Legendary Captain

Chapter 124 Overwhelming Knowledge Reserves (Please Subscribe!)

The Jin'an branch of the investigation team for the Changlong 5677 incident from the Central Plains Bureau!

The team leader tapped his fingers on the table, holding a nearly finalized investigation report in his hand, without uttering a word. About half an hour later, the team leader closed the report and handed it back to the team member: "That's about it. Submit it as is."

The team member took the investigation report and said, "We've got a lead on the person who came up as a substitute."

"Oh?" The team leader was slightly surprised. Although he knew that the bureau should be able to find the person with its resources, the speed was beyond his expectations.

"Speak!" The team leader waved to the team members, signaling them to sit down and talk.

The team member didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to the team leader, saying, "We compared the identity information of all passengers and found a match in the civil aviation information system."

"Who?"

The crew member looked a little strange: "He's a pilot from Star Travel Airlines, named Xu Xian."

"Star Travel Airlines?" The team leader frowned. "If I remember correctly, Star Travel Airlines is a subsidiary of Chimelong Airlines, right?"

"That's right!" the team member confirmed.

The team leader pondered: "Star Travel Airlines, Chimelong Airlines, Chen Qi... Interesting!"

Chimelong Airlines is the parent company of Star Travel, and Chen Qi is the only son of Chimelong Airlines' second-in-command. The connection between them is quite intriguing.

"Team leader, there's just one strange thing," the team member said. "This Xu Xian is a trainee at Star Travel Aviation!"

"What? He's a trainee? You must be mistaken!" The team leader simply couldn't believe that the person who dealt with Chimelong 5677 was a trainee; it was utterly ridiculous.

Leaving aside the operational issues involved in the Chimelong 5677 emergency, since that incident didn't showcase many operational aspects, the crew's decision-making and mental fortitude during the incident were exemplary. He absolutely refused to believe that such a person was a trainee who had just entered the flying industry. Even if not the captain, he should at least be a high-ranking first officer.

One of the trainees was so different from the image he had imagined. So different that he even doubted whether the information his team members had gathered was correct. However, reality told him that this possibility could basically be disregarded.

The team member gave a wry smile: "If I can get this wrong, then I don't need to stay in the bureau anymore."

"Where's the data? Let me see it!" the team leader said urgently.

The team member pulled out a stack of paper materials and handed them to the team leader. These were all of Xu Xian's flight records since he started learning to fly on his own.

The team leader quickly took the documents and carefully reviewed them one by one. Meanwhile, a team member explained in detail: "Xu Xian purchased his ticket through his company's internal channels that day. The following day, Chimelong Airlines arranged a flight back to Yunnan for him, according to his wishes. I've already compared the information of all the passengers on the plane; only Xu Xian has a flight background, so we can be fairly certain that the person who boarded the replacement was Xu Xian. If the team leader wants to further confirm, I can go and collect his voiceprint information for comparison with the cockpit voice recordings and air traffic control recordings."

In fact, the team members felt there was no need to compare voiceprint information. There was only one person with a flight background, so what could possibly go wrong?

The team leader had been going through Xu Xian's file, but when he was halfway through, he suddenly stopped: "Wasn't he trained by Star Travel Aviation?"

"That's right!" When Xu Xian's resume was mentioned, the team member's expression immediately turned strange: "Xu Xian's private commercial flight training was conducted at Xiangyu Flight School in his personal capacity. His field training was completed at Xingfei Airlines at Hailing Airport. Team leader, please take a look at the task sheet for this field training."

The team leader quickly flipped to Xu Xian's training record for the day and found a copy of the task sheet. He only glanced at it before his eyelids started twitching.

Xu Qing's name was prominently listed among the training personnel! Xu Qing was Xu Xian's instructor for this training session. Xu Qing's signature was also on the mission sheet.

The team member had obviously seen this before, and explained, "Xu Qing doesn't have enough experience and has been injured, so in principle he's not allowed to lead flights. However, Xingfei Airlines submitted a special application to the authorities, and I had someone in the authorities check it; there is indeed a record of such a special application."

"Xu Qing carrying the team?" The team leader stroked his stubble. "What's their relationship?"

The team member was taken aback, looking on with suspicion: "Team leader, you're not going to ask me to investigate Xu Qing's background, are you?"

The team leader was speechless. How did things get so fast—they were already investigating Xu Qing's background? The team leader shook his head vigorously, "No, no, let's skip this."

Are you kidding me? Investigating Xu Qing's background? You'd have to be out of your mind to do that!

"Should I contact Xu Xian privately?" a team member asked tentatively.

The team leader's head immediately started to ache; things had become complicated when Xu Qing was involved.

Just then, a team member added, "Xu Qing came over here yesterday and looked at the investigation report and flight data of Chimelong 5677."

"Wow, why didn't you say so earlier?" the team leader exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you need to say that? Every time there's a major emergency, Xu Qing goes to the scene to check it out. It's nothing new. Does this really need to be reported?" the team member said. "Didn't the bureau already issue an order allowing Xu Qing to review emergency information to a limited extent?"

