Legendary Captain

Chapter 169 Seizing Power (Part 2) (Seeking monthly votes!)

Even in the somewhat noisy operations control center, the moment the broadcast started, Wen Jingshu immediately recognized whose voice it was!

Wen Jingshu's soft murmur was caught by Yang Ning, who was standing to the side. Yang Ning's relationship with Xu Xian was not deep, so he couldn't accurately find that person in the vast sea of ​​people like Wen Jingshu could with just a few words.

However, after hearing Wen Jingshu's words and comparing them with his memories of Xu Xian, Yang Ning immediately understood who was on the Star Travel 6233 flight.

"Except for personnel from the Flight Department and Safety Supervision Department, all other accompanying personnel must leave." Seeing that the noise in the Operations Control Center was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, Yang Ning simply began to urge everyone out.

With fewer people, it naturally becomes quieter.

Most of the leaders in the Flight Department and the Safety Supervision Department are senior pilots who hold these positions part-time, and their professional opinions will be invaluable. As for the other departments, Yang Ning can't think of any other use for them besides causing trouble and spreading panic.

Wen Jingshu was deeply shocked and had no time to think about Yang Ning. However, even if she hadn't been so distraught, she wouldn't have interfered with Yang Ning. After all, Yang Ning hadn't done anything wrong. Having too many bystanders was a major no-no in an emergency.

When Yang Ning issued the order to leave, some leaders from the marketing, cabin crew, and finance departments seemed reluctant, concerned about the future development of Star Travel 6233. Others sighed, having lost an opportunity to showcase themselves to the group chairman. Many more, however, felt relieved, politely said goodbye, and slipped out in a flurry.

Most of these people are unambitious leaders who have no intention of climbing the ranks. They don't have the thick skin of some people, they can't flatter high-ranking leaders, and they have no desire to be promoted. They just want to keep their own little corner of the world until retirement.

Therefore, Wen Jingshu's arrival was pure torture for them. As long as they accompanied Wen Jingshu and made an appearance, it was considered to have been courteous enough, and being allowed to leave afterwards would be considered a great joy.

Everyone knows that since this princess of the Wen family took over the group, she has completely changed Wen Mingyuan's gentle and conservative style, and her methods are quite ruthless. If you don't perform well in any way, you might be dismissed from your position on the spot.

But since the chairman was coming, they couldn't refuse, and they had already pushed themselves to their limit by enduring until now. Yang Ning's dismissal was actually quite to their liking.

Seeing that most of the accompanying staff had left, the air in the control center felt a bit fresher. Yang Ning gently nudged Wen Jingshu, whose eyes were already a little red: "Miss, everyone's watching!"

At this moment, Wen Jingshu was overwhelmed with emotion and had no idea that she was on the verge of losing control.

"But... Xu Xian..." Wen Jingshu realized something was wrong with her. She tried to calm herself down, but she still couldn't let go of Xu Xian. That was a plane with both engines shut down! Wasn't it like a bird with broken wings? Wasn't it already halfway to death?

Yang Ning lowered his voice: "No one can help him now. This is his fate, and it's up to him."

No matter how much help others offer, it's ultimately the flight crew who must resolve the emergency. To save his life, Xu Xian has to rely on himself!

Although Wen Jingshu understood that Yang Ning was right, she still couldn't accept it. That was Xu Xian! How could she possibly treat him rationally? How could she remain indifferent and make a judgment about Xu Xian, who was in a life-or-death situation, like an outsider?

The thought of Xu Xian still being on that damned, powerless plane made Wen Jingshu's heart tremble uncontrollably.

She pursed her red lips, and clenched her right hand even tighter.

"If he comes back alive this time, I absolutely, positively will never let him fly again!" As if to give herself a firm conviction, Wen Jingshu added softly, "No matter what it takes!"

Hearing Wen Jingshu's words, which sounded like a declaration, Yang Ning lowered her eyes. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Xu Xian truly has captured Wen Jingshu's heart completely!"

