Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 82, Section 81: Apprentice Takes Office, Plans New Route

Taishan Airlines' flight apprentice training program is showing initial success.

Pan Jiafeng, an apprentice taken under the wing of General Manager Fang Wen, is exceptionally talented and has made rapid progress, already beginning his actual flight training.

The training aircraft used for the flight was a modified version of the heroic fighter plane "Seiun" that sank the Japanese battleship Izumo.

It is understood that Taishan Airlines' tung oil-for-aircraft project with Boeing Trading and several tung oil merchants has made progress. It is expected that two American passenger planes will arrive at the coastal port next month and be pre-leased to Taishan Airlines for use in expanding new routes.

Merchants who signed tung oil trade agreements are actively shipping goods, and some tung oil has already arrived and is stored in the dock warehouse. The aircraft owner's certificate that they have been eagerly awaiting will also be issued when the aircraft arrives at the port.

The above news is a summary of recent reports on Taishan Airlines from several Shanghai newspapers.

For Fang Wen, now that Taishan Airlines is on the right track, he can no longer just fly the plane back and forth on the route every day as a pilot.

More importantly, he needed to fulfill his duties as the general manager of the airline, manage the company well in terms of the overall direction, and then seek other preparations for the war effort.

Therefore, getting the flight apprentices on the job as soon as possible is something he urgently wants to accomplish.

Pan Jiafeng will serve as a role model for flight apprentices.

Therefore, Fang Wen arranged for Pan Jiafeng to undergo Boeing 80 live flight training during the next flight maintenance period.

This live flight included not only Fang Wen and his apprentice Pan Jiafeng, but also nineteen other flight trainees from the training center, as well as Shao Sishen, the training director and instructor.

On October 20, 1932, Taishan Airlines was grounded for maintenance.

Led by Shao Sishen, the flight apprentices entered the Boeing 80.
On the plane, Fang Wen was talking with Pan Jiafeng, explaining some of the key points of flying the Boeing 80.

The apprentices watched with envy.

Shao Sichen directed the apprentices forward: "Sit down in your seats. This live flight observation is a very rare opportunity. The general manager has something to say to you."

After the flight apprentices were seated in their passenger seats, Fang Wen walked over and said, "You don't need to envy Pan Jiafeng. As long as you work hard, you can get the same treatment. I hereby announce that starting today, every month one outstanding apprentice will be selected for two days of practical flight instruction."

His words excited the flight apprentices; being able to learn from Fang Wen was a great honor.

An apprentice raised his hand and asked, "General Manager, can we also become your apprentices?"

"We'll see," Fang Wen replied with a smile. He took Pan Jiafeng as his apprentice because he valued the latter's outstanding flying talent, while in his eyes, the other flying apprentices were still a bit lacking, and it was basically impossible for him to take them as his personal disciples.

Subsequently, Boeing 80 live flight training began.

As Pan Jiafeng sat in the pilot's seat, Fang Wen said solemnly, "Sitting in this position, you must consider the 20 precious lives behind you. Unlike piloting a fighter jet, a passenger plane has only one requirement: stability. Therefore, in the upcoming live flight training, you do not need to improvise; you must strictly follow the flight guidelines."

In order to train a group of qualified civil aviation pilots better and faster, Fang Wen summarized some standardized steps based on his more than one year of civil aviation piloting experience. As long as they are followed carefully, coupled with basic flying skills, they should be able to fly civil aviation aircraft smoothly back and forth on fixed routes.

Pan Jiafeng was the first to follow the standardized procedures. He nodded vigorously and said, "I understand, Master. I will strictly follow them."

"let's start."

Then, under Fang Wen's watchful gaze, Pan Jiafeng began.

He reported loudly as he went.

"Check the overall condition of the aircraft. The fuel gauge is full. Start the engine; the engine instruments display normally. Check the electrical switches; the cabin lighting is normal."

"Check complete, request takeoff from control tower."

This step was added by Fang Wen. In the future, as Taishan Airlines expands its routes, it will be essential to maintain good communication with the airport control tower. In fact, a Taishan Airlines coordinator will be stationed at the airport control tower.

This time, however, it has already been agreed with the control tower that no application is needed.

Fang Wen played the role of an air traffic controller, mimicking a radio response: "Boeing 80 takeoff request accepted. Runway clear. You may take off."

Immediately, Pan Jiafeng started the plane and accelerated on the runway.

Fang Wen reminded him from the side: "The Boeing 80 has three propellers, with a piston engine on each side and in the center to power the propellers. In addition, it is a biplane, so the lift is very strong, and the required takeoff speed is correspondingly lower. Look at the speedometer."

Pan Jiafeng, sitting upright, looked down at the speedometer and pulled up the fuselage when the preset speed was reached.

