Legendary Captain

Chapter 136 Non-command airspeed reduction

There's a long-standing tradition in the civil aviation industry. If a new cabin crew member is flying with the pilot for the first time, many captains used to invite them to the cockpit to witness takeoff and landing. The reasons for this are varied, but the practice is consistent. This is similar to the standard celebration after a pilot's first solo flight, where one of the gestures is to cut a piece of fabric from the back of their pilot's shirt.

Inviting cabin crew into the cockpit is a tradition, but not every captain does it. Moreover, over time, many old civil aviation traditions have been abandoned, and now many captains no longer proactively invite new cabin crew into the cockpit.

Qin Zongyang did not violate any regulations regarding access to the cockpit. Crew members were among those permitted to enter the cockpit. The crew members included both the flight crew and the passenger cabin crew, so Qin Zongyang's decision to allow Xia Qing into the cockpit to observe takeoff and landing was not inappropriate.

However, takeoff and landing are critical phases of flight, and having flight attendants on board could lead to chaos in case of unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, this arrangement is only suitable for flight attendants on their first shift. Of course, Xia Qing is certainly not a new flight attendant on her first flight, but no one would object to Qin Zongyang's invitation.

"What? You're letting Xia Qing in?" Xu Xian's mouth trembled as he heard Qin Zongyang invite Xia Qing into the cockpit. "Is this in accordance with regulations?"

"How is it against regulations? This has been the way it's been all these years. Besides, isn't she a crew member? What's wrong with a crew member in the cockpit?" Qin Zongyang said nonchalantly, nestled in his captain's seat.

Given the current severe security situation, how could he possibly defy the rules and commit a crime? He must have been certain that he hadn't violated any regulations before daring to do it.

"Then...then I'll sit in the back..." Xu Xian scratched his scalp, which felt itchy and numb.

"Huh?" Qin Zongyang missed Xu Xian's point: "Aren't you going to show yourself?"

Qin Zongyang's original plan was to let Xu Xian take the seat of honor, while Xia Qing watched from behind. This would reduce Xia Qing's workload, showcase Xu Xian's charm, and elevate his image. It would also be a way to bring the two together, killing two birds with one stone.

"I'm nervous, I'm afraid I'll mess things up! Master, I won't take the seat this time, let Brother Yi fly instead!" Xu Xian wiped his face and started taking off his headphones. With his other hand, he reached for the tablet on the stand, as if he wanted to put the headphones and tablet into the flight case, clearly looking like he was about to run away.

Qin Zongyang wanted to give his apprentice a boost, but in the end, the protagonist backed out.

"How will you ever find a wife if you keep acting like this?" Qin Zongyang was very dissatisfied with his apprentice's cowardly behavior.

Just then, the cockpit door opened, and Xia Qing entered somewhat nervously, saying cautiously, "President Qin, the cabin is ready. The flight attendant asked if we can close the door?"

Qin Zongyang immediately put on a smiling face: "Shut it down, shut it down!"

Upon receiving the instruction to close the cabin door, Xia Qing nodded and exited the cockpit first, presumably to report to the flight attendant outside.

Taking advantage of Xia Qing's brief absence, Xu Xian quickly stuffed his headphones and tablet into the flight case, got up, pulled out his seat, and hurriedly said to the first co-pilot in the back, "Brother, you come on, I'll be watching from behind today."

"Ah? Mr. Qin, look..." The first co-pilot was caught off guard; how come he was being replaced just as everything was ready? Moreover, Xu Xian was Qin Zongyang's apprentice, and whether he could sit there or not depended on Qin Zongyang's decision.

Qin Zongyang's temples throbbed as he watched Xu Xian, who was eager to replace him. He waved his hand dismissively, "Change him, change him!"

"Bro, we can just swap the headphones and tablet." Xu Xian hurriedly stuffed the headphones and tablet into the flight case, but then he thought for a moment and slapped his thigh: "Why did I put these things in the case? I'm not even carrying the case! What's wrong with me?!"

So, Xu Xian hurriedly took out the headphones and tablet that he had just put in.

Qin Zongyang looked helplessly at Xu Xian, whose intelligence had been rapidly diminished, and called out to the first passenger in the back: "Hurry up, this guy's brain is short-circuiting right now."

Surprisingly, Xu Xian did not retort to Qin Zongyang's sarcasm this time, because he was busy getting up to give up his seat in the first passenger seat.

"Brother, hurry up! We're coming back!" Xu Xian grabbed his tablet and earphones and hurriedly left his seat. If it weren't for the fact that the earphone microphone required lip-syncing and that everyone had different habits when using electronic charts, Xu Xian wouldn't have bothered changing his earphones and tablet.

