Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 74, Section 73: Traversing the Ten Thousand Mountains, Guangzhou Dashatou – Suthep Airport
Early in the morning, a car drove up to the airport and waited.

Fang Wen came over and led Mr. Kuang into the airport.

Before the two boarded the plane, Fang Wen said:

“Mr. Kuang, I must remind you that the Qingyun is not as comfortable as a passenger plane, and it's not convenient to talk during the flight. If you have something to say, say it now. By the way, I suggest you go to the airport to take care of your personal matters. You can't stop halfway through a three-hour flight.”

Mr. Kuang nodded and jogged to the toilet to empty his bladder.

Upon returning, he proactively said, "Mr. Fang, to tell you the truth, the most important thing about both flights is the people. As long as the people are brought back, you won't lose a single penny."

Fang Wen led him to the belly of the plane and pointed to the auxiliary fuel tanks hanging below, saying:
"Your cargo will all be stored below. If we encounter danger, in order to increase flight speed and escape quickly, I will choose to jettison the auxiliary fuel tanks to reduce the load weight. Do you agree?"

"No problem, in that situation, as long as the person comes back, it's fine."

"That's good, let's get on the plane."

The two then boarded the plane and flew to Guangzhou in silence.

More than three hours later, the plane landed at Dashatou Airport.

Two men were already waiting for them inside the airport.

The two got off the plane and were taken to a nearby hangar to discuss the matter.

One of the men took out a map.

"It's more than 1700 kilometers from Dashatou Airport to Suthep Airport. Can your plane fly that far?"

Fang Wen pondered for a moment and shook his head, "Even with the auxiliary fuel tank at its empty limit, it can't fly. The engine load is too high, so we have to switch to a transfer station."

The man nodded. "We also considered that, so we contacted the French and borrowed their airport."

These Chinese businessmen operating abroad have incredibly wide connections; they even managed to contact the French army in Vietnam and borrow their airport.

If we use this as a transit point, we won't have to worry about fuel at all.

Fang Wen then took the map and examined it carefully.

This was his first time flying such a long distance, and he was a little nervous.

The other person didn't finish speaking.

"We were worried about flight path errors, so we sent a navigator with you. He is fluent in French and can communicate with the French military airport personnel during the stopover."

Fang Wen nodded and looked at the other man, who would accompany him for half the journey, all the way to the French military airport.

So he took the initiative to extend his hand and say, "Hello."

The other person was very shy. He shook hands and replied, "My name is Kuang Anming, Mr. Fang. I've read about you in the newspaper. Your flying skills are the best in the country. You will definitely be able to bring my sister and grandfather back."

“I will do my best.” Fang Wensui pointed to the route marked on the map and said, “I just calculated that the whole flight will take about 8 to 9 hours, which is not enough to return on the same day. My idea is to stay overnight at the transit airport and then depart for Suthep Airport early the next morning. This way, we can refuel at the transit airport and continue our flight back to Guangzhou. This way, we can avoid the risks of long-haul night flights and be safer.”

Safety comes first, and even Fang Wen wouldn't dare to fly long distances at night without satellite positioning and electronic equipment.

Hearing this suggestion, the others nodded in agreement.

Now that the flight plan is finalized, the two foreign airports must be notified in a timely manner so that they can prepare in advance.

Therefore, a telegram still needs to be sent.

However, because it was a military radio receiver, the other party responded quickly.

Only then could Fang Wencai fly.

The plane took off again, departing from Guangzhou, and flew along the southwest coastline via Zhaoqing, Yangjiang, Maoming, Zhanjiang, and Beihai.

Along the way, Kuang Anming would use a map to locate each city he passed through, and then excitedly report it aloud.

But later, when they entered the skies above the Ten Thousand Mountains of Guangxi, Kuang Anming became confused.

The complex terrain is not suitable for determining direction.

He was somewhat worried that the plane might get lost over the Ten Thousand Mountains due to the inability to navigate.

If that were the case, planes that couldn't find a landing spot would eventually run out of fuel and crash in the mountains.

Kuang Anming's panic did not affect Fang Wen.

Fang Wen, in a state of mechanical perception, has a broader perspective.

He flew along the coastline and then into the mountains, the entire route and the map intertwining in his mind.

Flying at this angle, it is estimated that we will reach the French military airfield in two hours.

Thus, the two people on the plane were in two completely different extreme emotional states: one was absolutely calm, and the other was panicked and uneasy.

Two hours passed in this way, and it was already two o'clock in the afternoon when Fang Wen suddenly shouted loudly.

