Wang Zheng (pilot)

Wang Zheng (王争; born 25 December 1972),[1] also known as Julie Wang, is a Captain at United Express and an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) in the United States, where she resides. She is the first Asian woman to circumnavigate Earth in an airplane. Wang is also the first Chinese pilot to fly solo around the world[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and the eighth woman to do so.[11][12]

Wang Zheng
Wang Zheng
Born (1972-12-25) December 25, 1972
Chongqing, China
NationalityChinese
Known forFirst Asian woman to fly around the world; first Chinese pilot to solo fly around the world.
Aviation career
First flightMarch 10, 2011
Famous flightsSolo Global Circumnavigation August 17 – September 19, 2016

Early life and education

Wang's parents were professors involved in aerospace research at the Harbin Institute of Technology.[13] They withheld permission for Wang to become a flight attendant for Air China, feeling it more appropriate that Wang attend university and study computer science, which she did for two years before leaving to pursue a career in advertising.

After obtaining a degree in journalism and advertising from Xiamen University [13] and spending fifteen years in strategic communications with global advertising agencies, Wang relocated to the United States with her husband and daughter in September 2010,[14] obtained a driver's license and then began flying in March 2011. She obtained her private pilot's certificate in July 2011 and by late 2012 had become a multi-engine, instrument-rated commercial pilot.[13] In 2013, she earned each of the three available flight instructor ratings (CFI, CFII and MEI) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and became the first Chinese citizen to earn an FAA flight instructor certificate and hold all three flight instructor ratings.[15] In April 2016, Wang became the first Chinese citizen to be approved by the FAA as a chief instructor for a Part 141 flight training provider. .

Flying

In September 2016, Wang completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a single piston-engine airplane, becoming the first Chinese person to fly an airplane solo around the world.[6][16][17] She departed westbound from Addison, Texas on August 17, 2016, and paused in California to have ferry tanks installed and obtain FAA approvals for the aircraft modifications. She departed from Merced, California on September 2, 2016, and made stops in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Guam, the Philippines, China, Thailand, India, the UAE, Greece, Malta, Portugal, the Azores and Newfoundland, before returning to Texas on September 19, thirty-three days later.[4] Wang made the flight in a normally-aspirated Cirrus SR22 modified to hold extra fuel, and covered over 38,500 miles (33,500 nautical miles) in 155 flying hours, over eighteen flight days, flying over or landing in 24 countries. Her longest leg was from Merced, California to Honolulu, Hawaii, covering 2,160 nautical miles in 13.8 hours. Her longest day involved the legs from Lisbon, Portugal to Santa Maria Island in the Azores and then from Santa Maria to St. Johns, Newfoundland, which required her to remain awake for 29 hours.

On November 1, 2016, at Airshow China 2016 in Zhuhai, after the bona fides of the flight were vetted and approved by representatives of AOPA China, AOPA China's President Zhang Feng presented Wang with a replica bank draft for 1,000,000 Yuan Renminbi (about $150,000)[18] representing the 1,000,000 Yuan Renminbi prize AOPA China will award to Wang for being the first Chinese woman pilot to complete an around-the-world flight.

On November 7, 2016, Wang was presented the key to the City of West Palm Beach by Mayor Jerrie Muoio and the Commissioners of the City of West Palm Beach at a ceremony conducted at a regular session of the Commission at the Commission Chambers at the West Palm Beach City Hall.[19] In December 2017, Wang was a featured speaker at the Harvard Business Review/SHE Power annual event in Shanghai, China, where the theme was "redefining the leadership role of women."

In January 2018, Wang was a featured speaker at the Sebring Sport Aviation Expo where she addressed an audience at the Expo's Young Aviator's Zone (YAZ) on "Inspiring Young Women and Aviators to Achieve their Dreams."[20]

In March 2018, London-based Netflights honored Wang with a spot on its list of the "Top 10 Inspiring Women in Aviation of All Time."[21]

In July 2018, Flying Solo, a documentary short about Wang's solo circumnavigation flight, produced and directed by Ed Moy, screened during the 4th Annual "Filmed in Broward" Mini-Fest, and audiences picked their favorites to be screened during the 2018 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF). Flying Solo was in November screened during the 2018 FLIFF at Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood, Florida, and was also screened at the Chinese American Film Festival in New York. In November, the film was an "Official Selection" at the 14th Annual Chinese American Film Festival 2018 in Los Angeles.[22]

In August 2018, Wang was included on Travel Daily Media's list of "12 Iconic Women in Aviation," celebrating National Aviation Day in the United States.[23]