What merit or ability does he possess?

High above, when Xu Xian skipped PANPAN and announced MAYDAY, he was unaware that his words had been broadcast live to Star Travel's operations control center and overheard by his ex-fiancée.

"Tower, Star Cruises 6233, dual-engine failure, requesting permission." As he said this, Xu Xian glanced at Li Zhiming.

At this moment, Li Zhiming's face was devoid of any expression, yet he still caught Xu Xian's questioning gaze. His gaze shifted slightly to the right, looking at the still brightly lit city, and a sudden desire to survive welled up within him.

"We're returning to base, returning to our home airport!" Li Zhiming made this decision with great emphasis.

Xu Xian noticed that the captain's instructions were not immediately responded to from the control tower. Instead, he glanced at the aircraft's altitude and distance from the airport, made a quick assessment, and, after deeming it roughly safe, replied, "Star Travel 6233, requesting to return to Yunnan."

At this point, the pressure shifted to the control tower.

Upon hearing those three powerful "MAYDAY" announcements, the control tower personnel, who had just come on duty and were still somewhat drowsy, were completely awake. When Xu Xian explained the specifics, they felt a chill run down their spines and their scalps tingle.

Yunnan Airport has not experienced many major emergencies over the years. One was the MAX out-of-control incident handled by Xu Qing twenty years ago. Since then, there have been no major emergencies.

Could it be that today will shatter the twenty years of peace at Yunnan Airport? A dual-engine malfunction—just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!

Moreover, this type of dual-engine failure after takeoff has a very obvious characteristic. Because the aircraft is at a low altitude and has no thrust, its survival or demise is basically determined within a few minutes.

Therefore, any decision he makes after this will be crucial.

Wiping the cold sweat from his face, especially his forehead, the control tower forced himself to calm down: "Star Trek 6233, what's your decision?"

At this moment, Li Zhiming grabbed the communication device and directly informed the control tower of his plan: "I am now turning right and flying directly to the front of runway 21. I expect to land on runway 21."

Currently, Star Travel 6233's altitude-to-distance ratio is 1:10, which doesn't offer much leeway. Therefore, Li Zhiming believes they have no chance to cut into the fifth line and then land directly facing the runway. Flying like that would increase the distance, leaving them with insufficient altitude.

Li Zhiming wanted to fly directly to the front of runway 21 and then quickly correct his course at low altitude, thus making the distance he would gain negligible.

However, this puts the captain's low-altitude maneuvering skills to the test. After all, if they turn right and fly directly towards the entrance of runway 21, they're expected to have a deviation of over 40 degrees from the runway's direction. To correct this 40-degree deviation at low altitude requires the captain to have steady, precise, and decisive control, demanding not only excellent manual dexterity but also exceptional eyesight. Most critically, there's only one chance. Failure to correct the deviation will result in overrunning the runway, with unimaginable consequences. Keep in mind, the area around the airport is no longer a desolate wilderness. If they veer too far off course and crash into a residential or commercial area, the consequences are even more unthinkable.

However, this was the best solution Li Zhiming could think of.

"Please clear runways 21, 22, taxiway C, and taxiway F. If my deviation is too large, I may skip runway 21 and try runway 22 instead," Li Zhiming said.

Runway 22 is very close to the right of Runway 21. Li Zhiming had never experienced a real dual-engine failure before. Theoretically, their current altitude is perfect. However, no one can predict what will happen next. What if a miracle occurs and they are too high near landing? He could choose to continue veering to the right, crossing Runway 21, using the distance between Runways 21 and 22 as an extra descent gap.

As for taxiways C and F, they are two parallel taxiways adjacent to runways 21 and 22. The reason Li Zhiming requested that they be cleared was purely to prevent himself from losing control and running off the runway, thus injuring innocent bystanders.

