Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 520 North Sea, Europe: Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier reporting flight status to Soviet airspace.
The treasure hunt destination is Semlyop, which, according to Pierre's description, is a rather remote place.

It is located near the city of Belyov in the Smolensk region of the Soviet Union.

Although it is located in Eastern Europe, it is not a border region of the Soviet Union. There are two ways to fly there.

The first type spans the European continent.

The second option is to take the sea route, passing through the North Sea in Europe, then through the Kattegat Strait in the three Nordic countries, into the Baltic Sea, and then fly into Soviet territory.

The first option, while direct, would require passing through German airspace. At that time, Germany was expanding its military under Nazi control and attached great importance to the defense of its airspace. Fang Wen did not want to take that risk.

So he told Pierre to fly there by seaplane.

As for the aircraft needed, they are available.

It is a Shuiyun-1 civilian amphibious aircraft, which has been modified to resemble a private plane and is displayed at the Paris branch as an exhibit.

This is part of Taishan Airlines' preparations for opening a new private seaplane track in Europe.

Now it became Fang Wen's vehicle to fly to the Soviet Union.

In preparation for tomorrow's flight, he conducted a full inspection of the aircraft, repaired some issues overnight, and carried a large amount of supplies and fuel for the journey.

The night passed.

Pierre, an art dealer from Paris, drove over.

He changed into a currently popular adventure outfit: a safari jacket, trousers, a trench coat, and a deerstalker hat.

His assistant, however, was carrying a large travel backpack and two suitcases in his hands.

Fang Wen gestured to Gong Xiuneng: "Go help him."

Gong Xiuneng easily picked up two suitcases and led Pierre's assistant into the plane first.

Pierre looked at the Tarzan seaplane in front of him with curiosity.

"Can it take off from land?"

“Adding a land-based landing gear will suffice. Let’s go, get on the plane, we’ll depart now,” Fang Wen replied.

"Let's leave now, shouldn't we discuss this first?" Pierre was completely unaccustomed to Fang Wen's decisive and efficient manner.

“That way we can reach our destination within a day,” Fang Wen replied.

"A day?!" Pierre exclaimed in surprise. If it could be reached in a day, what was there to complain about?

He then boarded the plane.

Private seaplanes have been modified to prioritize comfort, as they are personal flying products.

The cabin, which can accommodate 20 passengers, is divided into four rooms and a living room. There is also a passageway on the left leading to the cockpit at the front of the aircraft and the storage and fuel tanks at the rear.

In other words, Fang Wen completely modified the interior of the aircraft according to the structure of a motorhome, which is both comfortable and practical.

In comparison, Pierre's haphazardly modified DC-3 private jet was far inferior.

Pierre sat on a single sofa in the living room and couldn't help but sigh, "This is the private jet I want. It must be so comfortable to fly in it."

Fang Wen laughed and said, "After the war ends, I will fly it around the world. It is the best low-speed private plane, which can go to most areas, and it is easier to fly. In my aviation school, it only takes two months to learn."

“Really? After your country’s war ends, I will definitely go to Asia and study flying at your school,” Pierre replied.

At this time, Europeans were still numbed by a false sense of security and had no idea that a massive war was about to break out in Europe.

Fang Wen didn't remind Pierre, but went straight into the cockpit, started the engine, and took off from the branch office's small runway.

After accelerating for several hundred meters, the plane took off and headed north.

A dozen minutes later, the plane arrived over the sea.

Pierre pressed himself against the window, curiously watching the sea below.

He also made sure his assistant brought out a camera and took pictures of the scene below through the window.

This initial excitement faded after an hour.

Looking at the boundless sea for too long can make you feel tired.

Pierre went outside the cockpit and spoke with Fang Wen.

How are we going to fly to the Soviet Union?

While piloting the plane, Fang Wen explained, "Next, we will fly northeast without touching any country's territory, and the entire flight will be over the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. We expect to fly 2000 kilometers over the sea, with a one-hour stopover in the Oslofjord, and then a stopover in Riga, Latvia, to contact the Soviet Union."

Although he was European, Pierre didn't know where Oslofjord was. He asked his assistant to take out a map and found out that the place was located at the confluence of the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish seas.

The 3-hour flight has passed.

Because it was a low-speed aircraft, it only flew a little over 700 kilometers.

Pierre was already dozing off.

Gong Xiuneng sat quietly beside the cockpit, keeping watch.

Only Pierre's assistant was still taking pictures of the sea below.

As he was filming, he suddenly saw an object and exclaimed, "What's that?"

Pierre also woke up with a start and looked out the window.

