Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 9.9, Arrival in Shanghai, Joining the Airlines
After watching Shen Shuyun and her mother leave by car, Fang Wen carried his suitcase out of the train station.

This is the most bustling city in China, and also a place where Eastern and Western cultures collide.

But don't underestimate it because of its apparent prosperity.

This is also the most chaotic and dangerous place, with numerous gangs and pickpockets and thugs everywhere.

Looking at the crowd in front of me, and at those few men whose eyes kept glancing into other people's pockets.

Fang Wen couldn't help but grip the briefcase tighter.

That contains all my life savings; I don't want to come all this way only to fall apart here.

What he needs to do now is make a call to the airline and ask them to send someone to pick him up.

Before coming, I inquired and found out that there was a telephone company's office near the train station where I could use a shared phone.

Fang Wen looked around and saw a sign on a building in the distance that belonged to the telephone company.

He walked across the street and entered the telephone company.

The room was crowded. There were six wall-mounted telephones on one wall, and some people were making calls while others were waiting in line.

Making a phone call requires tokens, which you need to purchase from the counter staff.

Fang Wen walked to the counter and bought two tokens.

This coin can be used once. If you want to continue after the time is up, you need to buy more coins.

After waiting in line for more than ten minutes, it was his turn.

After inserting the tokens, Fang Wen immediately picked up the microphone.

At this point, it was still in switchboard call mode, without dialing.

The operator's voice came through the microphone: "Please tell me where you are calling."

"Hello, I would like to call China Airlines."

"I'll transfer you to the next line now."

After a short wait, the call was connected.

"Hello, this is the Shanghai office of China Airlines."

"My name is Fang Wen. I came from Beiping and am a flight specialist appointed by the Ministry of Transport."

"Oh, it's Mr. Fang Wen. Where are you now? I'll send someone to pick you up."

"At the entrance of the telephone company at the train station."

"Please wait a moment, someone from the company will be here soon."

After ending the call, Fang Wen walked out of the phone company and waited by the roadside.

This wait lasted forty minutes.

A black Pontiac sedan drove up.

The middle-aged man got out of the car and looked at Fang Wen.

"you are?"

"Fang Wen, this is my letter of appointment." After showing the letter of appointment to the other party, he had essentially revealed his identity.

The other party immediately smiled.

"I'm Wen Helin, the company manager. I've been waiting for you for a long time. We finally have our own pilot. Please get in the car, I'll take you to your accommodation."

Fang Wen then got into the car and drove towards the French Concession.

During the pleasantries, Fang Wen learned about the organizational structure of China Airlines.

The company has three managers: Manager Wen Helin, Finance Manager Meng Lizhi, and Business Manager Zhu Zhongxuan.

There is another sales hall downstairs, which employs a total of 3 ticket sellers.

There are a total of 6 aircraft, all of which are Detroit-style commercial airliners.

There is only one air route: Shanghai to Nanjing.

There were no service staff on board, only the pilot.

This time, taking advantage of the fact that the two American pilots were sick and had returned home, he was only granted a pilot's license after strong insistence. At this point, Wen Helin looked at Fang Wen meaningfully.

"Commissioner Fang, you have a great responsibility. Not only do you have to fly an aircraft to complete daily flights, but you also have to train a group of qualified pilots. The arrangement from above is that your aircraft will only have 5 passenger seats, and one seat will be for a flight trainee who will learn on the plane and serve passengers at the same time. There will be two people in total, taking turns in shifts."

"Do they have the foundation? You know my situation. I can fly planes, but teaching isn't my strong suit. If they don't have the foundation, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to do it," Fang Wen answered truthfully.

"Don't worry, these two have studied at professional flight schools abroad, so they won't be difficult to teach. Once you're in the French Concession, settle in first, and I'll come over tomorrow to give you your entry and exit permits."

The car stopped at the entrance to the concession, and Wen Helin showed his credentials before proceeding.

They then drove to the China Airlines pilots' villa at 270-273 Rue Albert in the French Concession.

Following Wen Helin, Fang Wen arrived at the house on the left side of the second floor.

After opening the door and entering the room, Wen Helin said in a low voice, "Those pilots don't get along with us, and we don't usually communicate. Right now, some of them are flying, and some have gone out to drink. Anyway, no one will be back until late at night. One of these two keys is for the front door, and the other is for your own bedroom door."

Taking the keys, Fang Wen asked, "Does Schmidt live here too?"

"Yes, he lives here. Try to get along well with him. He will be in charge of scheduling the flights."

"understood."

"Then I'll be going now. I'll come back at 9 a.m. tomorrow to deliver your concession permit."

"Thank you."

After seeing Wen Helin off, Fang Wen put away the two keys and looked towards his room.

The house is fairly spacious, with a small living room and a bedroom.

In the living room, near the window, there is a table and two long-legged chairs, and a small bookshelf on the right wall.

There is a sliding door between the living room and the bedroom; when fully opened, the two sides can be connected.

The bedroom has a large wooden bed, and sheets and blankets are provided.

It's alright, we can move in right away.

Fang Wen put down his suitcase, relaxed completely, and lay upright on the soft bed.

After more than fifty hours of travel, he felt tired and fell asleep without realizing it.

Fang Wen slept soundly until there was a knock on the door.

I sat up in bed, straightened my clothes, and got up to open the door.

Wen Helin and Schmidt were outside the door.

Wen Helin handed the items to Fang Wen.

"This is my concession pass and my company work ID. Schmidt will arrange the rest of the flight operations. I'll head back now."

"Thank you, Manager Wen."

"You're welcome, I'm leaving now."

After Wen Helin left, Schmidt spoke up.

"You'll have no problem flying Detroit. You can start flying tomorrow. My advice to you is to fly seriously for five years, and my seat will be yours."

"Thank you. I might not be working for this company anymore in a year," Fang Wen replied in English.

"Why? As far as I know, this is the best job you have here." Schmidt was puzzled and couldn't understand why anyone would give up such good benefits.

How could foreigners like them, who came to Shanghai to make their fortunes, possibly know what kind of situation China would face in the future?

Fang Wen did not explain this, but changed the subject.

"Smit, what do you think of China?"

"The East is mysterious and charming, I love it here. Especially the food, I absolutely adore it."

“You like Eastern food, so why don’t we go to your favorite restaurant and let me try it too?”

"That's great, I think you'll like it."

The two left the French Concession in plain clothes and dined at a local restaurant nearby.

This is a very simple way of communicating, which is just right for building a good relationship with Schmidt and also allows Fang Wen to take the first step in integrating into the environment of a pilot.

(End of this chapter)