Faced with Li Zhiming's demand that he have virtually complete control of the airport, the control tower agreed without hesitation: "Star Trek 6233, I will clear both runways and two taxiways for you. During the visual approach, you do not need to report your position or intentions, just provide me with your requirements. The area within 25 nautical miles of this airport is now your free airspace; you may fly autonomously!"

"Received, thank you!" Li Zhiming said his thanks and turned right to face the 21st pentagon.

Just then, the control tower suddenly stood up, glanced back at the director's seat, and found that the director's seat was empty.

"Where is the director?" the tower controller asked anxiously. At this critical moment, the leader was nowhere to be found.

A colleague whispered, "The shift is about to change, the director went to wash up."

The night shift supervisor's shift ends at 7 PM, and judging by the time, it was indeed close to that. I guess he figured it wasn't quite the morning departure rush yet, so he took advantage of the last bit of time to wash up. After all, he'd been here all night, and his appearance wasn't exactly presentable; he needed to freshen up and tidy himself up before his shift ended.

"Wash up, downstairs?" the control tower asked.

The control tower said the floor below was the lowest level of the control tower. Since the control tower elevators aren't high-speed elevators, even if you call the supervisor now, it will take several minutes for him to come up, by which time it will be too late.

After a moment's thought, the control tower immediately made a decision and shouted, "Emergency situation, switch to Level 1 alert!"

Therefore, the order was given to the departure control area: "Suspend the departure of all departing flights!"

Next, the tarmac controller announced: "All aircraft about to push back, and those already pushed back, must stop. All follow-up instructions are suspended!"

Then, the ground control command said: "All aircraft on taxiways, immediately remain in place. All aircraft on taxiways C and F must be cleared."

Finally, he looked at the control tower for number 22: "Is there a plane on number 22?"

"There is one aircraft waiting to take off," responded control tower 22.

"Immediately cancel takeoff orders and disengage at the nearest airport as soon as possible," the tower controller instructed, then looked at the East Ground Control console: "East Ground Control, be ready to receive the disengaging aircraft."

After giving instructions on the ground, the tower controller yelled to the approach control: "Approach crew!"

Little did they know that one of the older-looking controllers in the approach area interrupted the tower control: "Understood. Clear all aircraft within 25 nautical miles of this airport. Don't worry, there aren't many aircraft right now. The airspace will be cleared within two minutes."

The approach controller chuckled, "Whether it goes up or down depends on the next few minutes. If you get promoted, you'll have to buy us drinks!"

The air traffic controller paused for a moment, then smiled broadly: "That's for sure!"

After directing all the controllers, the tower controller looked down over the entire airport and suddenly remembered something. He turned to his assistant and said, "Contact the lighting department and turn on the runway lights!"

Since there is no normal instrument landing signal for guidance, the crew can only rely on visual approach. In this situation, brightening the runway lights can help the crew judge the relative altitude of the aircraft.

In this race against time, air traffic control can offer little help; it can only remove all operational restrictions for the crew, but in the end, the crew still needs to land the aircraft themselves.

The control tower thought for a moment: "Contact the airport fire and medical services."

It's highly likely that we'll be using it soon.

After the control tower finished its instructions, I looked up slightly and saw a very conspicuous point of light at the bends on both sides and the third side of runway 21. If I wasn't mistaken, that was StarJourney 6233!

Not only the control tower, but most other controllers were also involuntarily looking out. It was indeed the last calm before the peak departure period, so even with a large number of instructions issued, the pressure on dispatching personnel wasn't too great. Most of the controllers who received the requests had already completed their deployments.

After that, all they could do was wait. Just a few minutes of waiting!

In the air, Xu Xian glanced at the APU and discovered that it had already started up, even a little faster than expected.

Li Zhiming, who was piloting the aircraft, also noticed the status of the APU.

"Connect it!" He then glanced at the altimeter, confirming it was below 10,000 feet: "Activate APU bleed air as well, power and air supply!"