Although Xu Qing is in a semi-retired state, he still maintains a considerable interest in various things in the civil aviation circle, especially when special situations occur.

Xu Qing will rely on his special status to learn more about the latest intelligence details.

This time, Chimelong 5677 is no exception!

Xu Qing personally went to the investigation team's residence and even listened to a cabin sound.

Of course, even Xu Qing had to follow certain rules when reviewing the details of the investigation. He was always accompanied by someone when reviewing the investigation materials.

"Is this just a coincidence?" The team leader was unsure. He had originally thought that Xu Qing's visit to check the investigation details was evidence of a connection between Xu Qing and Xu Xian. But Xu Qing seemed to get involved in every special situation, so the causal relationship didn't seem so strong.

The team members were speechless. How could he possibly know such a secret?

Seeing the helpless look on his team members' faces, the team leader rubbed his temples and said, "Forget it, I'll go ask Xu Qing myself. You shouldn't contact Xu Xian for now. Let me make sure Xu Qing won't get involved."

Xu Qing's identity is too unique within the civil aviation circle to be overlooked. Most importantly, what Xu Xian did was commendable and hardly a reason to hold him accountable. To prevent any unforeseen problems, he felt it necessary to consult with Xu Qing first.

……

"Are you going to instruct the maintenance crew to manually control the start-up valve?" Although Ning Sheng roughly knew what Xu Xian wanted to do, he still couldn't help but ask.

Xu Xian simply nodded, as if it were not a big problem.

Xu Xian didn't think it was a big problem, but others didn't think so, like... Wu Feng!

"You know how to manually control the engine start valve?" Wu Feng asked incredulously. "Isn't that something the maintenance crew should know?"

"Is there a problem?" Xu Xian was very puzzled by the shock that was practically written all over Wu Feng's face.

There doesn't seem to be a rule prohibiting pilots from knowing aircraft maintenance information, right? Is such a shock really necessary?

"Of course there's a problem!" Wu Feng almost shouted. Specialization is key, but that saying doesn't seem to apply to Xu Xian.

Ning Sheng remained much calmer regarding Xu Xian's exceptional performance in handling both piloting and aircraft maintenance. He simply stated, "I'm watching over him, everything's fine!"

Xu Xian had no idea why the captain and first officer were reacting so strongly. However, time was of the essence, and he didn't bother to find out, instead focusing his attention on the important matter at hand.

Xu Xian said, "Find someone to hold the bow and arrow. Once the plane is in position, I'll tell you, and you'll give him instructions!"

Ground maintenance personnel communicate with the cockpit via a communication panel located on the lower right side of the aircraft's nose. However, headphone cables have a limited length; it's impractical to run a headphone cable from the nose all the way to the engine cover. Therefore, another maintenance worker is needed to assist.

When escorting an aircraft back off, there are usually two maintenance personnel. Besides the one currently communicating with Xu Xian and his team, there should be another maintenance worker. However, the one usually responsible for communicating with the cockpit is the more experienced one, while the other plays a supporting role.

This is truly a sad story. Even the more experienced mechanic was just starting out on his own, and his performance didn't seem very satisfactory. The other, even more inexperienced mechanic was most likely still in his probationary period, only able to do support work.

Although Xu Xian was very dissatisfied, he had no choice but to rely on this young aircraft mechanic as a tool to convey his will.

The reason for waiting for the aircraft to arrive is that it is difficult for maintenance personnel to operate a moving aircraft. Forcing operation could even damage the engine start valve.

Anyway, it's almost in place now. As long as the engine can start normally, it won't take long to delay things.

In Xu Xian's opinion, manually controlling the engine start valve was not a complicated matter. With his command, even a less capable maintenance worker should be able to complete the operation of manually controlling the engine start valve.

After all, you can do anything when you're working with someone else, but when it's your turn to do it yourself, you don't dare to do anything. Since he's allowed to work independently, his skills as an aircraft mechanic should be fine; he just needs a little guidance.

Xu Xian touched his nose, recalling the steps for manually controlling the engine start valve in his mind, so as not to miss anything.

As the plane came to a stop, the maintenance crew's voice rang out again: "Push to position, cockpit, please apply the brakes!"

"Brake!" Xu Xian shouted, bracing his toes against the brake pedal and preparing to engage the parking brake with his left hand. Just then, he felt a gentle push on his left hand. Turning his head, he saw Ning Sheng had pushed his hand away. Ning Sheng whispered, "I'll do it!"

After confirming that the parking brake had engaged, it was finally time for the formalities. Xu Xianli immediately contacted the maintenance crew: "Brakes engaged! Now listen carefully to every word I say. You relay this to another maintenance crew member. If you have any questions, be sure to ask me. There absolutely cannot be any mistakes."

