Legendary Captain

Chapter 131 Yunnan Airport, Frequent Bird Strikes

"What the hell?" Xu Xian looked outside, then at Qin Zongyang: "A bird strike?"

Judging from the sound, it seemed to be a bird strike, and Xu Xian could even tell the general direction; it seemed to have hit the area below the nose of his plane.

"Is the sound crisp?" Qin Zongyang asked expressionlessly. "A crisp sound means it's a good bird!"

In an instant, the temperature in the cockpit plummeted, and even the first co-pilot sitting in the back couldn't help but rub the back of his hands.

Xu Xian's lips twitched a few times: "I really didn't know our Vice President Qin could tell such a lame joke. You're something else!"

Xu Xian slowly raised his right hand and gave his master Qin Zongyang a big thumbs up.

"Don't address people as 'vice president,' kid. Think before you speak." Qin Zongyang snorted, clearly displeased with Xu Xian's use of the title "vice president."

After exchanging a few words with Xu Xian, Qin Zongyang contacted the control tower: "Control tower, Star Travel 6534, we've launched a bird strike."

Bird strikes usually do not cause serious consequences unless the bird is large enough or hits a critical part, such as an engine, in which case catastrophic consequences are possible.

Airports are flat and have a lot of grass, which makes them easy to attract flocks of birds. Even if the airport has special bird control equipment, it cannot guarantee that there will be no birds around the airport at all times.

Therefore, while bird strikes are not common, they are not extremely rare either. At least for a seasoned veteran like Qin Zongyang, a small bird strike is nothing to worry about.

However, even if no consequences result, it is still required to report it according to regulations.

"Bird strike? At what altitude?" the control tower replied immediately; these were all things that needed to be recorded.

"That's right! At an altitude of about 1,000 feet on the penultimate side," Qin Zongyang said.

Control Tower: "Could you give me a detailed description? Can you make sure it was a large bird, or a flock? Where did it hit? What are the possible consequences?"

"The bird shouldn't be big, and it wasn't a flock of birds. It hit the lower right side of the nose, so it shouldn't have any major impact!" Qin Zongyang briefly explained the situation.

If it's a flock of birds, the situation would be much more serious; a single bird hitting an airplane is less of a problem.

"Okay, thank you! I will explain to the subsequent crews," the control tower said.

When a preceding flight crew encounters a bird strike, air traffic control will inform the following flight crew of the situation so that they can prepare accordingly.

Qin Zongyang quickly pressed the radio transmission button, but did not speak, only indicating that he understood.

"It's been a long time since I've encountered bird strikes at Dianyun Airport," Qin Zongyang muttered. Bird strikes are generally more common at airports near hills. Although Dianyun Airport is located on a plateau, there are no obvious mountains nearby, so bird strikes shouldn't be a problem. Dianyun Airport is a hub airport after all, and its bird control measures are quite comprehensive; he hasn't encountered any bird strikes there for a long time.

The bird strike was just a minor incident during the approach and didn't cause much of a stir. As the plane descended to above the runway, Xu Xian placed his hands on the control stick, wanting to feel Qin Zongyang's leveling maneuvers. Xu Xian's only noticeable weakness was his low-altitude leveling maneuvers.

"50!"

After the radio altimeter read fifty feet, Xu Xian knew they were about to start leveling off. Just as he felt the steering wheel begin to pull up and Qin Zongyang began to level off, another muffled thud came from the windshield. A patch of blood had appeared on the left corner of the left edge of the number one windshield, unnoticed.

"Damn it!" Qin Zongyang cursed, but his hands remained steady. Even when the windshield was suddenly struck by a bird, it did not affect his operation.

When the bird strike occurred, the aircraft was already at a very low altitude, having already leveled off. In just a moment of hesitation, the aircraft touched down.

It was quite obvious that the bird was very small. It crashed into the windshield and was completely destroyed, leaving only a little bit of blood on the windshield.

As Qin Zongyang pulled up his double-barreled gun and fired back, he muttered under his breath, "Did we run into a bird's nest today?"

"Raise the speed bumps and use the back jet to unlock." Xu Xian glanced outside but didn't see any large flocks of birds. How come he only encountered two at once?

