Legendary Captain

Chapter 122 I'll handle it! (Please subscribe!)

As soon as Xu Xian and his two companions stepped off the Star Travel 6887 aircraft, they were met with a chill. Xu Xian instinctively tightened his coat, but the damp cold felt like a magical attack, penetrating the protective fabric and seeping into his very bones. His legs, in particular, felt almost numb.

"I should have worn another pair of socks," Xu Xian thought to himself. He was wearing the company-issued standard leather shoes. Since he hadn't had time to have his measurements taken, Xu Xian had simply grabbed two relatively well-fitting uniforms from the warehouse. The shoes had fit him quite well at the time, so why did they feel so big after only two days? The cold wind was howling inside the shoes, and Xu Xian was almost going crazy.

Ning Sheng: "Wu Feng, you go upstairs and get ready. Ask if there's a queue for passage, and contact the site to ask how to notify the de-icing truck."

During winter operations, if the humidity is high the night before, there's a high chance of frost buildup on early morning flights the next day. In severe cases, de-icing operations are necessary. Not to mention if it rained the night before, leaving the ground wet and the air damp and cold.

Given the rain the night before, de-icing was almost a certainty. Therefore, Ning Sheng asked Wu Feng to inquire whether there was a queue for passage.

There are many more aircraft needing de-icing at the airport than just Xingyou 6887. Almost every aircraft that stays overnight at Yunnan Airport needs de-icing, which adds up to a significant number. With the morning departure rush approaching, there's a high chance of queues due to limited de-icing capacity.

After all, there are only so many de-icing trucks and maintenance personnel; they can't be on call all the time! The waiting time for de-icing is the waiting time that needs to be taken.

Normally, Yunnan Airport applies for de-icing trucks through on-site frequency. However, it's estimated that a large number of flight crews will apply for de-icing later, so the airport might set up a de-icing priority system. Ning Sheng asked Wu Feng to go up and inquire about the situation first. If there's a queue for de-icing, they should put them in the queue for now.

Wu Feng asked Xu Xian for the data package and also took Ning Sheng's suitcase upstairs, leaving Xu Xian and Ning Sheng downstairs to do a machine inspection.

In the biting cold wind, Xu Xian looked rather timid, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his head also hunched over. There was no way around it; any exposed skin would freeze to the bone in just a few seconds.

Yunnan Province is known for its year-round spring-like climate, so why is it so unusual this year? He felt that even in his hometown of Qinghu City in Shandong Province, it wasn't this cold at this time of year.

Ning Sheng probably hadn't expected it to be so cold, especially on the tarmac, where the surroundings were extremely open and the cold wind was howling incessantly. Ning Sheng's eyes weren't big to begin with, and the cold wind made them squint uncontrollably, almost blinding him.

"It's not even this cold in Binjiang in winter, it's bone-chilling. Why does Dianyun feel a bit like the damp cold of a southern winter?" Ning Sheng complained.

If the cold of winter in the north is a physical attack, where wearing more clothes can help, then the cold of winter in the south is a magical attack; no matter how many clothes you wear, it's useless, as the chill seeps into your bones.

"Strictly speaking, Yunnan and Yunnan can be considered the south! The southwest!" Xu Xian replied while wearing a reflective vest.

Ning Sheng was taken aback, then clicked his tongue: "I didn't expect you to have a talent for telling corny jokes! You should know what a typical southern climate is like, right? Yunnan doesn't resemble it at all."

Typical southern climates are characterized by sweltering summers like a sauna and damp, cold winters like an icebox. In reality, Yunnan's climate is quite mild year-round. Although it boasts the title of a major city in Southwest China and has "southern" in its name, its climate differs significantly from typical southern weather.

"Come on, come on! Let's see how frozen the plane is." Ning Sheng put his hands in his pockets, hunched his neck, and hopped and skipped towards the bottom of the plane, looking extremely comical.

Xu Xian quickly followed. The two poor souls shivered in the cold wind, shining flashlights as they began to inspect the machine.

Given the high likelihood of icing on the aircraft, checking for icing is the key focus of the inspection around the aircraft.

But after the two of them circled the plane like quails with their heads down, they discovered a very strange problem: there seemed to be no ice on the plane's fuselage.