The APU has an altitude requirement for simultaneously supplying power and air in the air, approximately 10,000 feet. At this point, since both engines are unusable, engine bleed air is unavailable, and only APU bleed air can be used.

However, now that the altitude is less than 10,000 feet, there will be no cabin altitude warnings even without briquetting air or pressurization in the cabin.

The evacuation gas might have made the passengers in the cabin a little more comfortable. However, after the two explosions, none of the passengers in the cabin are likely to be in a calm state of mind.

Xu Xian followed instructions and turned on the APU power and bleed air. At this point, the aircraft had already turned to the opposite runway 21. Under normal flight conditions, they should have already established a landing configuration at this distance. However, Xu Xian and his team did not have much altitude margin this time. They would only establish a landing configuration after descending further and confirming that they had sufficient altitude.

The Yunnan-Guizhou Airport's runway is over 4,000 meters long. As long as the landing gear is down, the aircraft can land on it, which is more than enough for the crew to maneuver. Even if the flap configuration is not normal or the approach speed is high, it is not a fatal problem. The most crucial thing is that the aircraft can land on the runway, and at this point, altitude is of paramount importance.

Deploying either the flaps or the landing gear will result in a loss of altitude, especially the landing gear. With the landing gear deployed, the aircraft's drag increases dramatically. Therefore, the timing of establishing a landing configuration with both engines shut down should be carefully considered.

"Hold the pole for me!" Just as Xu Xian was looking at track 21 directly in front of him, he suddenly heard Li Zhiming's slightly trembling voice.

Xu Xian was startled and turned around, immediately noticing that Li Zhiming's face was covered in sweat.

"Captain?" Li Zhiming's current state was definitely not normal. The dual engine failure was putting too much pressure on Li Zhiming as the captain.

"You take control!" Li Zhiming repeated again, "Maintain the current speed!"

After saying that, he patted Xu Xian's left shoulder with his right hand, urging Xu Xian to take the pole.

Xu Xian frowned. He didn't reject manipulation, but he felt that Li Zhiming's current state seemed really worrying.

Seeing Xu Xian take over the controls, Li Zhiming released his grip on the steering wheel and quickly grabbed a towel to wipe his hands and face. Xu Xian noticed out of the corner of his eye that Li Zhiming was covered in sweat not only on his face, but also on his neck and palms. Li Zhiming looked as if he had just been pulled from the water.

Judging from Li Zhiming's current condition, it's hard to imagine that he is a professional captain.

After the initial instinct for survival kicked in, once the aircraft was aligned with the runway and actual maneuvering was required, Li Zhiming finally regained some composure. He began to use his captain's knowledge to assess the aircraft's current condition.

It was Li Zhiming's rational judgment that enabled him to know the dangerous situation they were in. It was based on that almost irreversible situation that Li Zhiming knew that the probability of him safely landing was not high.

The immense psychological pressure would have been enough to crush even a captain. He kept telling himself to stay calm, but the sweat pouring down his face betrayed his true feelings.

It's instinct; nobody can control it!

"Is this situation difficult to handle?" Wen Jingshu suddenly asked the flight department leader next to her in the operations control center.

The flight department was called upon, and one of the leaders, who appeared to be middle-aged, nervously stepped out of the line and explained, "It's very difficult!"

Although even a layperson could see that shutting down both engines was extremely dangerous and difficult, Wen Jingshu still wanted to hear the opinions and assessments of professionals.

Unfortunately, the professional's answer was no different from what she expected.

Wen Jingshu sighed dejectedly: "Do we usually train for this?"

If you train a lot, even if the difficulty level is high, you won't be completely unprepared; if you don't train much...

The flight department leader respectfully replied, "Normally, we only train for situations where one engine fails. We don't require training for situations where both engines fail."

A single engine failure is manageable and can showcase the pilot's skill. However, if both engines fail, then it depends not only on the pilot's skill but also on luck.

If the altitude is too low or the landing site is too far away when a malfunction occurs, even the most resourceful pilot cannot handle it.

