
442: How Feng Ru took off to great heights
Known as the father of Chinese aviation, he was the first person to successfully fly on the West Coast
Feng Ru was known as the father of Chinese aviation.
Photo illustration by Vivian Lai
Words by Samantha Pak
The 442: A JoySauce column named after the military unit, designed to school you (in all the best ways) on accomplished Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of the past. Asians have been shaping American history, culture, food, politics, identity, and more for centuries—it’s time we acknowledge what’s been left out of most textbooks.
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Orville and Wilbur Wright are generally credited with inventing, building and flying the world’s first successful airplane in 1903, but they’re not the only aviation pioneers of the period. Hundreds of men and women at the time helped give mankind wings, including Feng Ru (Jan. 12, 1884-Aug. 25, 1912), who was known as the father of Chinese aviation.
In 1909, six years after the Wright brothers’ history-making first flight in North Carolina, Feng became the first Chinese person to fly in the United States—as well as the first aviator of any nationality to fly on the West Coast.
Born in Guangdong, China, Feng—also known as Fung Joe Guey—moved to California in his early teens. He lived and worked in various parts of the state before deciding to settle in San Francisco in 1906. Unfortunately, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck and devastated the city that year and instead, he settled in Oakland with his uncle.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Feng was “staggered” by the power and prosperity he saw in the United States. Understanding that the industrialization that made this country great could do the same for China, he set out working in shipyards, powerplants and machine shops to learn everything he could about machines and gain more mechanical knowledge. From this on-the-job education, he developed alternate versions of the water pump, generator, telephone and wireless telegraph—some of which were used by Chinese businessmen.
A turbulent journey
When he learned about the Wright brothers’ successful flight, Feng turned all his attention to aviation. He translated anything he could find on the Wright brothers, as well as fellow aviators Glenn Curtiss and Henri Farman—who were American and British French, respectively—into Chinese. With the financial support of local Chinese businessmen, Feng erected his first workshop, a 10 feet by 8 feet shack filled with tools, books, journals, mechanical projects and aircraft parts, as well as Feng himself, who would often work until 3 a.m. This tiny workshop was also the birthplace of Feng’s airplane manufacturing company, Guangdong Air Vehicle Company. He completed his first airplane in 1907, though it was unsuccessful.
It would be Feng’s second plane—a biplane that had improved on the Wright brothers’ blueprint—that would secure his place in history. That fateful flight took place in September 1909 in high winds and lasted about 20 minutes before the bolt holding the plane’s propeller to the shaft snapped off and brought him to a stop. Feng was dumped 12 feet to the ground, alive and only slightly bruised.
Many newspapers at the time reported on the flight, though they differed on the exact date (either Sept. 21 or Sept. 22), since this was an era before widespread telecommunications made it easier for accurate reporting. These differing reports also included stories leading up to the flight that chronicled Feng’s life and rise to prominence, according to Alta Journal, an outlet focused on everything from arts and culture, to technology and the environment in California and the West. There are reports that Feng immigrated to the United States with his uncle, while others report he came alone; the year of his arrival (1894 or 1898), as well as his family’s socioeconomic status, also vary among these reports. And it didn’t help that Feng never bothered to clarify matters, and in fact after his first flight, hired a publicist who fed newspapers false stories about how he studied at Oxford and Harvard, in order to increase his stature.
To keep his inventions secret, Feng even had engine castings made by different machine shops on the East Coast and assembled the parts himself.
It wasn’t an easy flight path for Feng to get in the air (and stay there), and he faced challenges beyond building the aircrafts themselves. During one of his test flights, he lost control of the plane and crashed into his workshop, which as a result, burned to the ground, Smithsonian reports. Feng and his three assistants moved their operations to a hayfield in Oakland. They also had guards posted at the perimeter of the new building to discourage curious onlookers, and spoke to visitors through a crack in the wall, Chinese aviation historian and scholar Patti Gully told Smithsonian. To keep his inventions secret, Feng even had engine castings made by different machine shops on the East Coast and assembled the parts himself.
This anxiety and paranoia was warranted as someone had tried to come through the window to steal his secrets—“they were worth that much,” according to Alta. To top it all off, as a Chinese immigrant living in the United States when anti-Chinese sentiments were particularly high, Feng couldn’t patent his work, which in addition to his airplane designs, included the aforementioned wireless telegraph as well as a pile driver.
Hometown hero
Feng’s success caught the attention of Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, who asked him to bring his planes to China to aid in the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty, according to the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company. Feng arrived in Hong Kong on March 21, 1911 and became a captain in Sun’s army. Little is known about his actual role in the war, though it’s likely he was the first aviator ever to fly a military mission. After a successful revolution, Sun made Feng the head of the new Chinese air force.
Feng also built the first aircraft manufactured in China, but died during a demonstration flight on Aug. 26, 1912. Upon his death, Feng was buried among soldiers who served in the revolution, with the words “Pioneer of Chinese Aviation” inscribed on his tomb. He was also posthumously awarded the rank of major general. And while Feng isn’t well known in the United States, his fame in China is on the same level as the Wright brothers’: Schools have been named in his honor, his childhood home is a museum, and the Chinese space program is considered to be based on the foundations of his work.
Published on January 13, 2025
Words by Samantha Pak
Samantha Pak (she/her) is an award-winning Cambodian American journalist from the Seattle area and co-editor in chief for JoySauce. She spends more time than she’ll admit shopping for books than actually reading them, and has made it her mission to show others how amazing Southeast Asian people are. Follow her on Twitter at @iam_sammi and on Instagram at @sammi.pak.
Art by Vivian Lai
Vivian Lai is an experienced L.A.-based graphic and UI designer with a proven track record of problem-solving for diverse clients across industries. She is highly skilled in design thinking, user experience, and visual communication and is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest design trends and techniques. Vivian has been recognized for her exceptional work with numerous industry awards.