Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 35 Nighttime Airdrop Training, Two Corpors

"These two are Corporal Zhuo Hanguang and Corporal Yan Fangshou. They both have experience flying and do not experience motion sickness or other discomfort. As for what you need them to do, you should be very experienced."

Gui Hongyuan looked at the two soldiers with a serious expression as he finished speaking.

"Fang Wen was temporarily assigned to carry out a special mission. Although he has no military rank, he bears great responsibility. You two must obey his orders and not slack off."

"Yes."

The two stood in front of Fang Wen in unison, demonstrating their stance through their actions.

Gui Hongyuan nodded in satisfaction and then began to talk with Fang Wen.

"You will conduct your first night flight operation tonight. If it succeeds, every night will be your time to operate. This is related to the progress of the war. You can make any requests to me directly."

Fang Wen glanced at his watch; it was 1 p.m. Although time was a bit tight, they could still conduct a simulation training session.

Then he said:

"I need to take them both on a flight once for simulated low-altitude airdrop training. Also, how do you solve the problem of airdropped supplies not being damaged when falling from high altitudes?"

Gui Hongyuan walked over to Rhine NYP-2 and took out a very long rope.

“We had a batch of rattan baskets made, with one end hooked onto a rope. The two of them were responsible for putting the supplies into the rattan baskets and sliding them down.”

I understand. It's friction. The friction between the basket's rings and the rope during the descent slows down the falling object. As long as the rope is long enough, the supplies shouldn't be damaged.

Fang Wen did not relax because of this; he felt that this method was not as good as he had imagined.

After all, the Rheinland NYP-2 is a long-haul transport aircraft, not a vertical takeoff and landing helicopter.

If the device cannot hover in a fixed empty space, it is easy for problems to occur when it is deployed in this way.

"Isn't there a parachute for airdropping supplies?" he asked.

"No, the nighttime airdrop was a last-minute decision. The parachutes weren't ready yet, so we had to use this method for now."

There's no need to dwell on problems that can't be solved for the time being. As for the effectiveness of using ropes and rattan baskets, Fang Wen decided to test it out.

After applying for a flight from Gui Hongyuan, he spoke with two corporals.

"Visibility is extremely low at night, so I can only rely on my experience, compass, and stars to locate myself. You two must cooperate well with me to make the airdrop a success."

The two corporals stood ramrod straight and responded loudly, "Yes, sir."

Immediately afterward, Fang Wen boarded the plane and had two corporals find some empty wooden boxes and fill them with stones.

Then mark the airdrop point on a flat area near the airport.

The Rheinland NYP-2 drove out of the hangar, entered the runway under the guidance of ground crew, and took off.

The plane circled over the airport, and Fang Wen looked down at the airdrop point.

A distance of 2000 meters is not acceptable; the distance must be lowered to below 1000 meters.

He entered mechanical perception and carefully descended slowly.

The aircraft descended at a slight angle and circled as it flew to a position of 800 meters.

The biggest problem with low-altitude flight is that, because the aircraft travels at high speeds, it is difficult to determine the timing of airdrops in a timely manner.

And this is still the method used for airdrops.

Fang Wen wasn't sure either.

He shouted behind him:

"You must complete the operation the moment I give the airdrop command. When I say 'ready,' you must throw the rope out of the plane; when I say 'go,' you must immediately drop the basket. Understand?"

"Understood," the two responded loudly.

Okay, whatever, let's give it a try.

Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to fly at low altitude and circle around once, issuing a command when it was almost close to the airdrop point.

Two corporals struggled to throw the rope out of the cabin door, and the rope, hundreds of meters long, fell and formed a long black line under the plane.

Due to wind resistance and aircraft speed, it swayed backward continuously.

When the order to begin was given, the two corporals threw out the rattan baskets one by one.

The rattan baskets, hung on ropes by buckles, spun and fell through the air.

Next, we just wait for feedback from the ground.

After a while, a call came from the radio inside the military transport plane.