The odds are absolutely outrageous!

"60!" Xu Xian reminded the runway owner when the ground speed was 60 knots. According to regulations, if it is confirmed that the runway can be stopped below 60 knots, manual braking should be used.

Qin Zongyang cursed under his breath, but he didn't shut up. He slammed on the automatic brakes, pulled back the pushrods, and continued his rant: "What the hell? A hub airport can have two bird strikes during approach and landing? The bird control vehicles at this airport are useless."

The airport has a small bird-scare vehicle that emits sound waves of certain frequencies to scare away flocks of birds along the paths that circle the airport. However, it now appears that this bird-scare device is not very effective.

"Star Travel 6534, A6 Departure!"

Xu Xian: "A6 detaches, Star Travel 6534!"

The instructions had barely been repeated when Qin Zongyang interrupted, "Tower, how do you control birds at your airport? We've had another bird strike!"

"What? Another bird strike!" Given how rare two bird strikes in a row were, even the control tower probably hadn't seen anything like it before, they asked, "What altitude was it this time?"

"What height? When leveled out, it's less than fifty feet!" Qin Zongyang's tone was full of dissatisfaction.

If you hit a bird during the approach, it's not so bad, but if you hit a bird during the leveling phase, it can be quite frightening, especially if you have a captain who isn't very mentally strong. If it causes a change in the pilot's handling and something goes wrong, it could be a big problem.

"Star Trek 6534, confirmed to have been struck by a bird from below fifty feet?" The tower's tone was slightly different this time.

"That's right!" Qin Zongyang replied succinctly.

"Have you figured out what kind of bird it is?" The control tower was visibly anxious, a stark contrast to their tone during the approach phase.

Qin Zong's body wasn't clearly visible, but it was probably a small bird like a sparrow.

The bloodstain on the windshield was only about half the size of a palm, so it certainly wasn't from a large bird.

Just as Qin Zongyang was speaking with air traffic control, the plane had reached the departure ramp. Xu Xian reported, "Tower, Star Travel 6534, A6 has departed!"

"Star Travel 6534, turn right at F, then proceed to F9!" the control tower announced.

At this point, the tower control would normally inform the aircraft to switch frequencies on the ground or apron. However, this time it was quite different; the tower did not instruct the aircraft to switch frequencies.

"Turn right onto F, then F9 and wait!" Xu Xian repeated the instructions to Qin Zongyang.

Qin Zongyang hummed in agreement. At this moment, the control tower spoke up again, asking, "Star Travel 6534, can you provide an accurate altitude?"

Xu Xian raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with the control tower? They've asked the same question three times already!"

Qin Zongyang sneered: "Because bird strikes below fifty feet fall under their jurisdiction, of course they panic when something happens."

Bird strikes fall under the jurisdiction of the airport, but responsibility cannot be placed on the airport indiscriminately. After all, the terminal area is so large; how can the airport possibly manage everything? If all bird strikes in the terminal area were attributed to the airport, it would be overwhelmed with responsibility. Therefore, the only bird strikes truly relevant to the airport are those below fifty feet. This is precisely why the control tower's tone differed so much in its inquiries about the two bird strikes.

One is none of my business, the other is closely related to me, so they are worlds apart.

"About thirty feet!" Qin Zongyang, who had already explained to Xu Xian, turned to answer the control tower.

After a moment of silence, the control tower replied, "Star Cruises 6534, please wait a moment after your arrival. Our staff will board the plane for a routine investigation."

"Investigation?" This question was truly beyond Xu Xian's knowledge, and he had no idea how to answer it.

Qin Zongyang, being more experienced and composed, replied, "Then you'd better hurry. If you wait too long, we won't wait any longer. You can talk to our families; we'll tell them anyway."

Bird strike incidents must be reported not only to air traffic control but also to the company, and the maintenance department must be informed and the incident recorded in the maintenance log. This is the standard procedure for handling bird strikes.

"Okay, okay," the control tower said. "Star Trek 6534, contact apron 121.33."

……

"What did you say?" Qin Zongyang said incredulously, "This is the third low-altitude bird strike this year?"