Lawsuits

In 2014, Chen Wei, a Chinese businessman[24] who had himself circumnavigated the world, put up a prize of 1 million Chinese yuan for the first Chinese woman to fly an airplane around the world so, and in August 2016 another female Chinese pilot, Jingxian Chen, was reported to be part way through completing the journey, aiming to win the prize.[25] Chen, the Ninety-Nines China Section Governor,[26] claimed to have completed her flight first and filed a lawsuit against Wang in Beijing, China. Wang's legal representative made a statement saying Chen had made false claims.[27][28] By the verdict of the Beijing Haidian People's Court dated September 26, 2019, Chen lost the lawsuit with the Beijing court throwing out her claims and entering judgment dismissing her complaint. The court ordered Chen pay the court costs.[29]

In March 2018, Wang filed lawsuit against Chen Wei the prize founder for failure of paying her the cash prize he had already awarded her fifteen months earlier at the Zhuhai Airshow.[30] Despite having presented Wang the oversize draft for the One Million Chinese yuan at a public ceremony and press conference, Wei Chen responded to the lawsuit by claiming that “Zheng Wang has never provided any evidence to us as required by the award (committee)."It was a mistake to hold award ceremony for her before checking her evidence.”[31]

In 2018, Wang filed a lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court against Ninety-Nines, a female aviators' organization, saying that they had falsely represented to the public that Chen was the first Asian woman to circumnavigate the globe solo, while having two male pilots on board, and finishing her flight ten days after Wang's was completed.[32]

In 2019, Jingxian Chen filed a lawsuit against Wang's husband and lawyer, accusing him of "fraudulently rewriting history".[31]

References
  1. "Today in Transportation History – 2016: The First Asian Woman to Fly Solo Around the World". Transportation History. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  2. "solo.php". www.earthrounders.com. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  3. "Florida pilot completes solo around-the-world flight". General Aviation News. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  4. Clarkson, Brett. "West Palm Beach woman completes solo flight around the world". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  5. "IAOPA eNews". www.iaopa.org. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  6. 网易. "勇创飞行历史 王争成为中国环球单飞第一人_网易新闻". news.163.com. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  7. 13465, ck. "中国女飞行员王争极限挑战环球飞行之旅_新闻频道_中华网". news.china.com. Retrieved 2016-12-19.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "中国环球单飞第一人王争亮相珠海航展-搜狐". mt.sohu.com. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  9. "This Treasure Coast Flight Instructor Just Made History As The First Chinese Pilot To Fly Around The World". Jupiter Magazine. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  10. "China Central Television (CCTV4)". October 5, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016 – via tv.cctv.com.
  11. "Solo Flights". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  12. "Stuart flight instructor flies around the world". TCPalm. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  13. The life of the first Chinese pilot to fly solo around the world, retrieved 2019-11-23
  14. "Chinese woman to fly solo around the world". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  15. E-mail from FAA economist Anna Barlett, dated January 12, 2015 ("The only record our Airmen Certification Branch found that matches your criteria is Zheng Wang's.")
  16. "This WPB Resident Just Made History As The First Chinese Pilot To Fly Around The World". Palm Beacher Magazine. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  17. Times, Global. "It's never too late to start - Global Times". www.globaltimes.cn. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  18. "中国首位环飞女飞行员王争：华人女首飞书写航空传奇". Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  19. "110717 City Commission in City Commission Meetings on Vimeo". 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  20. "Workshops and Forums". 23 July 2014.
  21. "Netflights - Women with Altitude". www.netflights.com.
  22. Email from James Su, Chairman, Chinese American Film Festival to Ed Moy, dated October 3, 2018.
  23. "On the up: 12 iconic women in aviation". 13 August 2018.
  24. "Pilot sues when she doesn't get award money for being first Asian woman to fly around globe". San Gabriel Valley Tribune E-Edition. July 24, 2018.
  25. "Pilot aims to be first Chinese woman to circle globe". China Daily. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  26. "Record Setting Pilot Wins Trial Verdict". Business Insider. October 22, 2019.
  27. "中国环球女飞第一人"引发诉讼纠纷，究竟谁是"第一人"？". 大白新闻. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  28. ""中国环球女飞第一人"之争升级". 新京报. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  29. "Record Setting Pilot Wang Zheng Wins Trial Verdict". Aero-News Network. October 28, 2019.
  30. "San Gabriel Valley Tribune". San Gabriel Valley Tribune E-Edition. July 24, 2018.
  31. "Was She First". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  32. Russell, Josh (January 23, 2018). "Chinese Aviatrix Launches Dogfight in NY Court". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
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