"Fang Wen, the airdrop is 50 meters off to the left, and the supply crate is damaged. You can make adjustments and test the airdrop again." "Understood."

Fang Wen controlled the aircraft's direction while recalling the actions he had just taken.

The main problem is that low-altitude flight is too close to the ground, making it impossible to anticipate and react in a timely manner.

There is a time delay when I give the order, plus the reaction time of the two corporals.

Therefore, the instruction time needs to be advanced by one or two seconds to ensure accurate delivery.

Furthermore, this action requires the two corporals behind to develop a conditioned reflex-like instinct to ensure that the airdrop is carried out without error.

He shouted to those behind him:

"Listen up, you two. Our mission is very important. The soldiers on the front lines need these supplies. When you're dropping them off, you must be completely focused and act immediately after I give the order. There can be no delay."

The two corporals behind him replied loudly, "Understood."

That's good. Keep practicing. You need to succeed at least once or twice before you can fly at night.

Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to continue turning and began the next wave of airdrop training.

This kind of wartime training puts a lot of pressure on everyone on board, and that pressure, in turn, generates motivation.

Circling back time and time again, issuing orders to airdrop, the three focused intently on this repetitive task, and finally developed a tacit understanding.

As soon as Fang Wen gives the order, the two will act immediately, without even having time to think.

With this combination of methods, the accuracy gradually increased.

However, the supply crates still sustained varying degrees of damage during the fall.

This is an unsolvable problem; we can only wait until tonight's airdrop is completed and then see if there are any other solutions.

Training ended at 4 p.m.

The Rheinland NYP-2 landed and underwent maintenance. Fang Wenze and two corporals disembarked.

After three hours of getting to know each other, the three of them became more harmonious.

Fang Wen chatted with them, talking about everyday things and asking where they were from.

This kind of communication, which is just a very common interpersonal skill in the future, felt very friendly to the two soldiers, creating a good internal atmosphere for the temporary airdrop crew.

At this moment, Gui Hongyuan came over.

"I'll take you to the dormitory. There are three air squadrons here, as well as students from Jianqiao Flight School. The accommodations are quite mixed. Considering that you don't know anyone, I've arranged a single room for the three of you."

Fang Wen nodded and, with two soldiers, followed Gui Hongyuan to a bungalow not far behind the hangar.

It appears to be a warehouse that has been temporarily converted into residences, with signs on the exterior walls prohibiting smoking.

"You'll stay here, and they'll be responsible for getting your meals from the cafeteria."

At this point, Gui Hongyuan looked at the two soldiers.

"Corporal Zhuo Hanguang, Corporal Yan Fangshou, your task is to cooperate with Fang Wen's actions, follow his orders in everything, including your daily life, understand?"

"Yes, sir." The two soldiers stood at attention and responded.

Gui Hongyuan then explained to Fang Wen.

"The night flight is scheduled to depart at midnight tonight. You should rest for a bit. I'll send someone to wake you up at 10 o'clock."

After giving his instructions, Gui Hongyuan left. One of the two soldiers stayed behind to accompany Fang Wen, while the other went to the canteen to get dinner for the evening.

Not long after, Yan Fangshou returned carrying three lunchboxes.

Having spent most of the day training, Fang Wen's stomach was growling with hunger. He took the lunchbox and wolfed it down.

After finishing his meal, he entered the room, which had two sections, an outer and an inner one. The outer section had two beds for the two corporals, while the inner section had a bed for him. Apart from these simple pieces of furniture, there was nothing else.

Fang Wen then realized that he hadn't brought any change of clothes with him when he came here.

I estimate I'll be staying here for a while, and since I haven't even taken any money, I'll have to borrow from Gui Hongyuan.

Of course, that's for tomorrow. Right now, we need to conserve our energy and prepare for the airdrop at midnight.

He lay on the bed, fully clothed, trying to sleep. Although he couldn't fall asleep, he could at least rest his mind with his eyes closed.

This time, it wasn't until 10 p.m. that Gui Hongyuan sent a soldier.

"Mr. Fang, it's time."

(End of this chapter)