The positions had to be changed before Xia Qing returned. Xu Xian didn't know why this was necessary, he just felt it should be done, even though he himself couldn't understand it.

Xu Xian pulled and shoved the first co-pilot into the right passenger seat before he could even plug in his earphones. The cockpit door opened again. Xia Qing leaned in and immediately saw Xu Xian at the entrance; her expression clearly froze for a moment.

"Weren't you sitting in that seat just now?" Xia Qing was a little confused. She had only been out for a short while, so why had the seats in the cockpit been changed?

Xu Xian gave a stiff smile: "I was just practicing a bit. I'm not the one flying the actual flight; the regulations state that I can't fly yet!"

Xu Xian played a word game here. Trainee level personnel cannot operate the aircraft, but they can cooperate; they are not completely unable to fly.

Xia Qing wasn't a pilot and didn't understand the characteristics of a pilot's level, so she just nodded as if she understood, then turned to Qin Zongyang: "President Qin, the flight attendant just said you wanted me to come in and watch the takeoff?"

"Yes! Have you seen it before?" Qin Zongyang asked.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Xia Qing's eyes: "No!"

"Let's see how it goes! Xu Xian, put a seat down for her," Qin Zongyang instructed. He wanted Xia Qing to sit in the observer's seat.

Xu Xian placed the headphones and tablet on another observer's seat and enthusiastically helped Xia Qing put down her chair.

Xia Qing had seen what the observer's position looked like. After all, during the cruise phase, sometimes it's necessary to heat water for the people in the cockpit, and if the flight crew on duty is a three-person team, they can clearly see the observer's position.

Although she had seen the observer's seat before, she didn't know how it was set up. Today, Xu Xian demonstrated how to set up the seat, and she realized that the observer's seat was actually embedded in the wall at the entrance to the cockpit.

After Xia Qing sat down, Xu Xian taught her how to fasten her seatbelt and also instructed her on how to use the oxygen mask.

Unlike the seats on the left and right in front, the observer's seat cannot be adjusted at will. Moreover, the seat and back are just a layer of leather covering a hard material such as a metal frame. There are no armrests, so sitting for a long time is not a comfortable experience.

Although the observer's seat is extremely basic, all safety measures are in place. The seatbelt is a standard five-point harness for pilots, although the shoulder straps need to be extended with the seat back extended to be easily pulled out. The observer is also equipped with an oxygen mask, the same as those in the seats to their left and right.

Xu Xian patiently taught Xia Qing how to use the oxygen mask, in case Xia Qing didn't know how to put it on in case of decompression. The oxygen masks in the cockpit are different from those in the passenger cabin. The oxygen masks in the cockpit don't drop down automatically; personnel need to put them on themselves.

After Xia Qing figured everything out, she suddenly realized an important question and turned to ask Xu Xian, "What about you? Where are you sitting?"

Xia Qing couldn't find any remaining seats in the cockpit. Could it be that Xu Xian was going to move out and sit down? If so, she felt it wouldn't be convenient for her to stay in the cockpit any longer.

"Me? I'll sit here!" Xu Xian said, pointing to the empty space behind the captain.

"This is a seat?" Xia Qing had never heard before that the space behind the captain's seat was actually a seat.

Xu Xian patted the cushion where his headphones and tablet were placed: "This is the chair seat!"

He then pointed to another cushion fixed to the wall behind him: "That's a chair back! Isn't it just a seat?"

Xia Qing looked at the cushion fixed to the wall in disbelief: "I always thought it was a decoration."

"I also thought it was just a decoration." Xu Xianqian chuckled twice, put away his headphones and tablet, and after thinking for a moment, he still didn't plug in the headphones, because the headphone jack was on Xia Qing's right side, which was very inconvenient.

After placing the headphones and tablet in the pocket behind the captain's seat, Xu Xian patted Qin Zongyang's seat back. Qin Zongyang thought something was wrong, turned around and met Xu Xian's gaze. Without saying a word, he immediately and obediently pulled his seat forward a little to make room for Xu Xian to put his feet down.

It has to be said that Xu Xian and Qin Zongyang inexplicably share a tacit understanding. Qin Zongyang can understand a single glance from Xu Xian.

Xu Xian sat down, his right hand hanging down at the same height as Xia Qing's upper arm, just enough to touch it with the slightest movement. Moreover, because Xu Xian's seat was higher, he could look down at Xia Qing.

Xu Xian wasn't the type to be obsessed with every pretty woman he saw, but unfortunately, one's vision isn't a single point, but a plane. Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Xian's gaze would often unconsciously fall on Xia Qing. Whether intentional or unintentional, he didn't know.

Xu Xian wasn't young anymore, but being so close to Xia Qing this time, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Perhaps for work purposes, Xia Qing had a faint fragrance on her, probably perfume. For Xu Xian, a straight man, he naturally couldn't identify the perfume; he just thought it smelled nice.