The plane took off successfully.

Once they reached a high altitude and stabilized, cheers erupted from the apprentices behind them.

Although they didn't actually fly the planes, their basic flying skills, combined with their experience of Pan Jiafeng's flight demonstration, gave them the feeling that with diligent study and training, they too could achieve the same level of flight prowess.

Flight training continues. The difficulty of maintaining stable flight in the air is not high; the main challenges are determining the flight path and making smooth turns.

Pan Jiafeng passed Fang Wen's test.

Next comes the most important part: the passenger plane landing.

Passenger aircraft are large, making landing control relatively difficult. To give an analogy, it's like comparing the difficulty of an automatic trolley with a reversing camera and a semi-trailer truck reversing into a parking space at the same time.

Human visibility is limited. When landing a Qingyun aircraft, the entire range of visibility is controllable. However, when landing a Boeing 80 passenger plane, a wider range of observation is required. To ensure a safe and smooth landing, it is necessary to strictly follow the established data.

Fang Wen said with a serious expression, "Do not land rashly. First, determine the landing position. Second, consider the speed and descent angle. Strictly follow the procedures."

"Understood, Master." Pan Jiafeng concentrated on the operation, aligning the fuselage with the runway and slowly lowering it.

Fang Wen suddenly spoke up: "The fuselage is tilting to the left, straighten it immediately."

Immediately, large beads of sweat rolled down Pan Jiafeng's forehead.

The Boeing 80 has three propeller engines. If it lands with the fuselage tilted to one side, it may cause the aircraft to tilt to one side and hit the ground.

Although the probability is not high, it is something that pilots must avoid.

He quickly took corrective action, and the aircraft gradually returned to its upright position.

This slight abnormal operation caused vibrations inside the aircraft, prompting gasps from the flight apprentices behind.

"You see? As the captain, any mistake you make will have serious consequences. If it were the passengers who made the mistake, what would they think?" Fang Wen asked seriously.

Pan Jiafeng admitted his mistake with shame: "Master, it was my fault. I did not strictly follow the landing standards. I will never do this again."

"Just remember that. When you teach your own students in the future, you should also tell them that there is no absolute talent, and they should not do foolish things because they think they are right."

Fang Wen gave a meaningful warning, not only to Pan Jiafeng, but also to the other apprentices on the plane.

These words came from his own experience. If he didn't have mechanical perception, he, Fang Wen, would have been destined to be just a regular pilot in this life after his rebirth, limited to flying commercial airliners.

The first Boeing 80 live-fire training exercise has ended. Although there were some minor issues during landing, Pan Jiafeng managed to make timely adjustments and landed smoothly on the runway.

That alone isn't enough for him to drive independently; he still needs further practice.

Therefore, he continued to fly.

Furthermore, after the flight returns, participants will have two hours of actual flight training opportunities.

With the help of his excellent flying talent, he became increasingly proficient at piloting the Boeing 80.

After 30 hours of actual flight training, Fang Wen confirmed that Pan Jiafeng was capable of flying independently. So, after the final actual flight training session, he handed him a set of Taishan Airlines captain's uniform.

"As a civil aviation pilot, you are qualified. Here, take this uniform, put it on, and tomorrow you will be piloting a Boeing 80 on a flight."

Pan Jiafeng accepted the uniform with great joy: "Thank you, Master. I will definitely fly every flight well."

"That's good. The sooner you can fly independently, the sooner I'll be able to relax," Fang Wen said with a smile.

Pan Jiafeng then began his official flight, but initially, Fang Wen needed to watch over him to prevent any problems from occurring.

Fang Wen was only relieved to let it fly independently after five consecutive round-trip flights were completed without any errors.

With Pan Jiafeng joining the team, Fang Wen was finally able to free up more than half of his time each month to fly.

With the addition of a pilot, Taishan Airlines had more time to fulfill its duties as general manager.

As a new day dawned, Fang Wen lazily got out of bed, leisurely washed up, and ate the breakfast that Shunzi had bought.

"The steamed buns look good today. They weren't bought from the cafeteria, were they?"

"It's steamed buns from the cafeteria. I think the young master is in a good mood and has a good appetite," Shunzi replied cheerfully.

"Your dad went to work for Taishan Airlines, so don't slack off. Study hard in your academic subjects and try to pass the exam for the next batch of flight apprentices."

"Young Master, what is the role of the administrative director you appointed for my father?"

"He can manage people and affairs, except for the accounts of General Manager Liu."

"Really? Then my dad's made it big. Can he get me a security captain position tomorrow?"

"Okay, go ask him yourself."

Shunzi was speechless.

