The People's Liberation Army airforce staged a flypast of 34 aircraft over the Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing Saturday, part of a rehearsal for the country's National Day celebrations on October 1.

The aircraft fleeted over the Tian'anmen Square at around 11:10 a.m. exactly according to plan, military sources said.

The rehearsal was aimed to help the pilots familiarize the flypast routes to ensure a "perfect performance" on October 1, the sources said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The massive celebrations in downtown Beijing will feature a mass pageant involving about 200,000 people and a military review.

Two rounds of rehearsals had been held during the last two weeks, but neither included an aircraft flypast.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2009)