Tu Jida (; 11 December 1927 – 16 February 2011) was a Chinese
aircraft designer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
who led the development of five models of aircraft and was hailed as the "father of the
Chengdu J-7
The Chengdu J-7 (Chinese: 歼-7; third generation export version F-7; NATO reporting name: Fishcan) is a People's Republic of China fighter aircraft. It is a license-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, and thus shares many si ...
" family of jet fighters.
In the 1950s, he participated in the development of the
Shenyang JJ-1 trainer and was a chief designer of the
Nanchang CJ-6
The Nanchang CJ-6 () is a Chinese basic trainer aircraft designed and built by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory (now Hongdu Aviation) for use by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Development
The CJ-6 (Chu Jiao 初教 = Chuji Jiaoli ...
trainer. Starting in 1960, as chief designer of the
Chengdu Aircraft Factory, he developed the fighter jets
Shenyang J-5A,
Chengdu JJ-5
The Shenyang J-5 (Chinese: 歼-5) ( NATO reporting name ''Fresco'') is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designate ...
, and
several variants of the J-7 fighter, including the
Chengdu J-7M, then China's only warplane competitive in the world market. He was an academician of the
Chinese Academy of Engineering
The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...
.
Early life and education
Tu Jida was born 11 December 1927 in
Shaoxing
Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...
,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
, Republic of China.
When he was ten, the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
broke out and Shaoxing was bombed by Japanese warplanes.
To seek refuge from the war, his mother brought him and his brother to live in the
Shanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction ...
. This experience greatly influenced Tu's decision to become an aircraft designer. After the end of the war, he was admitted to the
aeronautical engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...
department of
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU; ) is a public research university in Shanghai, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of China.
The university was established on April 8, 1896 as Nanyang Public School (南洋 ...
in 1946.
Career
After graduating from university in 1951, Tu was assigned to work for the
Harbin Aircraft Factory.
In 1956, he was transferred to the
Shenyang Aircraft Factory to help develop the
Shenyang JJ-1 trainer, the first jet aircraft designed in China. Working under chief designer
Xu Shunshou
Xu Shunshou (; 21 August 1917 – 6 January 1968) was a Chinese aircraft designer and a founder of the aircraft manufacturing industry in the People's Republic of China. He was the founding director of the PRC's first aircraft design organizatio ...
and deputy chief
Huang Zhiqian
Huang Zhiqian (; 24 January 1914 – 20 May 1965) was a Chinese aircraft designer. He served as Chief Designer of the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute and was in charge of designing the Shenyang J-8, China's first high-speed, high-altitude in ...
, Tu was in charge of designing the
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
.
The plane took its first flight in July 1958, after only 21 months of development.
![Nanchang CJ-6A Airplane over California Coastline N4183E 20110219](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Nanchang_CJ-6A_Airplane_over_California_Coastline_N4183E_20110219.jpg)
In 1958, Tu Jida and Lin Jiahua were tasked with designing the
Nanchang CJ-6
The Nanchang CJ-6 () is a Chinese basic trainer aircraft designed and built by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory (now Hongdu Aviation) for use by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Development
The CJ-6 (Chu Jiao 初教 = Chuji Jiaoli ...
basic trainer at the
Nanchang Aircraft Factory. It took their team only 72 days to build a working prototype. After further development, in the 1980s it became the first Chinese-designed aircraft to be mass produced, with more than 2,000 made.
In 1960, Tu was transferred to
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
to work for the
Chengdu Aircraft Factory, then still being established. He served as chief designer for the
Shenyang J-5A, an improved version of the J-5 fighter. The J-5A took its maiden flight on 11 November 1964. It was the first plane built by Chengdu Aircraft.
Based on the J-5A, Tu went on to design the jet trainer
Chengdu JJ-5
The Shenyang J-5 (Chinese: 歼-5) ( NATO reporting name ''Fresco'') is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designate ...
. The plane was in production for 20 years, with more than 1,000 manufactured in total. It was the main trainer used in Chinese aviation schools, and more than 15,000 pilots received their training in the aircraft. It was also exported to more than ten countries.
![Bangladesh Air Force F-7 Air Guard Landing (8093832393)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Bangladesh_Air_Force_F-7_Air_Guard_Landing_%288093832393%29.jpg)
In 1969, Chengdu Aircraft took over the development of the
J-7 fighter (also known as F-7) from Shenyang Aircraft, and Tu was again the chief designer. He developed the J-7I model in 1973, and then the J7-II with a greatly improved
ejection seat
In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an ex ...
system. In 1987, he developed the J-7M, which was exported to many countries. It was the only Chinese-made warplane that was competitive in the world market, and Tu was hailed as the "father of J-7" in official Chinese media.
He was also a professor and doctoral advisor at the
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Tu was awarded the
State Science and Technology Progress Award
The State Science and Technology Prizes () are the highest honors conferred by the national government of the People's Republic of China in science and technology, in order to recognize citizens and organizations who have made remarkable contribut ...
(First Class) in 1985.
In 1995, he was elected an academician of the
Chinese Academy of Engineering
The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...
.
Personal life
Tu had a son, Tu Zhengxing (屠征星), and a daughter, Tu Zhengyin (屠征音). According to his children, he devoted most of his time to work and spent little time with his family.
Tu worked at the
Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) or Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC), a subsidiary of AVIC, is a Chinese aerospace conglomerate that designs and manufactures combat aircraft and is also a manufacturer of aircraft parts. It was foun ...
until the end of his life. In the
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
of 2011, he went to
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
to spend the holiday with his family. He had a fall when in Shenzhen, and died on 16 February at the Shenzhen No. 6 People's Hospital, at the age of 83.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tu, Jida
1927 births
2011 deaths
Chinese aircraft designers
Engineers from Zhejiang
Educators from Shaoxing
Shanghai Jiao Tong University alumni
Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics faculty