Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 430 Yan'an Airport, Ultra-Long Distance Air Flight
In Fuping, Bai Yunfei, the Eighth Route Army's liaison officer stationed in Fuping, is exercising.

Despite suffering an eye injury and multiple health problems during the battle, he continues to exercise to restore his physical function.

The pain caused him to break out in a cold sweat, and the veins on his temples bulged.

This was just a simple strength exercise, but now it has become so difficult.

At this moment, the liaison station telegraph operator came over and said, "Officer Bai, we received a telegram on a special frequency. It's a specific frequency that you asked me to monitor."

Bai Yunfei stood up, wiped away his sweat with a towel, and took the telegram.

Looking at the frequency band on the telegram, he knew it was sent to him by Fang Wen.

He then went into the office, took out the coded telegram book, and began decoding.

Once the Morse code was translated, he looked at the contents of the telegram and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Great!"

"What's the matter? Doing this for nothing?" the telegraph operator asked from outside.

Bai Yunfei came out: "This is a telegram just sent by the commander of the Taishan Independent Regiment. He wants to transfer the elite air force of the 1st Aviation Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment to Yan'an. We need to send a telegram to the military headquarters immediately to report the matter."

The two then quickly walked into the telegraph room.

As a special liaison officer for the Eighth Route Army, he couldn't give Fang Wen a reply directly. He had to relay the message to the Yan'an side through the Eighth Route Army's high command and wait for their decision.

At Xi'an Xiguan Airport, Fang Wen received the telegram and his face lit up with joy.

[We have reported to Yan'an and received approval to land at the airport east of the city, which will serve as your new base.]

However, the area needs to be cleared and renovated, so landing there cannot be done immediately; it will take two days.

He immediately summoned all members of the elite air force and made the announcement.

"Prepare immediately. We'll fly directly to Yan'an tomorrow morning, and I'll lead the team. The mechanics and ground crew will stay here for now. Once the fighter jets land there, I'll send a seaplane to pick you up. But before that, pack up and seal all supplies and take them with you."

Under his orders, everyone got busy.

They were inspecting and repairing, organizing supplies, and even pumping fuel out of the oil depot, filling large iron drums, ready to take everything away.

The other staff members inside the airport, in order to keep the transfer operation confidential, had to be detained in one room, with two ground staff members assigned to guard them.

And so, another busy day passed.

Two days later, Fang Wen got up early in the morning.

He first inquired about Gong Xiuneng.

"How's the situation?"

“An officer led a group to the seaplane base and asked them. I just said we were transporting supplies, because that’s how it’s always been. They didn’t say anything. I guess nobody noticed we were leaving.”

Fang Wen nodded, that was good, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

He glanced at his watch; it was 6 o'clock. Without further ado, he ordered seven elite pilots to board and take off.

One Shrike and seven modified Il-16s took off in succession.

Eight fighter jets formed a V-shape in the air and flew towards the northeast.

The soldiers guarding Xi'an were already used to these grouped patrol flights and paid no attention to them.

After the flight formation flew 50 kilometers, Fang Wen, the lead aircraft, turned northwest.

Forty minutes later, the plane arrived in Yan'an.

Fang Wen observed the scene below from the air.

This area is located in the central part of the Loess Plateau, where the land is barren and vegetation is sparse, consisting mainly of loess ridges and gullies.

Yan'an City, on the other hand, is located in a valley.

Where is the airport?
Fang Wen looked towards the east side of Yan'an City, where there was a wide-open flat area.

It was a temporary airfield built by the Northeast Army to land the Young Marshal's plane.

There are many people waiting there now, and there is a stone roller next to the track, probably used to flatten the ground yesterday.

Two lines of lime were scattered on the ground, forming a line pointing towards the runway.

Fang Wen issued a secret telegram instructing his men to prepare for a sequential landing.

Immediately afterwards, the lead aircraft, the Shrike, was the first to land on the runway. After taxiing for 300 meters, it turned towards the parking area at the end of the runway.

Other planes also landed on the runway one after another, forming a neat line.

Then, Fang Wen and his team threw out a rope ladder from the cockpit and climbed out of the plane to the ground.

Immediately, the lively sounds of suona horns and drums filled the air.

A folk dance troupe was also there to welcome them.

