Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 71: Training of Aviation Logistics Personnel in the Republic of China, and Funding Shortfalls

Fang Wen drove back to Beiping, but did not go directly to Qinghe Airport.

Instead, they stopped in a town outside Beiping.

"Uncle Fang, this is fine. Take the train from Beiping Railway Station to Bengbu, then take a boat up the Huai River to Fuyang. I've written down everything you need to know along the way. Oh, and when you get to Tianjin, bring me some Shanhaiguan soda. I had it last time, and it was pretty good."

"Not going directly to Shanghai?" Fang Shouxin asked in surprise.

"Going to Fuyang serves two purposes: first, it allows them to fly back and broaden their horizons, learning how airlines operate; second, the company's airmail service has already started operating, and one member from this security team will be selected on a rotating basis to serve as a mail courier, which will give them a chance to familiarize themselves with the process."

Fang Shouxin nodded, put away the paper with travel instructions, got off the carriage, mounted a horse, and headed to the mule and horse market in town with his nephews. He wanted to sell the ten horses first before entering Beiping City.

Fang Wen then took Shunzi back to Qinghe Airport and piloted the Qingyun back to Shanghai first.

Fang Shouxin, leading ten hotheads on a train, naturally encountered many situations.

The journey was not easy, but it also gave Fang Shouxin and his nephews more opportunities to get to know each other better.

Three days later, a travel-worn Fang Shouxin arrived at Bada Airport outside Fuyang City with his men.

After a short wait, the Boeing 80 landed on time.

After the plane landed, passengers disembarked and boarded airport shuttle buses to enter Fuyang City. Locals went straight home, while those from the Central Plains region took local Fuyang City buses to their respective destinations. Thanks to the airport and the disappearance of the bandits, Fuyang City's economy recovered rapidly. Even merchants traveling by air would pass through the city, creating a prosperous atmosphere.

After the passengers left, Fang Wen, Sun Debiao, and Xie Yuwen got off the plane.

He saw Fang Shouxin and his group standing not far away and walked over.

"Young Master, we've arrived," Fang Shouxin said, his face showing obvious signs of exhaustion.

"You must have had a tough journey," Fang Wen asked with concern.

Fang Shouxin said helplessly, "Sigh, these little brats are like gunpowder, they'll explode at the slightest provocation. After you left, we went to the mule and horse market to sell horses, and they got into a fight with the horse dealers. Since then, I haven't had a moment's peace. I've been catching thieves, fighting swindlers, and even had a martial arts contest in Tianjin, where I got a good beating."

"Really? Just like your Shunzi." Fang Wen feigned surprise.

“Yes, when we go back this time, Shunzi will be training with them. We need to discipline him properly and teach him what the rules are,” Fang Shouxin agreed.

As the two chatted, the shuttle bus from Fuyang City returned.

The driver and another man unloaded a bunch of things from the car.

Fang Wen walked over and listened to their report.

"General Manager, these are all items delivered to Fuyang Ticketing Company from various parts of Central China in the past two days. There are 73 airmail letters and 26 airmail items, with a total weight of 327 kilograms."

Fang Wen turned to Sun Debiao and called out, "Old Sun, come here, check the items, and take them onto the plane after you've confirmed them."

Then he asked Fang Shouxin to call over the ten new employees.

"You all see, after the training, you'll be in charge of this kind of airmail delivery."

Sun Debiao then jogged over and demonstrated how air logistics could be carried out without the internet and electronic accounting.

It's a completely manual process.

Ticketing company receives and dispatches (presents original documents) — Air logistics personnel (receive goods, count them according to the document copy, and send them onto the plane) — Upon arrival at the destination, the ticketing company confirms again — Pick-up process (the cargo owner comes to the ticketing company to collect the goods with the agreed code number, or the goods are delivered directly by registered mail).

Sun Debiao works as an air logistics clerk in the middle. He has to count the items, check them against the list, and then move them onto the plane after confirmation.

Because even Fang Wen would bear some responsibility if the goods were lost en route, he preferred to use a new employee he trusted rather than hand over the business to someone from Bada Company. There was also another, unknown reason: he wanted to maintain complete control over the distribution channel, perhaps for future special purposes.

However, this requirement made the ten new employees look hesitant.

They all complained, "Uncle-Master, we spend all our time training our bodies and tending to our farm work and gathering herbs. How can we possibly have time to read and write?"

Fang Shouxin glared at them: "Aren't the words in medical books words? Don't give me that. When you get to Shanghai, you'll have to learn everything."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "It's not that difficult. You just need to learn how to count with Arabic numerals and make sure they match the documents."

The two men, one with a red face and the other with a white face, silenced the young people.

Afterwards, they helped Sun Debiao carry 300 kilograms of cargo to the rear cabin of the plane, and then waited to board.

Because there were 11 internal passengers from the company, only 7 tickets were sold to the public this time. After all the passengers passed through security and boarded the plane, Fang Wen started the engine and the plane took off.

At the moment of takeoff, the high-pressure reaction did not occur in these new employees. Years of physical training had made them less sensitive and able to resist various aviation-related discomfort symptoms.

Then, they peered in amazement at the view outside the window.

Below, fluffy white clouds drifted by, and mountains and rivers swept across the landscape. This scene was just like the one the storyteller in the village had described of a swordsman flying through the air.

So this is what it's like up in the sky!

The vehicle carrying ten new employees returned to Shanghai, and their training began immediately.

It mainly consists of discipline training, as well as academic classes.

To this end, Taishan Airlines specially invited an officer who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy and was recuperating at home due to illness to train military drills.

As for academic subjects, there's no need to worry. The Bada Company has plenty of accountants, and since the ferry company isn't operating yet, these people are just sitting around doing nothing. It wouldn't be difficult to get them to teach arithmetic and literacy.

With all that arranged, Fang Wen's main task was flying.

Outside of work, he has another important thing to consider.

That is to make money, to make more money.

That day, an agreement was reached with Neil Toledo over drinks, and the price of the Boeing P-26B was set at 2 US dollars.

This was already the lowest price he could offer, since this type of machine could not be sold to the public unless it was scrapped, and could only be sold secretly under the guise of an export machine.

Although this price is only one-seventh of that of a Boeing 80, it is a huge financial burden for Fang Wen.

Fang Wen now earns 600 yuan a month, plus a 300 yuan subsidy, for a total income of nearly 1,000 yuan.

Outside of work, there's a 10% bonus from Taishan Airlines, which is estimated to be around 3,000 yuan per month.

However, in the short term, even with the silver dollars in the Citibank safe deposit box, the amount of capital available is not much.

And since my fourth brother-in-law's tung oil is being delivered, we can't just leave him without paying.

He calculated that, after all this back and forth, he would need to raise about 5000 more dollars to plug this hole.

How can one make a quick buck in this era?

(End of this chapter)