Therefore, simulator checks do not require scenarios where both engines fail. Most of the time, instructors only conduct test flights occasionally during training sessions, when the instructor feels like it.

The flight department leaders had already phrased things very tactfully, so Wen Jingshu naturally understood the situation. Upon hearing the news, however, she felt dizzy and disoriented. Fortunately, Yang Ning reacted quickly and caught her.

In the air, Xu Xian noticed that Li Zhiming was taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

Soon after, Li Zhiming felt he was in good condition and took over the controls. However, Xu Xian, still worried, didn't take his right hand off the steering wheel, but he didn't apply force so as not to interfere with Li Zhiming.

With Li Zhiming taking over the controls, Xu Xian began to have more room for thought. When turning right at the runway threshold, Xu Xian was particularly concerned about one thing: the Xinfeng Building was right in front of their path.

"Captain, is the Xinfeng Building ahead really okay?" Xu Xian asked, expressing his thoughts.

However, without even thinking, Li Zhiming blurted out, "It's nothing!"

Xu Xian raised an eyebrow: "The Xinfeng Building is 500 meters tall and more than 5 kilometers from the airport, right on our descent trajectory. Is that really okay?"

"No!" Li Zhiming repeated the sentence!

Xu Xian turned to look at Li Zhiming without any hesitation, but when he saw Li Zhiming's cold and hard profile, he did not say anything.

If they keep flying at the optimal glide ratio, they might just be able to fly over the Xinfeng Building, but who can guarantee that they can maintain the optimal glide ratio indefinitely?

Xu Xian and his group cannot bypass the Xinfeng Building; doing so would increase their flight distance and reduce their altitude.

At this point, it comes down to the captain's skill in maintaining the optimal glide ratio.

In theory, there is indeed no problem with Xinfeng Building; however, this is only in theory!

As time went on, Xu Xian's complexion worsened. He estimated the glide ratio over the past period and found it to be far from optimal, only around nine.

The decline rate is larger than expected!

But why is that?

Li Zhiming strictly maintained the optimal speed calculated by the flight computer, so why was the actual descent rate still too high?

Suddenly, Xu Xian abruptly turned his head to look at the engine behind him. At this moment, the engine on the right side was severely damaged, and the blades were stuck and unable to rotate.

Xu Xian instantly understood!

This is similar to the principle of drag-type wind turbines. When the blades are not rotating, the drag is at its maximum, while when the blades are rotating, the drag is actually less.

If the engine had simply failed, the blades could still turn by the wind, and they could still maintain the optimal slip ratio. However, that's no longer possible!

They can't fly to the airport!

"Captain, we can't reach the optimal taxi ratio and we can't get past the Xinfeng Building. We must change our landing location immediately!" Xu Xian didn't have time to explain the drag-type windmill principle to Li Zhiming. He didn't believe that Li Zhiming, as a captain, wouldn't calculate the ratio of the altitude and distance they had just flown. At least Li Zhiming's brain was still working, and he should understand that they couldn't reach the airport.

However, Xu Xian's questioning did not receive a response from Li Zhiming.

Xu Xian called out anxiously, "Captain!"

"If others can do it, so can I!" Li Zhiming stared intently at the track, as if he couldn't see anything else.

Li Zhiming's words seemed disjointed, but Xu Xian could understand what he was saying.

"That successful case of dual-engine failure was based on winter, a tailwind, and the engine keeping running under wind conditions! We don't have any of those! Captain, you must understand our situation!" Xu Xian said coldly.

In winter, the temperature is low and the air density is high, resulting in good aerodynamic performance for the aircraft. However, it's only early autumn now, and the temperature isn't low at all. Moreover, there was already a slight tailwind during takeoff, so flying back would mean facing a headwind. Additionally, engine blade jamming adds extra drag. Under these three conditions, Xu Xian could basically conclude that they wouldn't even be able to get past the Xinfeng Building, let alone land at the airport.