Fang Wen put down his chopsticks and put on a tailor-made, well-fitting suit, straight-leg trousers, and a pair of patterned leather boots.

He went straight out the door.

Walk uphill, past the airport gate, and you'll arrive at the Taishan Airlines office.

This is a rare occurrence since the company was founded, with the general manager arriving at the office so early. Employees came out to greet him as soon as they saw him.

"Good morning, General Manager."

Good morning, General Manager.

Fang Wen smiled and responded, then went straight to the general ledger office and the administration office, where he greeted Manager Liu and Fang Shouxin.

"Come to my office, I need to talk to you."

The three of them sat down in the general manager's office.

Fang Wen began by saying, "I've been flying most of the time and haven't been involved much in company matters. Now that I have some free time, please let me know if anything is going on."

Manager Liu reported first: "I have always been in charge of the company's finances. Some shareholders of Bada Company have tried to interfere, but I have stopped them all."

"What do they want to do?" Fang Wen asked.

"They just wanted to plant some of their own people and skim some profits from Taishan Airlines. I told them that when the company was established, it was agreed that none of the eight major shareholders could steal anything, which is why I was chosen as the chief accountant. They didn't say anything and left on their own. Later, Bada Company sent someone over and said that since they were shareholders, they should have some shareholder status. He asked me to issue two gold-standard tickets to each company, so that they could fly for free."

The name "Gold Medal Ticket" sounds good, but you can't just open the door to free airfares.

There are only so many seats on the plane. If each of the eight families gets two tickets, that's 16 premium tickets. If they all come to fly, or rent out their premium tickets to others, the company's business will be impossible.

Fang Wen felt a chill in his heart. The eight major families had many members and many problems. They wanted benefits, but they were asking for an exorbitant amount.

He said, "No, we won't give out any premium tickets, but we can make a batch of internal tickets, two per company per month, which can be used for free on company flights as a shareholder benefit. In addition, these tickets are only valid for the current period and need to be collected and destroyed when the tickets are verified to avoid reuse."

Manager Liu nodded: "This method is good. It doesn't break the rules, doesn't cause much loss, and it also silences them. I'll have my people do it when I get back."

"Is there anything else?" Fang Wen asked.

Manager Liu shook his head; it was Fang Shouxin's turn.

"I've only been with the company for a short time and am still getting to know it, so I shouldn't make any rash comments. This time, I'm mainly talking about the tung oil-for-airplane project that I've taken over."

Fang Shouxin took out an English telegram and handed it to Fang Wen.

“Neil sent a telegram saying that the two planes in the United States have been loaded onto a ship, and he is coming with them. They are expected to arrive in about twenty days.”

Fang Wen pondered as he looked at the telegram.

Once the two aircraft arrive at the port, the aircraft can be leased immediately.

Taishan Airlines needs to formulate new routes, and the tung oil merchants have been clamoring for aircraft owner's property ownership certificates, which should also be obtained for them.

He then spoke.

"Now let's discuss the new route and aircraft ownership certificates."

The three first discussed the new air route.

The map was unfolded, and four new flight routes were marked on it.

There is a direct flight from Shanghai to Nanchang, covering a distance of 600 kilometers.

A direct flight from Shanghai to Wuhan covers a distance of 700 kilometers.

A direct flight from Shanghai to Fuzhou covers a distance of 600 kilometers.

There is a direct flight from Shanghai to Jinan, covering a distance of 700 kilometers.

All four routes meet the Boeing 247's maximum range of 1200 kilometers and can even achieve two round trips in a single day, maximizing capacity.

We need to select two from them first.

Flights from Shanghai to Nanchang radiate throughout the southeastern hinterland.

Flights from Shanghai to Fuzhou connect to coastal ports.

Flights from Shanghai to Wuhan radiate throughout the central and southern regions of China.

Flights from Shanghai to Jinan cover the entire Central Plains region.

Manager Liu offered his opinion: "I think other routes are fine, but the problem is whether there will be any problems with the route to Jinan. With the Japanese army stationed in the Northeast, they could enter the pass and move south at any time. Jinan is located in the heart of the Central Plains, and it will inevitably be attacked by the Japanese. Wouldn't our route have to be abandoned halfway then?"

Fang Wen nodded: "It may fall through halfway, but we can't ignore the aviation needs there just because the Japanese might enter the pass and attack the Central Plains. Besides, if the Japanese really attack Jinan, the people there will inevitably have to retreat south. This is called providing assistance, which is a good thing for both the public and private sectors, isn't it?"

Manager Liu stroked his beard and nodded: "Yes, merchants may pursue personal gain, but they cannot forget the foundation of the nation. Without the nation, there is no commerce. We should do our part. I agree to this route."

(End of this chapter)