Xu Xian doesn't actually like perfume much; many women's perfumes smell too pungent. But with Xia Qing, Xu Xian instantly changed his mind and thought the perfume smelled quite nice. Of course, this is also because Xia Qing's perfume is naturally quite light.

The flight attendants' uniforms were designed to be very form-fitting, highlighting their figures. Xia Qing had an excellent figure, and once she sat down, her curves were truly eye-catching. Xu Xian only glanced at her once, but his gaze was immediately drawn to her.

Xu Xian inwardly denied his LSP nature, but his eyes just wouldn't obey him, which made him irritated. He impatiently asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

To Xia Qing, this tone made it sound as if Xu Xian was the leader of this cockpit.

As soon as Xu Xian spoke, he felt the first officer and Xia Qing's eyes focus on him. Realizing his tone was inappropriate, he quickly corrected himself: "Captain, do you think it's okay to contact them for clearance?"

Qin Zongyang sighed and waved his hand: "Contact them to let us through. Get ready!"

On taxiway F, in front of Xu Xian's plane was a much larger aircraft.

Xu Xian's plane was a 737-800, which was already a bit larger than the 737-700. But compared to the larger planes in front, it paled in comparison.

Because there is a remote apron across taxiway E from taxiway F, where a row of aircraft from various airlines are parked, including many 737-800s. The visual impact of this left-right comparison is extremely obvious.

Compared to large aircraft, the 737-800 is simply a small and short baby.

"What kind of plane is that up ahead? It's so big! Is it a 350?" Xia Qing was seeing such a big plane for the first time and couldn't help but feel curious.

The 350 Xia Qing mentioned was the Airbus A350, a twin-engine, long-range wide-body passenger aircraft, significantly larger than the 737 series. It was the largest passenger aircraft Xia Qing had ever seen.

Of course, the 747 is also very large, but its external features are more obvious, with a protruding part at the nose, making it easy to identify. However, the aircraft in front of us does not have this feature.

"No way!" someone exclaimed. "Isn't the A350 supposed to be twin-engine? This is quad-engine! It's not a A350, it should be an A380!"

The A380 is also a long-range wide-body passenger aircraft, and it is the world's largest wide-body passenger aircraft, with a full passenger capacity of up to 500. If we only consider operating costs, the A380 is the lowest-cost hub passenger aircraft.

Like another hub aircraft, the B747, the A380 is also a four-engine passenger aircraft, and the A380 is known for its unique double-deck cabin.

"A380? Wasn't that model discontinued a long time ago?" Xia Qing asked in surprise. "This is the first time I've seen an A380 at Yunnan Airport."

Due to its dismal sales, the A380 has been out of production for a long time, and now it's rare to see one except for certain airlines. That's why Xia Qing was so surprised.

"Indeed! Not to mention Yunnan Airport, I've never seen an A380 at any other airport. Today is truly an eye-opener," he said with a smile.

Just as the first co-pilot was chatting with Xia Qing, his gaze shifted slightly and met Qin Zongyang's icy gaze, causing the first co-pilot to involuntarily shiver.

"How about I prepare another serving of melon seeds and tea for you?" Qin Zongyang said coldly, "Are you having a tea party?"

The first co-pilot quickly apologized, but Qin Zongyang snorted, "Watch your mouth!"

Qin Zongyang's words instantly shattered the previously relaxed atmosphere in the cockpit, turning it icy cold. In contrast, Xu Xian was unfazed by Qin Zongyang's inexplicable anger, as Xia Qing sitting beside him was enough to capture almost all his attention.

After waiting a short while after the A380 in front took off, Xu Xian and his plane were allowed to enter the runway.

"Star Travel 6777, calm winds on the ground, runway 03 cleared for takeoff!" After Xu Xian and his team's plane aligned with the runway, the control tower eagerly issued takeoff clearance.

"Runway 03, ready for takeoff! Star Travel 6777!" the first co-pilot announced.

As an instructor, Qin Zongyang was originally entitled to request to take control of the takeoff and landing himself. However, because of Qin Zongyang's outburst earlier, the first co-pilot dared not make that request.

Qin Zongyang naturally took control of the takeoff, and at that moment, Xia Qing leaned forward slightly, eagerly awaiting the takeoff.

As with any ordinary takeoff, this one was uneventful for Qin Zongyang.

After takeoff, under Qin Zongyang's command, the first co-pilot retracted the landing gear. Four hundred feet later, Qin Zongyang prepared to engage autopilot.

But at that moment, Xu Xian noticed that the plane's airspeed seemed to have been drained of its power, and it began to drop rapidly without warning!

(End of this chapter)