This is absolutely unbelievable!

"Did you see the ice?" Ning Sheng still squinted, but his small eyes held a great deal of doubt.

Xu Xian frowned deeply: "I didn't see it! That doesn't make sense! How could it not be there?"

Even if it rained the night before, or even if there was fog, the aircraft could still freeze. It's a million times impossible that the plane isn't freezing right now.

The two looked at each other, completely bewildered as to what had happened.

Just then, a man dressed as an aircraft mechanic walked over from a short distance away. Ning Sheng quickly went up to him, pointed at the plane, and asked, "Did you check the plane just now? Wasn't it icing up then?"

Normally, maintenance personnel arrive on the aircraft before the flight crew to conduct routine checks, and it is very likely that they have already checked the aircraft's icing condition.

Ning Sheng wanted to know if there was something wrong with their eyes.

"It's frozen over? That's pretty serious!" The maintenance worker had a silly look on his face, which was quite amusing.

"Then why is it gone now?" Ning Sheng asked, puzzled.

The maintenance worker replied matter-of-factly, "They've already de-iced it! Of course it's gone!"

"De-iced? Just now?" Ning Sheng's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Then why isn't there any foam on the ground?"

Once the aircraft is sprayed with de-icing fluid, a large amount of water stains with white foam will remain under the fuselage. However, Ning Sheng looked around and did not find anything like white foam on the ground under the aircraft.

"Maybe it's been too long and it's been washed away?" the maintenance worker said uncertainly.

"So you didn't even know? Never mind, let's not talk about that." Ning Sheng changed the subject: "There's still an hour and ten minutes until takeoff. De-icing so early, what if it ices up again later? The humidity is so high now, there's a real possibility of secondary icing!"

After de-icing an aircraft, there is a shelf life for a certain period of time; some have a shelf life of twenty minutes, some thirty minutes, and some even longer. This is somewhat related to the type of anti-icing fluid used, but most have a shelf life of twenty or thirty minutes.

Now that the de-icing is finished so early, what if the planes behind us get iced up again? Wouldn't all the previous de-icing have been for nothing? That costs real money.

"It hasn't rained, so even if the humidity is high, the chances of it freezing again are slim," the maintenance worker said with a smile, not thinking there was anything wrong with de-icing in advance.

For an aircraft to ice up, not only does the temperature need to be low enough, but there also needs to be visible water vapor. Otherwise, even if the temperature is very low, the aircraft will still not ice up. Although the temperature is very low now, without enough water vapor, the aircraft will most likely not ice up.

"The chances are slim! But what if it rains again?" Ning Sheng shook his head, rubbing his forehead. "Who told you to defrost? We didn't receive any notification!"

Even without the maintenance staff saying it, Ning Sheng could probably guess what was going on. Nine times out of ten, the company, in order to shorten pre-flight preparation time, had the maintenance staff come to de-ic the ice before the peak de-icing season. If they were lucky and it didn't re-iced, they could avoid waiting in line for de-icing. Even if it re-iced later, they could just follow the standard procedure and de-ic it again.

While the logic is sound and it's likely to be effective, this is incredibly wasteful of money. Gambling the possibility of no secondary freezing for the cost of one de-icing operation—that's incredibly extravagant.

Of course, it's likely one thing, but the real answer still depends on the maintenance team.

But to everyone's surprise, the maintenance personnel simply said, "We only received a notification from the airport."

"What does the airport's announcement mean?" Ning Sheng felt a little uncomfortable. What was the difference between this kind of platitude and not saying anything at all?

Ning Sheng pressed further, "Wasn't this notified by our company?"

"I don't know about that. We were ordered to de-ice by the on-site commander," the maintenance crew member said innocently.

On-site command refers to the airport's on-site operations control room. The frequency that the cockpit frequently contacts is the same as the on-site operations control room.

However, this still doesn't provide any useful information.

Xu Xian glanced at the logo on the left chest of the maintenance worker's uniform, which was the logo of Star Travel Airlines, indicating that this maintenance worker was Star Travel Airlines' own maintenance worker.

Ning Sheng had obviously noticed this as well, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I wanted to ask if the company instructed us to de-ice in advance."