The lively scene made the elite pilots feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Apart from Qi Baoqian, Qi Baoqian, and Shao Deqing, no one else had ever seen such a scene of the military and civilians working together as one family.

After a conversation, he finally calmed down and explained his thoughts.

The 1st Aviation Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment was placed in Yan'an, and the command of the operation was also handed over to Yan'an.

This suggestion was somewhat abrupt, and Fang Wen offered an explanation for it.

"I believe that no matter how strong an individual's ability is, it cannot change the course of war. Just like when I formed the Taishan Independent Regiment and participated in many battles, although we won, we still couldn't stop the Japanese invaders. Therefore, I plan to move from the front line to the back office and devote myself to developing the military industry. In the future, Taishan Military Industry will not only produce military aircraft, but also produce more military equipment for the cause of resistance against Japan."

"Very good. The revival of China depends on the joint efforts of people like you."

Fang Wen did not stay in Yan'an for long.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist revealing his secret.

Faced with these beings he admired, he longed to declare that victory was certain in the future and that a new world belonged to them.

To avoid this from happening, he left after a day under the pretext of relocating the remaining supplies and personnel of the elite air force.

The second relocation was carried out by seaplane.

Five seaplanes landed at Xi'an Sea Airport at night and transported supplies and personnel away overnight.

The plane flew to the Yellow River, 80 kilometers east of Yan'an, where the current was calm and suitable for landing.

Subsequently, all the supplies and personnel on the plane were unloaded and transported to the riverbank.

The mule and horse transport team from Yan'an transported the goods to the new airport.

Fang Wenze flew a seaplane to Fuping.

Upon arriving in Fuping, he went directly to Bai Yunfei.

"Come on, come with me to Europe, I'll take you to get treatment."

"No, I have a lot of things to do right now," Bai Yunfei refused.

Fang Wen smiled and took out a letter, handing it to Bai Yunfei.

“This is what I brought back from Yan’an. You have another mission now, which is to accompany me to Europe.”

Bai Yunfei took the letter and stared blankly at its contents.

He immediately telegraphed his superiors to inquire, and received the same reply.

Now he has no excuse not to go.

Looking helpless, he asked, "What can I do if I go to Europe with you?"

"Help me get my things back, and while you're at it, get your illness treated," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

Bai Yunfei stood at attention. "Yes, sir."

He then went to pack his luggage, and soon after, carrying only a small suitcase, he boarded a seaplane with Fang Wen and left. They flew back to Yangon that same day to prepare for their trip to Europe and America.

Upon returning from China, Fang Wen immediately took action.

Twenty elite soldiers specially selected from the Independent Regiment, along with Gong Xiuneng, Zhao Junping, and Bai Yunfei, boarded the Xuanming-type seaplane and took off.

The plane flew to an altitude of 5000 meters.

Flying above the clouds.

While piloting the aircraft, Fang Wen picked up the intercom and spoke to the crew members inside the cabin.

"Our flight to Paris this time will only stop once because the maximum range of the Xuanming-class aircraft is 5000 kilometers, and then we will continue to take off. The planned stop will be in the Caspian Sea north of Tehran, where we will refuel and perform temporary maintenance."

His words were transmitted through the cabin's wiring to the middle and rear cabins.

Make sure the crew members in the passenger compartment, lounge, and catering room can all hear it.

After speaking, Fang Wen used his mechanical senses to observe the situation inside the cabin.

Inside the sleeper cabin in the front, Bai Yunfei was talking with Zhao Junping. The two had similar personalities and preferred quiet when they had nothing to do.

The middle cabin is the seating area, with ten seats, where several soldiers sat chatting.

Behind the cabin is a lounge, where smoking is permitted; it was specifically requested by Pan Am Airlines to be included.

Two heavy smokers were smoking there.

Beyond the lounge is the aircraft's dining room.

That's where the flight attendants prepare food and drinks.

There are no flight attendants now, so if you're hungry or thirsty, just get something to eat yourself.

Fang Wen prepared ample food supplies for this flight, including compressed military rations, instant noodles, some dried meat, fruit, tea, and coffee.

Gong Xiuneng was there to teach the soldiers how to use the hot water in the airplane.

The soldiers watched in amazement as Gong Xiuneng operated the tap, demonstrating how simply turning it towards the hot water source would release a stream of scalding water.

