tibet. He is the first person to fly over the Roof of the World with super light aircraft and one of the few to refill fuel while in the air. But he claims that he is not crazy and never takes risks.

把奉勸留給別人

1998年，黃杰從格爾木啟程前往拉薩，臨行前司機叮囑一定要多帶好吃的，在200公里的路上可能一個人也見不到。事實證明司機并沒開玩笑，從可可西里到五道梁一路沿途荒無人煙，就像電影《無人區》中的場景。臨近日落時，黃杰停下車，眼前是觸手可及卻又無限遙遠的夕陽雪峰，天空就像一個大黑罩子，由天邊一點點向上拉著帷幕。

那是黃杰第一次去西藏，他很快愛上了那里凈藍的蒼穹。不是一位旅行者的愛，而是以一位飛行者的身份。在陽光如暴雨般打在臉上、空氣稀薄到說話都嘶啞的青藏高原，他希望駕駛自己改裝的“蜜蜂”輕型飛機翱翔在雪峰之間。

兩年前的某一天，黃杰正在北航輕型飛機設計室的辦公樓里上班時，忽然來了幾名陌生人。他們此行的目的是購買北航自主研制的“蜜蜂”飛機。這些飛行客想用這種極度輕巧的飛機在青藏高原飛行。黃杰鄭重告訴他們：“升限僅為海拔4000米的‘蜜蜂’，在海拔5000多米的青藏高原根本飛不了。”也就是說，勸他們別拿自己的生命開玩笑。可是就在送走這幾位飛行客之后，他自己卻萌生了一個念頭：為什么我自己不試試用“蜜蜂”飛上高原？

對于天生具有冒險家氣質的人，這種旁人覺得莫名其妙的念頭很容易燃燒成欲望。于是就有了黃杰去西藏的考察。他發現這是一個有魔力的地方，那種圣潔的歸屬感加劇了他對雪域天空的向往。

那時黃杰已經購買了自己的第一架“蜜蜂”飛機。只是高原飛行極度考驗飛機的抗壓性，他的飛機必須進行改裝。“我改裝了機翼面積，也給發動機加裝了渦輪增壓。”那個年代，與飛機相匹配的渦輪只能自己動手切割改裝，然后在不斷試飛和重新修改中確定它們的性能，這個過程花費了黃杰兩年多的時間。

2002年，經過了幾年的準備，黃杰再一次回到了自己無比迷戀的高原。在藏北海拔4700米的安多縣進行了第一次試飛。當晚氣溫降至零下，一行4人在高原缺氧的環境下調試著飛機，同時還要摸清四周的地理環境。經過反復的啟動和測試，黃杰的“蜜蜂”終于緩緩升空，在高海拔、空氣稀薄的環境下與雪山擦身而過。與低海拔地區飛行不同，高原反應成了黃杰第一次飛行的主要敵人，“飛到天上，頭疼得非常難受，我幾乎是暈著完成的高原首飛”，這是他事后的回憶。憑借多年的飛行經驗，黃杰最終完成了國內首次用超輕型飛機在西藏的飛行。

那時在自己的朋友圈里，很多朋友們都說“黃杰瘋了”。因為當時國內尚無人駕駛輕型飛機飛上高原，眾多惡劣條件注定了這是一個玩命的“極限運動”。可黃杰回憶說，自己飛行了這么多年，就想找機會挑戰一下飛行極限，對于冒險家，這是一種自我證明。

冒險者的說辭

黃杰完成高原首飛時正是青藏鐵路修建初期，某天他接到鐵道部一位負責人的電話，對方希望這位飛行冒險者能幫助青藏鐵路做航拍。“青藏高原飛機有限，軍方和民航的這些大型飛機無法完成一些超低空的航拍任務，他們聽說了我在安多縣的試飛活動，就找到了我。”對黃杰來說，已經不用再通過飛行證明什么，“但如果是在我喜歡的地方一路航拍，聽起來很有魅力，于是我立刻答應了。”