"Well..." The maintenance crew member hesitated, "We just followed the instructions from the on-site command center. As for whether it was ordered by the company, we don't know."

Another "I don't know?"

Ning Sheng was speechless. This maintenance worker seemed completely clueless, like he knew nothing! He was supposed to be a maintenance worker for Xingyou Airlines, yet he didn't even keep in touch with his family? So much de-icing ahead of time, and he didn't care about anything else, just following orders from the on-site command center. What if the on-site instructions were wrong? Who would pay for the extra de-icing?

The maintenance crew clearly sensed Ning Sheng's displeasure and immediately became flustered.

"Captain, it was our family who contacted the site, and then the site assigned us the task. We've already confirmed with our family!" Another mechanic walked over from a short distance away. Under the lights, this mechanic looked much older than the previous one. The older mechanic nudged the younger mechanic to go about his business, and then explained to Ning Sheng again, "That kid is my apprentice. He's still a bit out of his mind. Captain, please don't mind him."

Although the civil aviation industry has developed for many years, the cornerstone of its training system has never changed: the master-apprentice model. This applies to pilots, air traffic controllers, and aircraft maintenance personnel alike!

However, in order to adapt to the times, the description of the master-apprentice relationship has changed slightly.

For example, nowadays, a master and his apprentice form a "safety technology team" together, with the master as the team leader. This makes the team appear much more legitimate in public, but the essence remains unchanged.

"Master, is your apprentice just starting out on his own?" Ning Sheng asked with a smile.

With the old mechanic's explanation, things became much clearer. Ning Sheng wouldn't pursue the matter further, as it wasn't a big deal.

"Yes, Captain! Today is his first day working independently. He's been with me for so long that he doesn't have much of his own sense of self, and he just listens to whatever others say. He should get better in the future," the veteran mechanic said apologetically.

When I was working under him, the young mechanics just did whatever he said, without having to think independently. Now that I'm working independently, I still just do whatever the on-site supervisor says. I don't even bother to verify anything that goes against the rules. If something goes wrong, won't I be the one who suffers?

"It's alright, everyone gets through this. It'll be fine after a while!" Ning Sheng laughed. "Then go ahead and get busy. Since it was a company notification, there's no problem."

"Okay! I'll be resting for a while. If that kid has any problems he can't handle, just have him come find me. Don't try to be a hero," the old mechanic instructed.

He had no tasks for the rest of the day and could have rested. However, he was still worried about his apprentice's first day working independently, so he sacrificed his rest time to be on standby. If his apprentice encountered any difficult problems, he could call him over for help.

The master is truly worried sick about his disciple!

After saying goodbye to the maintenance crew, Xu Xian and Ning Sheng boarded the plane, only to receive some terrible news as soon as they got on!

"Instructor, the clearance time is 2:40 the hour after next." Wu Feng had already packed his things and came out of the cockpit, leaving the space in the right passenger seat where he had put his suitcase for Xu Xian.

"The forty minutes after the next hour? That's more than an hour later than the scheduled time. Is that pushback time or takeoff time?" Ning Sheng pressed.

"Departure time, departure time!" Wu Feng hurriedly said, "The time has been locked!"

If this were still a timeline, Ning Sheng would be going crazy. Of course, it's about time now: "Alright, just wait! Those who want to sleep, go to sleep; those who want to eat, eat. We'll take it slow."

"Wu Feng, call the dispatch center and explain the situation, then everyone can go about their business!" Ning Sheng said. "By the way, since there's no rush, Xu Xian, you can take your seat and get ready. Take your time, there's plenty of time!"

Xu Xian was overjoyed, as he could finally get another chance to practice pre-flight preparations. He quickly grabbed his suitcase and sat down in the seat Wu Feng had vacated for him. He had plenty of time to prepare and wasn't in a hurry at all.

Xu Xian was already quite proficient in cockpit preparation, but he lacked some practical experience. Since there was no rush this time, it was a good opportunity for Xu Xian to try it out on his own.

Ning Sheng pulled out the chair, lowered the backrest, and comfortably leaned back, tilting his head towards Xu Xian: "Can you connect the air conditioner? It's cold!"

