Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 399 The Last Glory of the Qingyun: Selling Gunboats to the Spanish Civil War
Over Wuhan, Soviet warplanes, Nationalist government warplanes, and Japanese warplanes were locked in fierce combat.

At that moment, a civilian seaplane entered the airspace.

The Wuhan residents who were watching the scene with great courage all recognized that it was a Taishan Airlines plane.

But they didn't know who was piloting the plane.

Only a few senior executives at Taishan Airlines knew about it and were watching it closely.

In particular, Kwong Ming-chu was praying to all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, hoping that her husband could land safely.

Although everyone had confidence in Fang Wen's flying skills, it was, after all, a civilian aircraft with no offensive capabilities and poor performance protection, which could not be compared with those military fighter jets.

Fang Wen focused intently, activated the mechanical sensors, and began operating the civilian waterplane.

He was one with the aircraft, like a nimble iron bird.

The propellers tore through the smoke, and the wings emitted a metallic groan.

The cockpit window reflected three Type 97 carrier-based fighter jets painted with the Rising Sun flag, swooping down from a gap in the clouds. Bullets whizzed past the edges of the aluminum skin, but could not hit the civilian seaplane.

The right engine is overheating, and the rivets on the left flap are vibrating.

The Yangtze River reflected a silvery-gray light below, while the navigation flags of the seaplane airport fluttered in the breeze.

Two Il-16s suddenly cut in from the rear, their Soviet-made ShKAS machine guns roaring as they fired at the Japanese aircraft.

The Japanese wingman did not abandon his attack on Fangwen despite the sudden appearance of the Il-16.

The Type 97 fighter jet quickly pulled up, its belly shadow sweeping past, preparing to flank and attack from behind.

Fang Wen pressed the rudder hard, pushing the civilian amphibious aircraft to its limits, and flew sideways, narrowly missing the Japanese wingman's plane.

Such an extreme maneuver stunned the Japanese pilots, and the sense of humiliation drove them to launch a second pursuit.

The Type 97 fighter abandoned its comrades and, while its wingman was being attacked by two Il-16s, swooped down and attacked the seaplane piloted by Fang Wen.

The enemy aircraft flying at high speed was unavoidable due to its performance, so Fang Wen made a risky, unconventional maneuver.

The entire plane resembled a sampan capsized by a giant wave, with the right float almost skimming the surface of the river as it sideslipped, water splashing onto the windshield and exploding into tiny droplets.

The fuel gauge needle started to tremble, indicating that the engine performance had been pushed to its limit.

Japanese warplanes had already swooped in, relentlessly pursuing them, their 7.7mm ammunition belts firing at the tail fins, weaving a death trap.

Fang Wen closed his eyes, letting his consciousness follow the rudder cable, and suddenly pushed the lever and swooped down three seconds before the bullet pierced through.

The feeling of weightlessness was putting a strain on the body, making it an operation that ordinary pilots could not perform. The tilted propellers kicked up a lot of water mist that enveloped the enemy planes behind.

In an instant, the enemy planes lost sight of the seaplanes and had no idea that the dock of the seaplane airport was right in front of them.

It charged forward without hesitation and crashed directly into the concrete pier of the dock.

The impact at such a high speed caused the entire fuselage to twist and deform, followed by the internal ammunition burning and detonating, sending a ball of flame into the air.

At this moment, the civilian seaplanes, which had slowed down, slowly made their way toward the dock.

If anyone sees this, it will be the most controversial case in aviation textbooks.

It actually used water resistance to forcibly reduce speed and used the water mist stirred up by the propeller to obscure the opponent's vision, causing it to crash into the dock without any warning.

Every step seemed meticulously planned, yet also like a coincidence that could never be replicated.

Fang Wen piloted the plane to land at the seaport and docked at the pier.

He loudly instructed Gong Xiuneng: "Find an air-raid shelter and wait there. I need to go to the hangar to pilot the Qingyun."

After saying that, he pushed open the cabin door, leaped onto the dock, and rushed towards the hangar.

Unexpectedly, Gong Xiuneng caught up quickly: "Commander, the Qingyun has two seats. The rear seat can control the machine gun. Let me fight alongside you."

Gong Xiuneng, who had once traveled on the Qingyun, knew the layout of the rear cabin.

There was indeed a rear-firing machine gun control lever installed there, but it was just a modification Fang Wen had made to the Qingyun. In reality, the rear-firing machine gun was never used.

But Gong Xiuneng's words reminded Fang Wen that the poorly performing Qingyun might have to rely on its two machine guns at the front and rear to achieve a surprising effect.

He nodded and said, "You can follow me, but you can't fire without my permission. You have to follow my orders in everything."

Gong Xiuneng was overjoyed: "Okay, I will be just like the gunboat pilot, I will not do anything reckless."

Immediately, the two ran into the hangar.

The two worked together to remove the cover of the Qingyun aircraft. Fang Wen then boarded the plane, started the engine, and used mechanical sensing to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the aircraft.

