As we ease into September, Beijingers have a few things to look forward to – from a possible break in pollution to an aircraft show. And as the summer draws to a close, kids are back in school and parents are considering what they should be spending their time studying.

With summer ending, the high heat and humidity are finally leaving – and taking away some of the pollution with it, if the past few days have been any indication. Could the clearer skies become a more permanent fixture in the next few years? Officials have announced that Beijing will begin capping its coal use to 20 million tons per year by 2015 – a considerable drop from 2010 levels, which saw the city burn 70 million tons. In order to make up for the deficit, the city plans to switch coal-burning plants to natural-gas electricity generation systems, as well as to import energy from surrounding areas.

Last week, as kids returned to school, parents finally had time to ponder whether it was worth it to send their child to cram schools this summer. Chinese moms and dads spend thousands of yuan on courses to give their children a leg up on the competition in the coming school year or in extracurricular math/English competitions, but these summer cram schools often fail to live up to the high professional standards they profess. Some are unlicensed programs taught by young college students; others involve outright fraud. Or if you’re in Hong Kong, "teen idol" instructors who seem to spend as much time styling their hair as preparing for classes.

One academic issue that is receiving widespread support is the need for mandatory calligraphy classes in China. Since everybody types nowadays, the general state of handwriting is deteriorating. The revival of penmanship classes has been a hot topic on Weibo recently; a survey on the issue found 88 percent of respondents in favor of the classes. The other 12 percent presumably were suffering flashbacks of unusable brushes, soggy paper and the awkwardness of having the teacher forcibly mold their hand to the correct position.

For aviation aficianados or lifelong students of aerodynamics, there is an upcoming exposition that may be of interest. The Beijing International Aircraft Exhibition will be open to the public on September 24 at the National Exhibition Center. The highlight of the day will be a "helicopter aerobatic flight show."  Exactly how acrobatic can helicopters be?  We can't expect choppers to be diving and flipping at high speeds. So that just leaves contortions, balancing and bedazzled rotors.

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