Xu Xian was connected to the APU's power supply and bleed air supply. The ground power supply in this corridor bridge was faulty and could not be used. Otherwise, the ground power supply and ground air conditioning would have been used first.

"Take a look at the de-icing program, just in case we need it later, so we don't have to scramble to find it at the last minute." Ning Sheng stretched and yawned, deciding to take a nap first, since he was just waiting anyway.

However, even when Ning Sheng closed his eyes to rest, he was still wearing headphones, meaning he was still monitoring the release frequency to prevent a sudden stroke of luck that would cause the release to be earlier than expected.

To everyone's disappointment, even though Ning Sheng kept listening to the clearance frequency, he still didn't receive any news about the flight being moved up. During this time, the three flight crew members ate breakfast, Xu Xian completed the cockpit preparations, and Ning Sheng also did a final check. After confirming everything was in order, they waited again, until the long-awaited clearance frequency finally called out to them: "Star Travel 6887, are you completely ready?"

The three men, who had been slumped in the cockpit, instantly straightened up as if they had been electrocuted. Xu Xian immediately replied, "Star Travel 6887, all set!"

"Star Travel 6887, here's the situation. We can let you push back ahead of schedule now, but we need to confirm that you can take off within fifteen minutes of pushback. If you can accept this, I'll arrange for you to push back. However, if you can't take off within fifteen minutes of pushback, you'll have to taxi back, and it will take a long time to take off again. If you take off at 4:40 at this time, then there's no such restriction." Fangxing explained the situation to the three crew members.

Xu Xian checked the time; it was just past the hour. Even with pushback and taxiing time added, it would still be about twenty minutes earlier than the given takeoff time.

This is a multiple-choice question! If you want to leave early, you must ensure your flight takes off within the stipulated time; otherwise, the delay will be extended. If you don't leave early, there is no time limit, and the delay will not be extended.

This might be a choice for Xu Xian, but it might not be for others, such as Ning Sheng.

Without a second thought, Ning Sheng replied, "We can take off within fifteen minutes of launch! Star Travel 6887!"

Ning Sheng didn't agree without considering everything; he did so after some deliberation. After all, the parking position and the runway were on the same side of the field, so the taxiing time wouldn't be long—fifteen minutes would be perfectly fine under normal circumstances.

"Star Travel 6887, contact apron 121.75." After receiving Star Travel 6887's acceptance of the conditions, Xu Xian and his group were allowed to switch frequencies.

"121.75, goodbye!" Ning Sheng replied, muttering to himself, "I've been ready for an hour, and you're still asking if I'm ready?"

Of course, the last sentence was never sent.

When Ning Sheng replied to the release frequency, Xu Xian adjusted the apron frequency, said goodbye to the release frequency, and then swapped frequencies.

"Come on!" Ning Sheng gestured to Xu Xian, indicating that Xu Xian should continue the call. He had only interrupted briefly earlier.

Xu Xian understood and contacted the apron himself: "Apron, Star Travel 6887, parking position 161, ready!"

"Star Travel 6887, is this proof that you've been cleared to leave the area?" the tarmac controller inquired.

Xu Xian: "I've broken free of the waves and am now at your command, Star Travel 6887."

"Star Travel 6887, you may push back and start up. If you cannot complete the pushback within five minutes, notify me and I will cancel the pushback and start-up command!" the apron controller instructed. If the pushback cannot be completed within five minutes, it will affect the pushback plans of other aircraft, since Star Travel 6887 is currently cutting in line.

Xu Xian: "We can launch the car now, it'll be done in five minutes! Star Travel 6887!"

Upon receiving the instruction to drive out, Ning Sheng immediately turned on the crash lights, signaling the tow truck not far ahead to come quickly.

The tow truck was located not far in front of the aircraft. After receiving the light signal, the maintenance crew and the tow truck immediately followed, which was quite efficient.

"Pre-start checklist!" Ning Sheng asked Xu Xian to complete the pre-start checklist while adjusting the seat. This checklist must be completed before starting the engine.

After Xu Xian completed the pre-start checklist according to Ning Sheng's instructions, the trailer was just hooked up.

"Captain, the trailer is attached!" the maintenance crew reported.

Ning Sheng first released the parking brake, then said, "The brakes are loose, you can push!"