They asked Gong Xiuneng how he managed to do that, wondering if there was a place to boil water inside the plane.

Gong Xiuneng explained haltingly.

"The hot water here is heated by the engine. The engine gets very hot when it runs, so it needs to be cooled by circulating cooling water. One of the pipes leads here to use the heated water for drinking and brewing."

After hearing his explanation, the soldiers all came over to operate it.

The distance from Yangon to the Caspian Sea north of Tehran is 5000 kilometers. At a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, it would take more than 14 hours to reach the destination.

Long flight times place a huge burden on a pilot's body. Even with modern aircraft featuring pressurized cabins, it's still difficult for pilots to fly continuously for such extended periods.

Fang Wen was an exception; he had boundless energy and showed no signs of fatigue even after more than ten hours.

Furthermore, it can check the aircraft's flight status at any time to determine if there are any mechanical problems.

Fourteen hours and twenty minutes later, the Xuanming long-haul seaplane finally arrived over the Caspian Sea.

Although it is called a sea, it is actually a saltwater lake.

Because of the high salt content in the water, people can easily float on the surface.

It is also possible to land a seaplane.

Fang Wen activated his mechanical perception ability to observe the situation below.

He saw a ship, and the people on board were waving to the sky.

Of course, under normal circumstances, pilots cannot see people waving below.

Fang Wen adjusted the radio frequency with his right hand and sent a telegram.

A reply came quickly from below; it was indeed personnel from the Pahlavi Kingdom who had come to meet them.

Immediately, Fang Wen lowered his altitude and landed on the surface of the Caspian Sea.

A small boat was lowered from a nearby ship and sailed over.

As the ship approached the Xuanming, someone on board shouted, "Fang, is this your company's newest aircraft?"

That man was the telegraph operator in Indiana back then, and is now the U.S. intelligence officer stationed in the Pahlavi Kingdom.

Fang Wen stepped out of the cabin, stood on the wing, and replied, "Yes, is the fuel ready?"

"It's ready, it's on the ship, how do we deliver it?"

"Let my people handle it."

Immediately, Fang Wen directed Gong Xiuneng and the others to go out, connect the oil drums on the ship to the oil pipeline, and then use a pressure pump to transfer the oil inside to the auxiliary fuel tanks in the aircraft.

After a busy period, the fuel delivery was completed. Fang Wen shook hands with the other party to say goodbye: "Goodbye. Let's talk again next time."

At the same time as shaking hands, an envelope containing cash was also handed to the other party.

With enough fuel, Fang Wen did not take off immediately.

During the previous ten-plus hours of flight, some minor issues were discovered, which will be inspected now.

He then opened the maintenance access door in the rear cabin and climbed down.

There are maintenance pipes leading to the lower part of the aircraft, which contain various important wiring for the aircraft, as well as leading to the engine compartment.

Fang Wen walked to the electrical room next to the engine compartment, opened the door, turned off a device inside, opened its cover, and reconnected a loose wire.

Then a few other minor issues were addressed.

Now, with his mechanical senses restored, the plane was back in good condition and ready for takeoff.

The Xuanming-class aircraft took off again, covering another 5000 kilometers, flying directly to Paris in Europe.

The journey will take us through Austria, which is in a state of frenzy.

That area is now under German control.

Fang Wen didn't want to get into trouble when passing through its airspace.

He voluntarily raised the aircraft's altitude to 7000 meters.

This altitude is currently off-limits for fighter jets, and we didn't encounter any German patrol aircraft.

And so, without incident, we flew over German airspace and arrived in French airspace.

In contrast, the French Air Force was quite lax.

Fang Wen has flown here many times and has never encountered an aerial interception by the French Air Force.

Just like this time, it arrived safely over Paris.

At this moment, Fang Wen adjusted the wireless equipment and picked up the microphone.

"Airborne call to the ground: Is it possible to land on the Seine?"

This call was made to Taishan Airlines' French branch. The Xuanming model wanted to land on the Seine River, and the branch had to make preparations in advance.

After the call was made, a response was received.

"General Manager, everything is ready. You may land. There are markers we have set up on the river."

Fang Wen looked down.

Even without mechanical sensing, the red smoke can be clearly seen.

That was the designated landing spot set up by the branch office.

(End of this chapter)