URUMQI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Mirbek Terebek, 23, has lived a nomadic life since he was a child, traveling on horseback throughout the year in search of water and pastures for his family's livestock.

But the Kazak herder, who never even saw a plane when he was little, has since explored the world beyond the grasslands of his youth and become a helicopter pilot at a popular tourist destination in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Wearing his pilot's uniform and a headset, Mirbek Terebek skillfully steers a helicopter over the Narat tourism site in the region's Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, allowing tourists to experience the site's beauty.

From the cockpit, he introduces Xinjiang's magnificent landscapes to tourists and recounts his personal journey to becoming a pilot.

"Planes have captivated me since childhood, making flying my lifelong dream. And today, that dream has come true," he said.

In 2002, Mirbek Terebek was born into a herding family in northern Xinjiang's Altay Prefecture. His mother told him that when he was little, he would beam with pleasure whenever he saw a certain plane model.

"There was a pile of toys, but I only wanted that model. Perhaps it was the beginning of my dreams," he said.

When he was growing up, he never saw a real plane, and he never imagined he would become a pilot in the future. However, things began to take a favorable turn for him thanks to diversified education opportunities and his family's support.

After graduating from a technical college in 2018, he returned to his hometown to work as a ground crew member at a small airport in a scenic area. Each day, he watched planes take off and land, and the roaring sound of the engines rekindled his dream of flying, intensifying his desire to obtain a pilot's license.

"My parents have never been on a plane. When I told them that I wanted to learn how to operate a helicopter, they were taken aback," he said, adding that to persuade his parents to allow him to follow his dream, he told them all about helicopters and discussed the prospects of tourism development in Xinjiang with them.

Luckily, Mirbek Terebek's parents were soon convinced. In 2023, he began his formal training under Qu Jingwei, a flight instructor at Xinjiang Narat Yubo General Aviation Co., Ltd., which also carries out rescue operations, aerial seeding and other tasks.

However, the learning process was challenging. On April 1, 2023, Mirbek Terebek took to the skies for the first time. Upon stepping into the cockpit, he was so nervous that he broke into a sweat and momentarily forgot what to do.

Undeterred, he sought guidance from Qu and dedicated his time to studying the training materials, focusing on everything from the joystick to various instrument parameters. After more than a year of intensive study and practice, he earned both his private and commercial helicopter pilot's licenses.

Qu said that Xinjiang's low-altitude economy is developing rapidly, and that his company had needed a helicopter pilot at the time. He therefore extended an invitation to Mirbek Terebek after he completed his training.

During last year's tourist season, Mirbek Terebek piloted a helicopter and carried tourists from around the world, offering them aerial views of the Narat grasslands. While navigating the aircraft, he also takes on the role of tour guide, narrating Xinjiang's rich culture and speaking about his own experiences.

Xinjiang's tourism revenue jumped by 21 percent to over 359 billion yuan (about 49.8 billion U.S. dollars) last year with more than 300 million tourist visits received.

"The new tourist season is just around the corner, and we are undergoing targeted training to better ensure the safety of our flights," he said, adding that he plans to bring his parents along for a ride in his helicopter to see Narat this summer.

"My parents tell everyone that I'm a pilot now," he said.

Since obtaining his pilot's licenses, Mirbek Terebek has accumulated over 440 flight hours and has a new goal: "In the future, I want to get my flight instructor's license, train apprentices and help more children from pastoral areas -- like me -- soar in the sky."

China's low-altitude economy, comprising both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, has been gaining momentum, prompting the National Development and Reform Commission to establish a dedicated department in 2024 to support its growth.

The scale of China's low-altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan in 2023 and is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030, according to data released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Enditem

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