The Qingyun, which flew just the day before the Spring Festival, is basically fine.

The rear-firing machine gun located at the tail of the aircraft is also in good condition.

He then had Gong Xiuneng board the rear cockpit and pilot the Qingyun out of the hangar.

The plane accelerated on the small runway, lifted its fuselage at the end of the runway, which was only 30 meters from the river, and flew into the sky.

The fierce battle in the air continues.

No one noticed that an old-fashioned biplane fighter plane had taken to the sky.

This biplane fighter, which appeared at the end of World War I, actually entered the battle and challenged a group of rising stars.

Fang Wen, who had upgraded his mechanical perception ability multiple times, was piloting the Qingyun at full power. As his ability improved, the aircraft became clearer to him.

The propellers whistled as they tore through the air, and the old wooden wings trembled violently.

Gong Xiuneng turned around in the rear cockpit, facing behind him, and was exploring and familiarizing himself with the aiming device for the rear machine gun.

Wear on the engine piston rings reduced efficiency by one-tenth.

At that moment, three Il-16s flew in.

Two of the pilots were Soviet pilots, and the other was an old acquaintance from the 4th Air Group of the National Air Force.

The other party was driving the Qingyun alongside Fang Wen, communicating with hand gestures.

His meaning was to have Fang Wen abandon this air battle.

After all, the era of biplanes has passed, and the old-fashioned biplane, the Qingyun, only has a flight speed of 200 kilometers per hour, which is not even comparable to the Hawk II biplane currently in service with the Nationalist Air Force.

Fang Wen responded with gestures, indicating that he would not give up the fight, and proposed a bet.

He made a finger-guessing gesture and then pointed to another group of Japanese warplanes flying in from a distance.

This was something both Soviet and Nationalist Air Force pilots understood; it meant seeing who could shoot down more planes.

The two Soviet pilots immediately agreed, and the one from the Fourth Squadron was not to be outdone.

Immediately afterwards, four planes attacked the Japanese fighter group.

The opposing force consisted of five fighter jets, and they never expected to be attacked by three Il-16s and one old Potez 25 biplane fighter-reconnaissance aircraft.

In response, they immediately launched a counterattack.

Four Type 97 fighters engaged three Il-16s, while another Type 97 charged toward the Qingyun, piloted by Fang Wen.

A gray monoplane swooped down from above the clouds, its streamlined fuselage cutting through the air with a whistling sound far sharper than that of a biplane.

The other party quickly arrived in front of the Qingyun.

Fang Wen shouted loudly, "Gong Xiuneng, maintain a firing stance and be ready to fire at any time."

At that moment, a volley of 7.7mm machine gun bullets came flying, aimed directly at the lower wing cover of the Qingyun. Fang Wen sharply applied the rudder, causing the fuselage to roll to the side. The gunpowder smoke scorched marks on the canvas, but the bullets missed. After the roll, the Qingyun skillfully adjusted its position, now with its tail facing the side of the enemy.

Fang Wen loudly ordered: "Fire at a small angle of 15 degrees."

This firing command was originally intended for gunboats, but Gong Xiuneng, almost instinctively from numerous training sessions, adjusted the firing angle and pulled the firing lever.

The machine gun at the tail of the Qingyun suddenly roared, and spent shell casings rained down on the rear cabin. The enemy plane was hit by the hail of bullets in an instant, riddled with bullet holes.

Even the best-performing Japanese fighter planes are always fragile, and the side is the weakest point, which is right where the fuel tank is located. The enemy plane immediately experienced a fuel explosion inside, turning into an orange fireball.

The battle ended in an instant, and the biplane Qingyun once again shone brightly, defeating the rising star with its old and crippled body.

This result surprised the other pilots.

Especially Japanese fighter planes.

Of the four enemy planes, one immediately flew out and attacked Fang Wen's Qingyun again.

The second enemy plane used its speed advantage to maneuver into the right wing blind spot.

Clearly, the enemy has a deep understanding of biplanes and is trying to exploit their poor maneuverability to engage in aerial dogfights.

If it manages to get around to the flanks or rear and fire, it will pose a fatal danger to the Qingyun.

But that was just the enemy's grand plan. As if he had foreseen it, Fang Wen adjusted his position and placed his right hand on the machine gun launcher in advance.

In the instant the two machines passed each other, the machine gun at the front of the Qingyun fired a barrage of bullets.

The opposing pilot looked bewildered, his pupils reflecting the image of the Qingyun aircraft's nose gun spitting fire.

This is yet another new ability that Fang Wen has learned on the battlefield.

His mechanical perception, combined with his X-ray vision, allowed him to penetrate the enemy aircraft's shell and predict the attack trajectory from the vibration frequency of the enemy's engine twenty seconds earlier.

The enemy aircraft's aluminum frame disintegrated under the hail of bullets, and the shockwave from the exploding fuel tanks even caused the Qingyun to veer off course.