然而在高原，每次飛行都是危險的。一次在風火山飛行時，黃杰差點摔了飛機。“當時在公路上起降，那里的天氣瞬息萬變，我在拍攝風火山鐵路隧道時，拍完回來時候突然變了天，風雪夾雜著冰粒拍打在機翼上。”當時黃杰正常下降，快接近地面時忽然來了一陣大風，“刮起的風速能達到每秒10多米。飛機瞬間扭了45度。我一把油門就把飛機拉了起來，越過一座小山，最后奇跡般地看到了山谷里有一片較為平整的石灘地，然后將飛機迫降在那里。”

同樣的危險還出現在被稱為世界鐵路的最高點的唐古拉山，那里也被黃杰稱為航拍全程最艱難的飛行。唐古拉山海拔5072米，氧含量只有10.5%，正常人走路都會氣喘吁吁，飛機發動機在這種環境下動力嚴重不足。

在飛唐古拉前，黃杰給飛機加上了小翼以提升升力，可不幸的是小翼意外地被后勤補給車撞壞了。眼下想要完成唐古拉航拍，只能減輕飛機重量，黃杰叫人拆掉了氧氣瓶、電瓶這些重量大的東西。“空軍規定4000米以上飛行高度要帶氧氣，7000米以上飛行高度要帶純氧氣。”而在海拔5072米的高原不帶氧氣無異于在拿生命打賭。當時身邊的人建議黃杰改變飛行時間和計劃，但黃杰卻在連續吸氧30分鐘后，利用體內殘留的氧氣完成了當天的航拍任務。

事后回想，黃杰也覺得這是一次驚險的經歷，“也不知道當時自己是怎么想的，反正就是想挑戰一下，做些刺激的事情。”雖然黃杰常說“自己喜歡挑戰，但絕不冒險，所有活動都經過了縝密的計算和考察。”不過這句話似乎是所有冒險家都常掛在嘴邊的說辭。

加速心跳時的風景

青藏鐵路的飛行拍攝中，黃杰錄制了700分鐘的記錄資料，這是全世界最全面的青藏高原“低空”航拍資料。德國、韓國制作的青藏高原電視紀錄片，最精彩的部分都出在黃杰拍攝的影像中。黃杰說，最早的時候他僅僅想證明自己能用超輕型飛機在高原飛，可是最終這些雪山、峽谷真的太美了，這或許就是飛行探險者的好處，挑戰之余，總能看到一般心跳速度時看不到的風景。

黃杰飛過很多地方，但他最喜歡的依然是西藏，“云貴的風景是秀美，西藏的景色卻是壯美，沙漠上就沒那么有意思了，環塔克拉瑪干沙漠遼闊無垠，卻千篇一律。我覺得西藏的美是險峻又秀麗、狂野與純真并存的，就像探險者所追求的極限中的寧靜。”

如今每年體檢，醫生都會發現黃杰眼底奇特的傷口，這并非普通外傷，而是因長期在西藏飛行，導致眼壓過高造成的崩裂。黃杰說：“西藏是這樣一個有魔力的地方，在那里雖然你會因高原反應感覺難受，可一旦下來，就非常想回去。”

黃杰說自己最大的夢想是在阿里地區做一次詳細的航拍，至今還沒有人去收集這些資料，而他就是想再一次探險，將那片土地記錄下來。

模擬“空中警匪追逐”

2011年，黃杰受邀前往北方某空軍基地。那時國家正在籌劃低空開放，需要做大量的實際調研。其中一項，就是考察開放之后低空的安全性。他們請黃杰來充當一次違規飛行的“黑飛客”，看低空安保系統能否困得住他。

“到了空軍基地，我才知道計劃中要做的是冒充黑飛客駕駛，我要盡力和空中安保雷達、飛機玩‘貓捉老鼠’的游戲。”整個模擬測試黃杰需要飛行100多公里，但“蜜蜂”飛機當時一次載油量連半程都飛不到。于是黃杰想到了一個驚險刺激的方法——自己在飛行途中給飛機灌油。