Fang Wen, who was in normal driving mode, activated his supernatural ability to observe below.

Isn't this an aircraft carrier?

There were also two warships escorting it.

When Fang Wen saw an aircraft carrier in the North Sea, his first thought was that it belonged to the Germans.

He had learned through intelligence that the German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was launched last December, which was the only aircraft carrier launched by the German army in the entire World War II.

As his superpowers brought his field of vision closer, he could see more clearly.

It is indeed a new ship; some parts do not appear to be finished.

The aircraft on the flight deck are Bf-109T fighter jets specially produced for carrier operations.

This carrier-based aircraft is an improved version of the Bf-109E fighter jet, with increased wing area to improve lift. The wings can even be folded upwards for easy parking in the aircraft carrier hangar. In addition, it is equipped with a landing hook and catapult contacts to facilitate take-off and landing on the flight deck.

After confirming that it was a German fighter plane, Fang Wen couldn't help but compare it with the Japanese Hosho.

The Graf Zeppelin was much larger than the Hosho, and its length was a third longer.

Judging from the hull draft, the Graf Zeppelin had a draft of nearly 30 meters, while the Hosho only had a draft of 7 to 8 meters.

Based on this, Fang Wen deduced that the Graf Zeppelin's displacement was at least three times that of the Hosho.

The number of aircraft on the flight deck was also twice as large; the Graf Zeppelin had a total of 40 aircraft of various types, while the Hosho had only 20 at most.

As he was watching, Fang Wen suddenly became alert.

He discovered that two Bf-109T fighter jets had taken off.

They must have spotted my civilian seaplane and come to drive it away.

However, the possibility of malicious attacks cannot be ruled out.

Therefore, Fang Wen spoke up seriously: "Gong Xiuneng, have them tie on the safety rope, there may be bumps later."

Gong Xiuneng, who had been by Fang Wen's side for a long time, could tell from the tone of Fang Wen's words that the problem was serious. He quickly got up and fastened safety ropes to Pierre and his assistant.

Pierre and his assistant were bewildered, completely unaware of what might happen next.

The seaplane maintained a constant speed and was about to fly past the patrol range of the German naval fleet.

But the two Bf-109T fighters still caught up.

Taishan's private seaplane uses a Eurowing design, prioritizing stability and safety over speed. Therefore, it's not as fast as the Bf-109T, and it's normal that it was overtaken. Two fighter jets flanked the seaplane from the left and right, slowing down and paralleling it on either side.

Fang Wen coldly stared at the straight-wing fighter jet outside the cockpit window, communicating with hand gestures.

With a few simple gestures, he explained that he was just passing by and would leave immediately.

Meanwhile, the German pilot in the fighter jet on the right gestured downwards, seemingly indicating that Fang Wen should land the plane on the sea.

This was the last thing Fang Wen wanted to happen. Once they landed, he would lose the initiative and might even be detained by the German army for a long time.

Of course he wouldn't agree.

Thoughts flashed through my mind like lightning.

How to use a low-speed aircraft to maneuver against, or even get rid of, the Bf-109T fighter jet.

This is no easy problem to solve; even Fang Wen found it difficult.

While contemplating, he also kept an eye on the enemy aircraft on both sides, remaining vigilant.

Suddenly, both planes began to shake and sway.

Subsequently, the two fighter jets accelerated and broke free from the encirclement of Fang Wen's aircraft.

what happened?

Why did the German Bf-109T fighters suddenly malfunction when we did nothing?

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he might have discovered some kind of defect in the German Bf-109 fighter jet.

What caused both fighter jets to experience a stall-like situation simultaneously?
Fang Wen, who has a unique understanding of various aircraft, came up with a bold guess.

The Bf-109's straight wing design resulted in lower air resistance during high-speed flight, which helped the Bf-109 fighter achieve higher speeds.

This also explains its outstanding speed advantage during World War II.

But there are advantages and disadvantages.

This straight wing design results in insufficient lift during low-speed flight.

Just now, the two fighter jets reduced their speed from over 400 kilometers per hour to over 200 kilometers per hour, and the aircraft's performance immediately dropped sharply, even experiencing imbalance and stall.

In an instant, Fang Wen gained a deeper understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of this model.

The Bf-109 was fast and had strong short-range attack capabilities, but it had a short range and was difficult to take off and land.

Furthermore, it possesses certain flexibility advantages in the medium-to-high speed range, but exhibits significant shortcomings when competing in low-speed environments.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen smiled; he wanted to give it a try.

He then abruptly changed course while piloting the seaplane.