"Received!" The maintenance crew received confirmation from the cockpit and directed the tow truck driver to begin pushing the aircraft out.

"Can we drive?" Ning Sheng asked tentatively. Yunnan Airport had recently relaxed the restrictions on the "push-start" procedure, so Ning Sheng was trying to find out. If the engine could be started while pushing, it would save a lot of time.

They just lack time!

Fortunately, the maintenance crew responded to Ning Sheng's inquiry almost without hesitation: "Cockpit, you can start the second engine!"

"Second shot!" Ning Sheng replied. Then, leisurely fastening his seatbelt, he muttered, "Let's get to work!"

Xu Xian then shut off the power switches for both components, automatically locking the isolation valve, and confirmed, "Good configuration!"

The configuration here refers to the starting configuration!

Ning Sheng adjusted his posture and replied, "Second shot, ground position!"

At the same time, Xu Xian turned the starter switch to the ground position and instinctively began his standard announcement: "Is the valve open? Not open?"

"The start valve isn't open?" Ning Sheng glanced at the DU display, confirming there was no indication that the start valve was open, then looked up to the right: "There's pipeline pressure!"

Ning Sheng checked the pipeline pressure on the booster panel. Starting the engine requires pressurized air; without pipeline pressure, there won't be enough pressurized air, and it certainly won't start. However, normally, the starter valve should be open at this point. The engine's starter valve is an electro-pneumatic valve; both the electricity and air are working properly, so why won't it open?

"Teacher, is there a problem?" Wu Feng asked from behind.

At this point, the maintenance crew took the initiative to contact them: "Cockpit, you can start the second engine now!"

Ning Sheng's eyelids twitched: "The leaves aren't rotating?"

An engine requires an external force to start turning, and this force comes from the engine's starter motor. Except for a very few starter motors that are electrically driven, most starter motors are driven by compressed air.

However, the maintenance personnel observed that the engine blades were not rotating, indicating that the starter motor was not turning. This led them to conclude that the starter valve was not opening, which was very likely due to insufficient bleed air intake.

"This isn't a malfunction indicator; the engine's start valve really isn't opening!" Ning Sheng muttered.

At this moment, the maintenance crew also noticed something amiss: "Cockpit, is there a problem with starting?"

"The starter valve isn't open!" Ning Sheng replied, while simultaneously directing Xu Xian, "Turn the ignition switch to the closed position!"

We were rushing to meet the deadline, and everything was ready, but then the engine broke down.

"Instructor, should we notify the tarmac to cancel the pushback and start-up command? The engine is still off, so everything is fine." Wu Feng was a little unsure.

There have been some unexpected problems with engine startup, and it is likely that the previously required time limit for taxiing and takeoff will not be met.

"No way! We agreed before, and now you want to cancel? We'll have to queue up again, which will take much longer." Ning Sheng said in a deep voice, "What's the reason?"

Suddenly, Ning Sheng seemed to have thought of something!

However, Wu Feng seemed a bit anxious: "Instructor, this has just been launched. If we tell the control staff sooner, we might not have to queue up again. Should I tell them?"

There are many reasons why the engine start valve might not open, and who knows what might be causing it? Instead of wasting time and ultimately failing to meet regulatory requirements, it might be better to get them to admit it sooner rather than later. Perhaps the regulators will be more lenient and let them off the hook?

In fact, Wu Feng did not have high hopes for the feasibility of solving the problem of the starting valve not opening in a short period of time.

While Ning Sheng was thinking, he did not respond to Wu Feng's words. Wu Feng mistakenly thought that Ning Sheng had tacitly agreed, so he prepared to contact the apron control to cancel the departure order.

Just as Wu Feng was adjusting the position of his microphone in an attempt to contact the control center, his right wrist was suddenly grabbed. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Xu Xian.

Xu Xian stopped Wu Feng's actions abruptly, saying seriously, "Brother, don't contact him, I'll handle it!"

Thanks to BoredBookworm198 for the two generous donations.

Don't contact me, I need to show off!

Some comments say they don't know the character Xia Qing. Isn't she the flight attendant who helped Xu Xian on his first occasion? Have you forgotten her already?

(End of this chapter)