在起飛前，黃杰和另一位駕駛員把6個5升的塑料油桶用鉤子掛在了飛機兩側，他自己坐在飛機后駕駛艙。當飛機在飛行途中燃油即將耗盡時，黃杰在高空中探身打開飛機的油箱蓋，然后從機身一側拎起油桶，口對口往飛機里倒油。經過特技表演般一桶接著一桶地加油，飛機一路飛到了目的地。事后他覺得這種空中加油難度并不大，只是之前沒人想到這么玩罷了。

在黃杰的飛行過程中，北京監控中心的大屏幕全程監控著黃杰飛機的姿態，當時的高炮技師、雷達也都全程掃描著飛機的動態，警方甚至出動直升機“追捕”黃杰的飛機，彼此間完成了各種一系列飛行動作。這整個過程，需要“黑飛者”擁有極其出色的駕駛技術和豐富的飛行經驗。不過令黃杰動容的并非飛行難度，而是這次飛行的意義：“那時地面和空中很多人都在為推動通航做著努力，而自己也有幸成為了他們中的一員。”

通過這些年的飛行，黃杰認為即使你抱著一顆挑戰、探險的心去嘗試，最終收獲的絕不是只有挑戰成功的快樂。在飛行挑戰的過程中，你能看到平時絕難看到的風景，能記錄下對時代發展有價值的資料，挑戰的意義不僅僅是獲得加速的心跳。

Good Advice

In 1998， Huang Jie traveled from Golmud to Lhasa. Before departure， his driver advised him to bring enough food because he was to travel across a no man’s land. Huang Jie travelled 200km of desolate land from Hoh Xil to Wudaoliang， and at sunset， he stopped for a break， watching the faraway snow peaks and the enveloping darkness.

He had since fallen in love with the clear blue sky in Tibet， not as a backpacker， but as a pilot. He wished to fly his self-modified “Bee” superlight aircraft through snow peaks to enjoy the pouring sunlight.

His flight adventure started about two years ago when he was called upon one day by several uninvited guests. He was working in the light aircraft design office at Beihang University， and the guests wanted to purchase the university designed “Bee” aircraft to fly on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Huang Jie advised them not. “The maximum height of the aircraft is 4，000 meters. It cannot fly at the 5，000m Tibetan plateau.” The guests were sent off， but the idea stayed. “Why don’t I try it with the Bee aircraft？” thought Huang Jie.

It often comes as a surprise to others that adventurers would be attracted to some strange ideas， as is Huang Jie’s Tibet trip. He found Tibet to be a magic and scared place that he longs to be.

He already owned a Bee aircraft then， but he had to modify it in order to fly in high altitude environment. “I modified its wings and installed turbo engines.” At those days， modification had to be done manually. It took him more than 2 years and endless tests to make sure the aircraft is fit for plateau flying.

In 2002， he returned to Tibet and tested flew at 4，700m above sea level in Amdo Zone. It was a freezing cold night， he and three others tuned the aircraft， surveyed the surrounding terrain， and after repeated ignition and tests， his Bee aircraft gradually lifted up. Flying at high altitude in thin air is vastly different than at low altitude. High plateau reaction is the paramount challenge. “My head hurts like hell. I was at the brink of fainting for the whole flight.” But with years of experience， he accomplished China’s first super light aircraft flight in Tibet.

His friends were saying “Huang Jie has gone nuts，” because no one had ever done it before. His life literally hangs by a thread during the “extreme challenge” under those adverse conditions. But in retrospect， he acknowledged that he had always wanted to test limits. Like all adventurers， he wanted to prove himself.

Taking Risks

The Qinghai-Tibet highway just started construction when he started his plateau flights. One day， he received a call from the Ministry of Railway requesting him to help aero-shooting the highway. “There was very few aircraft on the Tibetan plateau and military and civil large aircraft were not up to the task. They heard of my test flights in Amdo Zone， so they reached out to me. It seemed like fun， to shoot beautiful sceneries about the place I like， so I accepted the task.”