Two Bf-109T carrier-based aircraft flew past the seaplane, and in order not to lose their prey, the two aircraft circled and turned in the air.

When they turned around, they found that the seaplane had flown away.

They gave chase immediately.

What was originally a simple aerial chase was something that high-speed fighter jets could easily catch up with seaplanes traveling at speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour; how could they possibly escape?

However, this seaplane had a problem: it was incredibly agile. Whenever it was overtaken, it could use various skillful flight maneuvers to shift its direction and space, giving fighter pilots a real headache.

They flanked them from both sides, and suddenly the person took off.

Once the two aircraft have taken off, the seaplane will reduce its speed and glide down sideways.

The two fighter jets rushed forward like wild horses, only to be easily evaded by the seaplane once again.

After repeated maneuvers, the two fighter jets had to reduce their speed again, and the stall occurred once more.

This scene was witnessed by the German troops below.

The officers, soldiers, and pilots were utterly astonished.

The flight commander was even more surprised, asking, "How did he discover our fighter jets' low-speed weakness?"

Gradually, the seaplane drifted out of the fleet's airspace, and the two fighter jets, due to excessive fuel consumption, had to abandon their mission and return to base.

Inside the seaplane cabin, Fang Wen said, "Alright, we're safe."

Pierre looked out the window and said incredulously, "Fang, you really did it. I still can't believe it. You piloted a civilian amphibious aircraft and flew with two fighter jets for so long."

Fang Wen wouldn't tell Pierre the secret, replying, "It's mainly because they didn't shoot that I had the chance to fly like this."

“Is that so? They certainly wouldn’t dare to act recklessly. This is international waters, not their territorial waters,” Pierre analyzed matter-of-factly.

After the conversation ended, Fang Wen used maps and navigation tools to re-determine the course, and the plane turned back to its original route.

Two hours later, the plane entered the Skagerrak Strait. To the left of the plane was the vast ocean, and to the right was the long coastline of the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark.

Flying forward from there, in the Oslofjord region where Denmark, Sweden, and Norway meet, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to land on the sea.

"Let's take a break and have lunch," Fang Wen said, then got up and left the cockpit, opened a closet in the airplane's living room, and took out several food bags wrapped in brown paper.

That's ready-to-eat food produced in-flight meals by Taishan. It's a new type of product and hasn't been mass-produced yet.

There are Yunnan-style ham slices and Sichuan-style spicy beef cubes in chili oil.

Simply open the ingredient packet, pour it into a mixing bowl, add the noodle cake, pour in hot water, cover, and wait a few minutes before eating.

Pierre and his assistant followed Fang Wen's example and made themselves instant noodles.

A few minutes later, the instant noodles were ready. The four of them sat by the cabin door, facing the cold sea breeze, eating instant noodles to solve their lunch problem.

After finishing their meal, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng went to the rear cabin to refuel and also checked a minor problem with the engine.

After all that was done, an hour had passed, and the plane took off again.

The next leg of the journey will take off from the Oslo Fjord, pass through the Kattegat Strait, and enter the Baltic Sea.

The final sea flight ended in Riga, Latvia.

(Riga)

Latvia is a small country in Eastern Europe, and its capital, Riga, is also not very large.

The plane landed in the port of Riga, attracting the attention of many pedestrians.

Some people waved from the shore or waved their goods in an attempt to sell them.

Fang Wen and his group ignored this and would only stay there temporarily, mainly to take the time to contact the Soviet side.

After all, for a major power like the Soviet Union, the rash entry of its aircraft would be an international issue.

Fang Wen switched frequencies and acted as the telegraph operator, while Pierre's assistant drafted the telegrams.

The assistant speaks Russian and was not only there to act as a translator, but also as an important writer of Russian telegrams.

Fang Wen was describing the telegram he was going to send, and his assistant was writing it down while looking at the Russian codebook.

After he finished writing, Fang Wen pressed the send button and sent a message to the Soviet Civil Aviation Administration.

At this time, the Soviet Civil Aviation Administration, formerly known as the Dobrolyubov Civil Aviation Administration, was a Soviet state-owned entity in the form of a company, which managed and operated civil aviation business throughout the Soviet Union.

Pierre obtained his civilian aircraft flight permit from there.

However, to enter Soviet airspace, one had to register with the Soviet Civil Aviation Administration.

After the telegram was sent, the other party called back, asking for the flight permit number and holder's name on the civil aircraft. Fang Wen then sent a telegram as requested.

After three rounds of telegram communication, the remote registration was completed, and now it was permitted to fly into Soviet airspace.

(End of this chapter)