"Kwong On-ming, look down. Is this the airport we're going to land at?"

Kuang Anming was startled awake and quickly looked down. He was very familiar with the terrain there and could recognize it without a map.

He quickly shouted excitedly, "Yes, this is it! My God, I thought we were lost!"

Fang Wen smiled slightly, took the microphone off the wireless device, and handed it to Kuang Anming.

"Contact the ground and request a landing."

Kuang Anming took the microphone and called out in French.

A moment later, a response in French came through the radio.

"They agreed and said we could land right now."

After receiving permission from the ground, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to circle in the air to find a landing angle, and then lowered the fuselage to land on the rudimentary French airfield.

Soldiers stationed at the airport came to greet them.

An officer looked at the plane painted in oriental colors and exclaimed in surprise, "Is that a Potez 25?"

After Kuang Anming translated, Fang Wen replied, "It's a Potez 25, I made some minor modifications."

The other party shook his head: "It's definitely not a minor modification. I feel that apart from the engine, this aircraft has been completely modified by you. It's been a long time since I've seen this type of aircraft. It used to be the pride of France."

Kuang Anming couldn't help but boast to Fang Wen: "It has also achieved great success in Asia. You know, this pilot sank a cruiser with it."

The officer clearly couldn't believe it; how could a reconnaissance bomber possibly sink a cruiser? The probability was too small.

But then they saw the warship painted on the plane, and that's when they started to believe it.

Therefore, they warmly invited Fang Wen to visit the military camp and share the process of that air battle.

This wasn't the first time this had happened, and Fang Wen took the opportunity to improve relations with the French troops at the airport, so he began describing the battle again.

After listening, the officer gave a summary.

"This is the result of a combination of skill, reaction, talent, and luck. If it were me, I definitely couldn't have piloted the Potez 25 to complete such a bombing mission. Mr. Fang, you are a soldier worthy of respect."

Kuang Anming translated it back.

Fang Wen replied, "I am not a soldier, but faced with this situation, any Chinese person, as long as their blood is still hot and they have the ability, will take on the responsibility of protecting their country."

Kuang Anming was excited and translated his words to the officer with great enthusiasm.

This surprised the French, who, while unable to understand the Chinese culture of family, nation, and the world, also accepted this view.

To show respect, the officer arranged two clean rooms for Fang Wen and his companion to stay overnight.

After a night, Fang Wen got up early, woke up Kuang Anming, and then went to find the airport management.

That is, the French military officer we received yesterday.

With Kuang Anming's translation, the other party understood that fuel was needed and generously provided the Qingyun with aviation fuel from the airport.

During refueling, the officer discovered the design of the Qingyun's auxiliary fuel tank.

I was surprised again.

"I've only heard of fuel tanks that increase range, but I never imagined you'd actually modified this fighter jet."

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "There should be more in the future; this is just a simple modification." After saying that, he boarded the plane and took off from the transit airport.

Taking off from the transit airport, the rest of the journey will be much more dangerous for Fang Wen.

One was a route that had never been flown before, and the other was a woodland terrain with poor visibility from high altitude.

One question is what the current situation is in Thailand, and whether the military at Suthep Airport will cooperate.

It can be said that these unknown risks require Fang Wen to maintain a high level of mental concentration.

The Qingyun flew over the peninsula, passed through Vietnam, and arrived in Laos.

Laos and Vietnam are separated by a mountain range, and the terrain there is much higher.

Beyond this plateau, the greenery on the land increases again.

Fang Wen slowed the plane down; he felt they were almost there.

By adopting a human-machine integrated perspective, comparing the map, and using a compass to determine direction, the system can be optimized.

This should be the Chiang Mai area, so where is Suthep Airport?
The plane circled over the densely built-up area, searching for a possible nearby airport.

After a careful search, it was finally found.

The airport wasn't as big as I'd imagined, and with the surrounding trees, it gave the illusion that it wasn't an airport at all.

Fang Wen picked up the radio device.

"Calling Suthep Airport, please respond. This is the Qingyun, requesting landing."

After calling three times in a row, the radio finally picked up a voice, which was still in Mandarin.

"Qingyun, landing application approved, you may land now."

After obtaining permission, Fang Wen adjusted the aircraft's position and landed on the airport runway.

After the plane came to a stop, he did not disembark, but instead turned around on the runway, maintaining a takeoff-ready state.

This was agreed upon in advance. There may be dangers here, but the pilot will never leave the aircraft. If a problem occurs, the aircraft can be started immediately and the pilot can take off and leave.

Meanwhile, a group of people who had been waiting inside the airport began to get busy.