But flying over the plateau is dangerous. He was one thread away from crashing once when he flew over Fenghuoshan. “I was landing and taking off on the highway. And the weather was volatile. When I finished shooting the railway tunnel， bright day turned to sleet，” when he was about to land， he was “blew 45 degrees sideways by a 10m/s gale. I instinctively pulled up and flew over a hill， and as if by miracle， found a leveled ground where I force landed.”

Another incident happened when he was shooting at Tanggula Mountains， where he found flying most challenging. At 5072m above sea level， the oxygen level is only 10.5%. It was difficult to breathe on ground， not to mention powering aircraft engines.

Huang Jie installed winglets to increase lift. But unfortunately， the winglets were damaged by the logistic truck. To accomplish the shooting， he had the oxygen and batteries removed to reduce weight. “The Air Force required oxygen on board for flight above 4，000m， and pure oxygen for flights above 7，000m. To fly at 5072m without oxygen no doubt put him life in danger. Despite strong advises for him to change flight time and plan， he breathed oxygen for 30 minutes， and completed the shooting with the remaining oxygen in his body.”

In retrospect， he also found it a dangerous experience. “I don’t remember what was on my mind. All I wanted was to challenge myself， to try something thrilling.” He always says that “I love to challenge， but never take risks. Every action is taken after careful deliberation and calculation.” But doesn’t every adventurer say the same？

Breath-taking Sceneries

He shot over 700 minutes of videos along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway， the most comprehensive “low-altitude” record of the highway. Even the most captivating images in the documentaries made in Germany and South Korea come from his aero-shooting. At first， he just wanted to prove that he could fly on the plateau with super light aircraft， but then he was captivated by the beautiful snowy mountains and valleys. Maybe that’s what attracts adventurers – bold challenges often come with breath-taking sceneries.

He had flown to many places， but Tibet is always his favorite. “Yunnan or Guizhou is beautiful， Tibet is magnificent， the desert， however， is not so attractive. Taklimakan Desert for example is boundless but monotonous. Tibet is both precipitous and beautiful， both wild and pure， just like the ultimate tranquility pursued by adventurers. ”

At each year’s health check， his doctors would ask about the unusual wound at the corners of his eyes. They were caused by high pressure in the eyes during his flying in Tibet. “Tibet is such a magical place that even though the uncomfortable high plateau reactions scare you away， it always draws you back.”

He said that his ultimate dream is to have a detailed aero-shooting in Ali region where no one has done it before.

“Catch me if you can”

In 2011， Huang Jie was invited to an air force base in the north to support the research on low altitude airspace opening-up. Huang was asked to act as a “black flyer” that flies without legal authorization to test the competency of the low altitude security system.

“I did not know until I arrive that I was to act as a black flyer and do my best to evade air security radar.” The test requires a 100km flight， but his “Bee” aircraft can fly at most half the distance with a full fuel tank. So he came up with a thrilling and dangerous idea， to refuel manually in the air.

Before taking off， he and the other pilot hooked six 5-liter barrels of fuel on both sides of the aircraft before he climbed to the aft seat. When fuel was running out， he would stick out to open the fuel lid， grab a barrel of fuel， and refill the aircraft. He kept doing this as in an acrobatic show until they reached destination. He concluded that it is not difficult， only nobody had thought of it before.

The whole flight was monitored by the Monitor Center in Beijing and his aircraft was under constant surveillance by the radar and artillery brigade. Police helicopters were dispatched to “capture” them. The exercise itself is an acknowledgement of the black flyers’ skills， but what makes Huang Jie excited is the significance of the flight. “There were many people pushing the opening up of the general aviation industry both in the air and on the ground， I was fortunate to be one of them.”

During all the years of flying， Huang Jie believes that if you keep trying with a challenging， adventurous heart， you will get more than a sense of fulfillment. You will be able to see extraordinary sceneries， record valuable files， and harvest more than accelerated heart beat.