The airport staff member who came over to take notes had a face full of worry, sighing and complaining: "I don't know what kind of bad luck we've had this year. Bird strikes at low altitudes, something that would never happen even once a year in the past, have now occurred for the third time. Don't you think the airport's feng shui has changed?"

Compared to bird strikes during the approach phase, low-altitude bird strikes, that is, those below fifty feet, are very rare. This is especially true at places like Yunnan Airport, where bird flocks are not numerous and bird control measures are well-established.

The airport staff weren't talking nonsense. In the past, Yunnan Airport might not even handle a low-altitude bird strike once a year. But this year, including this one, it's the third time.

It's absolutely bizarre!

"If there really were three low-altitude bird strikes, your airport leaders should probably go to a temple to burn incense!" Qin Zongyang laughed. He was always eager for a good show.

Although Qin Zongyang wasn't part of the airport system, he knew some of the airport's secrets. For example, if the number of low-altitude bird strikes at an airport exceeded a certain limit, the authorities would impose penalties.

Whether an airport has sufficient bird control capabilities is a crucial standard for its operational effectiveness. If an airport cannot meet the standards for bird control, the authorities must reconsider whether the airport can operate safely.

"A few days ago, a Kunlong aircraft collided with a flock of birds during takeoff. Fortunately, the engine wasn't damaged," an airport staff member said. "What if the authorities order the temporary closure of Dianyun Airport if this continues? No major domestic airport has ever been forced to shut down for ineffective bird control. If that happens, Dianyun Airport will become a laughing stock in the industry."

"It's been very strange since the beginning of this year. It's like the birds just won't go away. We've tried everything, but nothing works!" An airport staff member pointed to a work order: "Captain, could you briefly describe the two bird strikes and then sign your name? We need to send it to the authorities for backup."

For incidents like low-altitude bird strikes, not only the airport but also the airline must report them to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Normally, the report should be submitted to the CAAC's Airport Division so that the CAAC can assess the airport's situation.

Qin Zongyang took the work order and wrote a few sentences on it, providing an extremely brief description of the event. After all, bird strikes weren't anything worth writing about.

"It's pretty outrageous that takeoff could hit a flock of birds. If this problem isn't solved, it'll cause a major incident sooner or later. If the airport really has to be closed for repairs, don't feel ashamed; it's a major incident that would be shameful!" Qin Zongyang signed his name and handed the work sheet back to the staff: "But, you don't even include bird strikes during takeoff in the airport announcements?"

"It was written, but it was just a general notice; you probably didn't notice it," the staff member said. "After this, we estimate we'll have to issue special notices to all airlines operating at Yunnan Airport."

……

Three days later, the Airport Division Office of the Civil Aviation Administration.

An airport staff member was looking through an electronic document. Behind him, another person yawned with his hands behind his head, looking rather bored. This person turned out to be the head of the investigation team for the Chimelong 5677 volcanic ash incident.

The head of the investigation team was acquainted with the airport staff. Since it was close to the end of the workday, he came early to wait for someone to leave work together.

The head of the investigation team glanced at the electronic documents for a while, then asked listlessly, "What's up?"

"A low-altitude bird strike report for Dianyungang Airport," an airport official said. "This is the third such incident this year; it's really strange."

"A low-altitude bird strike? That's quite rare!" The head of the investigation team became interested and leaned closer to the computer screen, wanting to see what the report said.

These low-altitude bird strike reports weren't exactly confidential, so the airport staff didn't object.

"What bad luck this crew has! They crashed once at 1,000 feet, and then again at 50 feet..." The head of the investigation team was marveling at the crew's bad luck just a second ago, but his eyes widened instantly when he saw Xu Xian's name on the crew list.

The bird strike report included a list of the crew members on duty, and Xu Xian's name was prominently listed.

"Star Travel Airlines?" the head of the investigation team murmured.

An airport staff member laughed and said, "Yes! Isn't it written all over the place? Flight number Xingyou 6534!"

"Star Travel Aviation...Xu Xian..." The head of the investigation team's expression changed repeatedly, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"How long has it been, and this kid's already flying? Does he think he's Superman?"

(End of this chapter)