They rushed over, carrying various goods.

Behind them, there was a very well-off woman in a cheongsam, holding a boy who was a few years old.

They came down to the plane, and Fang Wen pulled the hidden pull ring on the cockpit, opening the small door on the side of the auxiliary fuel tank on the belly of the aircraft.

Then, touching the small pistol in his lower pocket, he said to those below, "Do you know where to put it?"

A well-dressed woman in a cheongsam stepped forward and said, "I know. Please let my son board the plane first. I will then direct them to do the rest."

Fang Wen nodded, had the airport staff set up the boarding stairs, and then got off the plane and carried the child to the cockpit.

He then returned to the plane and looked down at the busy scene below.

The woman acted like she was in charge, and everyone else listened to her and did whatever she said.

One by one, the heavy-looking cargo was loaded into the aircraft's auxiliary fuel tanks.

As I was watching, the little boy behind me, perhaps because he was scared in the unfamiliar environment, started to cry.

How do you soothe a crying child?
No, not at all.

Fang Wen suddenly felt at a loss.

But we can't let the child cry indefinitely.

He remembered that during the last flight, he had asked Shunzi to buy some candy because he was worried that passengers might experience hypoglycemia during the sudden descent.

It seems to have been casually tossed into the storage compartment on the right.

Reaching into the storage compartment, I took out the candy, which turned out to be a lollipop.

The wrapper read: "Shanghai Candy Factory, Maltose Sticks"

I never thought lollipops existed these days; they were an essential item for coaxing children.

Fang Wen handed the lollipop to the back.

"Little one, want some candy?"

Upon hearing the word "candy," the child stopped crying, took the candy, skillfully unwrapped it, and happily licked the stick at the end.

Looking at the child, Fang Wen couldn't help but smile.

Just then, a gunshot rang out.

Fang Wen immediately entered a state of mechanical perception, observing from a wide perspective.

From the plane's altitude, he could see two groups of people fighting in the distance, both dressed in civilian clothes.

Surprisingly, the military personnel inside the airport did not participate in the operation.

He nimbly slid down the boarding stairs, and without even checking if he had finished loading his things, he closed the storage compartment.

Then he grabbed the plump woman and said, "Hurry up and get on the plane, something's wrong."

The woman, who initially appeared composed and dignified, became completely disoriented upon hearing the gunshots and was unable to move despite Fang Wen's calls to her.

The child on the plane got impatient, holding a lollipop and shouting, "Mommy, wake up! Aren't we supposed to be on an airplane?"

The woman was brought back to her senses by her son's calls. For her son's sake, she mustered her courage, regained her strength, and climbed the boarding stairs.

The gunfire grew louder; who knows if they'd be firing at us soon.

Fang Wen didn't care about the traditional taboo against physical contact between men and women these days. Since the other party was an older woman, he simply pushed his hips upwards.

With his help, the woman finally climbed into the back seat, hugging her son and trembling.

Fang Wen quickly moved the boarding ladder, climbed up, and started the engine for takeoff.

In the mechanical perception, the team that was blocking them was defeated.

The attackers fired directly at the people on the ground, leaving no one alive, while the troops at the airport showed no intention of participating.

As the Qingyun glided along the airport runway, the group of people panicked and ran over shouting.

But seemingly out of some concern, they did not fire at the aircraft.

This gave Fang Wen the perfect opportunity to leave. The plane accelerated, the nose lifted, and it flew into the sky.

Only at this moment did the people below realize that if the men left, the battle would have been fought in vain. They raised their guns and fired into the air, but they had already missed the best opportunity.

The Qingyun quickly climbed to an altitude of over a thousand meters, a distance at which most individual weapons could not pose a threat to the aircraft.

After escaping danger and feeling relaxed, Fang Wen noticed that the woman behind him was still in fear, tightly holding onto her son, who looked very uncomfortable.

He loudly comforted the woman behind him.

"It's alright, I can go back to China this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, the woman finally realized what was happening and instinctively looked outside. She saw that they were already high in the sky, so she breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her son.

As soon as I let go, the child actually stood up, lay down on one side, and peered outside.

She lifted her little feet, half her body was already out, and she was shouting happily.

"so high!"

Goodness, this kid is too daring! Fang Wen shouted urgently, "Hold him tight! This kid is making it impossible for me to concentrate on flying the plane!"

The woman hugged her son tightly again and thanked him, saying, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, my son and I wouldn't have been able to return to China."

Fang Wen thought to himself, "I'm already thankful that your son can safely fly back on my plane."

(End of this chapter)