Another of the Japanese army's newest fighter planes was shot down by an old biplane.

This also means that Fang Wen has won the bet with the Soviet pilot without any doubt.

But the battle continues.

The Japanese warplanes seemed unable to bear this humiliation and made a crazy decision.

Of the remaining three Type 97 fighters, two engaged the three Il-16s in combat, while the third Type 97 frantically climbed to its maximum altitude and then swooped down at high speed, attempting to use its dive momentum to ram the old Qingyun.

The enemy wants to perish together with us!
Fang Wen sneered, giving the mindless enemy who was begging for death no chance at all.

With his mental energy highly focused, he once again activated the combined skill of mechanical perception and X-ray vision.

The extent of the enemy aircraft's flap adjustments and the rotational speed of its engine bearings both represent information that is very useful to him.

Immediately, the biplane came to an abrupt stop at an angle that violated aerodynamics, amidst the groaning of the fabric reaching its limit.

Having briefly lost its kinetic energy, the Qingyun could only rely on the buoyancy of its wings, but it managed to shift its position relative to the enemy aircraft by taking advantage of the speed difference.

At the same time, upon receiving the order, Gong Xiuneng fired blindly into the empty sky.

The bullet was fired, but it struck an enemy plane that was passing by.

The Type 97 fighter jet, which was diving down, crashed into the ground while emitting black smoke, and then exploded.

Three planes shot down!

Fang Wen won this bet completely.

After the air battle ended, the Japanese warplanes, having gained no advantage, returned to base in disgrace.

In this air battle, the Japanese lost 16 aircraft, while the Nationalist Air Force lost 4, which can be considered a victory.

To boost the morale of the soldiers fighting against the Japanese, the matter was publicized nationwide the following day.

The story of Fang Wen shooting down three Japanese fighter planes in an old biplane became an embellishment to this propaganda campaign.

This also made the citizens of Hankou who witnessed the air battle talk about it with great interest.

Meanwhile, Soviet pilots were also very interested in Fang Wen. Accompanied by pilots from the Fourth Squadron, they came to the headquarters of Taishan Aviation, wanting to communicate with Fang Wen.

However, they did not find Fang Wen, who had already left Wuhan for Yangon.

Yangon Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

Fang Wen was discussing things with the factory's engineers.

In order for Taishan's military aircraft to have a better development prospect, it must be supported by orders.

If we can't rely on domestic resources, then we'll start from overseas.

The Spanish Civil War was the perfect stage for him to showcase his talents, and Fang Wen had connections and resources there.

However, the existing gunboats are not the most ideal export military aircraft, and some modifications must be made to suit the situation in Spain.

There, especially in the areas controlled by the People's Front, the terrain is mainly high-altitude mountain valleys.

Heavy-armored gunships are well-suited to the conditions there, but their firepower configuration needs to be modified.

The 12.7mm machine gun and 20mm autocannon were too extravagant and would be detrimental to logistical support.

It would be better to reserve firing ports and firing supports so that the People's Front can freely install various light and heavy machine guns.

In addition, Fang Wen also pre-installed an airburst missile launcher in the export version of the gunship aircraft.

Such gunship-type aircraft would have a certain air combat capability when facing the Condor Legion's fighter jets.

Immediately, the engineers and technicians at Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant carried out the modifications.

The 12.7mm machine gun and 20mm autocannon were all removed, and the original fixed support was replaced with a multi-purpose mechanical support.

It can be equipped with various light machine gun models, including the 7.92mm ZB26 Czech machine gun and the Soviet-made air-cooled Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun.

Of course, light machine guns alone cannot unleash the full power of a gunship.

Therefore, the original 20mm autocannon position was modified to install a heavy machine gun slot.

It can be fixedly mounted with heavy machine guns, such as the old Maxim M1910 water-cooled heavy machine gun and the French Hotchkiss heavy machine gun.

During installation, simply fixing the bases of these heavy machine guns allows for firing from a 30-degree angle downwards.

This modification greatly improved the applicability of the Taishan gunship, allowing it to be equipped with various types of machine guns at any time.

After completing the renovation, Fang Wen immediately contacted the Paris branch.

Taishan Airlines' Paris branch was the conduit for penicillin transactions with the Spanish Popular Front.

Upon receiving the telegram from the general manager, the manager of the Paris branch immediately sought to contact the Popular Front's representatives in Paris.

When the other party heard that Taishan Aviation wanted to provide a new type of military aircraft, they looked incredulous.

However, after some negotiation, the other party agreed to report the situation to Spain.

When the report reached Spain, the Popular Front did not refuse. After all, this war had become a testing ground for European arms, with weapons and equipment from Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, and even France and Britain being displayed there. They wouldn't mind having an Asian-made military aircraft as well.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen flew to Europe in the modified export version of the Taishan gunship aircraft and the first batch of civilian semiconductor radios.

(End of this chapter)