These words made the maintenance crew below swallow nervously. There was no way around it; Xu Xian's manner of speaking and tone exerted immense pressure on them. Not only the maintenance crew, but even Wu Feng in the back involuntarily held his breath, having been subconsciously drawn into Xu Xian's rhythm. At this moment, everyone followed Xu Xian's lead without question.

"Find the boomerang first! Call the other mechanic over!" Xu Xian said.

"Rocking the bow, okay, okay!" the maintenance worker hurriedly replied. They preferred to use the name "connecting rod" more often; "rocking the bow" was rarely used, and he didn't know how the pilots knew the term.

"Another maintenance worker will be here soon!"

Another type of maintenance worker is usually positioned to the side of the aircraft, monitoring blind spots. This is especially important when the aircraft is pushing back, to prevent collisions with objects in blind spots during the pushback.

However, now that the plane is in position and has come to a complete stop, there's no need to worry about accidentally hitting anything. So, calling another maintenance worker over at this point shouldn't be a big problem.

In the few seconds of waiting, Xu Xian kept rubbing his fingers, revealing that he was still a little anxious.

"In the cockpit, another maintenance worker has arrived."

Xu Xian glanced down through his side window and, sure enough, saw two maintenance personnel already standing below. He immediately ordered, "One of you on each side, turn your earcups outwards, and listen to me!"

The earcups of the aircraft maintenance personnel's headsets can rotate 180 degrees, meaning they can be turned inwards or flipped outwards. By flipping the earcups outwards, both maintenance personnel can hear Xu Xian's words simultaneously.

"Later, go to the second engine fairing and find the manual control port for the starter valve. It should be located at the nine o'clock position on the left side of the fairing. It should be labeled STARTER OVERRIDE ACCESS HOLE. Insert the connecting rod. Remember, turning it clockwise is to open and turning it counterclockwise is to close. There should also be a label indicating the direction. You must not turn it in the wrong direction."

"We know, we know, we understand!" The maintenance crew echoed Xu Xian, as they had been trained in this operating technique.

"Later, one person will stay downstairs to maintain communication with us, and the other person will operate the system. The timing for opening the starter valve will be determined by the cockpit. It is expected that you will open the starter valve when the bleed air is clear and the starter switch is in the ground position, and close the starter valve when the N2 level is approximately 55%." Xu Xian instructed, "After closing the starter valve, the engine will have a noticeable suction force, so be sure to maintain a safe distance from the engine."

When N2 reaches 55% of its maximum speed, the engine is already close to its idle thrust. For engine operation, idle thrust is basically the minimum thrust when the throttle is turned down, but for people below the engine, if they are too close, they can still feel a noticeable suction force. Therefore, Xu Xiancai specifically instructed them to maintain a safe distance after closing the starter valve.

"We know," the maintenance crew assured, patting their chest.

Xu Xian was speechless. If she looked so confident, why did she need him to teach her how to do it?

"Oh, and remember to wear earplugs!" Xu Xian added. "You can communicate with gestures."

When controlling the engine valve, you are very close to the engine, and the noise from the engine running is extremely loud. If you don't use earplugs for protection, it may damage your hearing.

Anyway, all that's needed is to communicate the timing of switching the engine start valve on and off, which can be done with gestures, so it's not complicated.

"He's in position, I'm letting you know!" the mechanic said. Now all they had to do was wait for another mechanic to insert the connecting rod into the manual control port.

During this short wait, Wu Feng couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "So our startup procedure hasn't changed?"

Xu Xian shook his head: "No, we just need to make sure the bleed air is working properly. Now that the APU is bleeding air, there's no problem. Just maintain the normal startup configuration from before!"

"What if there's a problem with the Qi-induction system?" Their Qi-induction system is working fine right now; Wu Feng just wanted to ask.

"The engine start valve is an electrically controlled, pneumatically driven device. Its opening and closing is affected by the combined bleed air pressure of chambers A and B. If it is operated manually without bleed air, it will cause the engine start valve to become stuck and damaged. Even if it is repaired, it will affect the service life of the engine start valve in the future." Xu Xian said, while looking out through the side window. He was eager to know if the maintenance crew had arrived.

"A chamber, B chamber? What are these? Never mind, never mind!" Wu Feng slapped his forehead, deciding not to investigate further. He knew that the engine starting valve was an electronically controlled pneumatic actuator. But terms like A chamber and B chamber were completely unheard of.

In front of Xu Xian, he felt that his intelligence had been ruthlessly crushed.

Sitting on the left, Ning Sheng's right hand unconsciously clenched slowly. The surprise Xu Xian had given him was simply too great. When he was proctoring Xu Xian's exam, he only thought the young man was somewhat interesting and didn't delve into Xu Xian's somewhat evasive arguments, letting him off the hook. At that time, Ning Sheng only thought Xu Xian had an amazing memory, but he never expected his knowledge reserves to be so astonishing.

Just then, the maintenance crew announced, "Cockpit, we're ready!"

Xu Xian, who had been waiting, suddenly brightened up and replied softly, "Then let's begin!"

(End of this chapter)