CHENGDU | Xinhua | When Ngorcog was a child growing up on the vast grasslands of Sichuan Province in southwest China, she never imagined that barley and fruit would one day “fall from the sky.”
For the young Tibetan woman, cargo transport used to rely on horses and yaks, and later, trucks. Today, the 25-year-old has a new role: pilot of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
“Learning to fly drones was difficult at first, but it was also fascinating,” she said. Drone logistics services are becoming increasingly common in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where Ngorcog lives.
Ngorcog is from Baxi Town in Ruoergai County of Sichuan. In September 1935, during the Long March, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held the Baxi Meeting there, establishing the strategic policy of continuing northward.
The site of the meeting, Banyu Monastery, remains a place of regular worship for Ngorcog, who practices Tibetan Buddhism. In Tibetan culture, the sky holds special significance, with the mythical Garuda bird symbolizing good fortune.
Ngorcog’s first encounter with drones came during her university years, when she and her classmates used one to take graduation photos.
“I felt both excited and nervous during takeoff,” she recalled. “When the lens rose to the sky, offering a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding world, the familiar scenery instantly looked different. My horizon was completely opened, and that sense of vastness was hard to describe in words.”
However, it was not until after graduating in 2024 that she began professional training. Originally a music student, she decided to apply for drone training after seeing a recruitment notice from Ruoergai General Aviation Culture and Tourism Co., Ltd.
This company is the first low-altitude economy enterprise in Aba, a plateau region with an average altitude between 3,500 and 4,000 meters, and Ruoergai is China’s first pilot county for the low-altitude economy on high-altitude plateaus.
Ngorcog was sent to a training and certification base in Jiande, east China’s Zhejiang Province. “The hardest part was flying the 8-shaped route,” she said. Three months later, she obtained her pilot license.
Her parents, both farmers, live 90 kilometers from her workplace. Having never seen a drone before, they were curious about their daughter’s new job.
“They asked me if I could use the drone to spray pesticides on their vegetable plots,” she said with a smile.
More than 90 years ago, the Red Army crossed the grasslands of Ruoergai and surrounding areas. In his book “The Long March: The Untold Story,” American journalist and author Harrison Salisbury described the area as “untouched for 3,000 years.” Filled with swamps, extreme cold and low oxygen, the treacherous terrain claimed the lives of many soldiers.
In recent years, Ruoergai has developed its low-altitude economy. So far, its low-altitude airspace covers 9,119 square kilometers, making it one of the largest contiguous low-altitude coordinated airspaces in China.
Located on a high-altitude plateau, Ruoergai is prone to extreme weather such as blizzards, and some areas face high risks of geological disasters. When roads are cut off by ice, snow or landslides, making them impassable for people and vehicles, drones can take off quickly to deliver urgent medicines, food and warm clothing to isolated areas.
In May this year, Aba held an earthquake relief drill in Ruoergai. The drill simulated a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that severed roads, paralyzed communications, and turned some villages into “isolated islands.” During the exercise, compound-wing UAVs conducted aerial reconnaissance of the disaster area and airdropped first-aid kits, drinking water and communication equipment to the “stranded” zones, effectively addressing the communication and access challenges.
“When a sudden disaster occurs on the Ruoergai grassland, drones can fly immediately to areas inaccessible to vehicles, conduct reconnaissance and deliver emergency supplies,” said Huang Peifeng, deputy head of Ruoergai County.
According to a report on education and industrial talent development in China’s low-altitude economy this year, the shortage of core positions in the sector will reach 1.82 million in the next five years, with demand for technical roles surging by over 320 percent.
To enhance local children’s understanding of drones, the company offers study tour courses.
According to Tsewang Lhamo with the Ruoergai General Aviation Culture and Tourism Co., Ltd., the company has collaborated with local schools for over a year, hosting 500 to 600 students. The curriculum includes aviation lectures, VR experiences, model aircraft making and drone soccer.
“Few people on the grassland had ever encountered drones before,” Tsewang Lhamo said. “The children were very interested. I thought they might be afraid of the VR flying experience, but they weren’t. During the lessons, they didn’t even want class to end.”
“Children here rarely have access to cutting-edge technologies. These drone study tours sow the seeds of the low-altitude economy on the grassland. The curiosity in their eyes is precious, and it shows us the unique potential of these grassland children,” said Yang Rong, a teacher at a primary school in the Ruoergai county seat.
Tsewang Lhamo is also preparing to take her pilot license exam.
“I hope to master another skill,” she said. “In the future, drones will be used in more places across the grassland.” ■
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