Inside the operations control center, Wen Jingshu overheard Xu Xian and Li Zhiming's argument and asked, "Will they be able to land?"

At this moment, various data for aircraft 6233 were displayed on the large screen in the operations control center. The flight department leader glanced at it, gritted his teeth, and said, "Theoretically speaking, it's possible!"

Wen Jingshu's eyelids twitched: "Are there any other options?"

"No!" the flight department leader said decisively, "Yunnan is mountainous, with no plains suitable for emergency landings. If we can't land on the runway, the probability is..."

Then we can only gamble on that vague, theoretical possibility?

In fact, the flight department leadership had already made their intentions quite clear. Star Travel 6233 is likely finished!

However, Xu Xian was clearly still unwilling to give up: "Captain, we must change the landing site!"

Xu Xian's repeated questions infuriated Li Zhiming, who was already on edge: "Are you questioning me?"

"I just want you to truly shoulder the responsibilities of a captain!" Xu Xian said coldly, "Captain, are you possessed?"

At this moment, Li Zhiming was fixated on falling; he couldn't think of anything else. He believed he could fall because there was indeed a sliver of theoretical possibility.

However, Xu Xian felt that the possibility was just a mirage!

Li Zhiming roared, "Xu Xian, I'm the captain! I make the decisions, not you!"

At this moment, Xu Xian's eyes were filled with coldness, and his right hand, gripping the steering wheel, was ready to exert force.

Just then, a woman's voice came through Xu Xian's earpiece: "Xu Xian, listen to the captain!"

Xu Xian was startled. Wasn't that Wen Jingshu's voice? How could he hear Wen Jingshu's voice on the control tower frequency?

However, Xu Xian's mind worked incredibly fast! He instantly realized it must be due to that emergency communication system. In any case, they hadn't activated that automatic communication function since the incident; it must have been activated by the operations control center.

Many people in the operations control center were wondering how the chairman knew the name of the generator set when they hadn't told him about it.

Li Zhiming was also puzzled by the strange woman's voice appearing on the frequency. The next moment, Xu Xian replied directly, "He's wrong, I can't listen to him!"

"What if you're wrong?" Wen Jingshu pressed.

Xu Xian replied without the slightest hesitation: "I can't be wrong!"

"He's the captain, you have to trust him!" At this final moment, Wen Jingshu still hoped that Xu Xian would follow the captain's decision. After all, most people would think that the captain's skill level is higher than the co-pilot's.

Wen Jingshu wasn't unwilling to trust Xu Xian, but since Xu Xian's life was at stake, she hoped he would listen to the advice of someone with more authority. She believed that was more likely. Besides, the flight department leader had just said that unless they landed at the airport, they would face certain death!

She knew the chances of success were slim, but she had to give it a shot. She couldn't let Xu Xian's stubbornness ruin their last hope.

Perhaps to increase the credibility of Wen Jingshu's words, the flight department leader interjected, "The person who just spoke to you was the group's chairman. Listen to her; no objections are allowed!"

Li Zhiming's heart tightened; he hadn't expected the group's chairman to come as well.

However, the position of group chairman was not a reason for Xu Xian to force him to comply. At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of relief; perhaps this was the last thing he would say to Wen Jingshu.

Xu Xian spoke softly, his voice filled with endless tenderness: "Jing Shu, I'm sorry!"

Upon hearing this, the entire operations control center fell into a deathly silence, and many people looked on with utter shock.

Jing Shu, Wen Jing Shu!

Upon hearing Xu Xian's words, Wen Jingshu's delicate body trembled, and tears suddenly streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Seeing Wen Jingshu's tears from the side, Yang Ning's eyes flashed, and he coldly shouted at the leaders of the Flight Department and Safety Supervision Department next to him: "Turn your head!"

The leaders of the Flight Department and the Safety Supervision Department did not see Wen Jingshu shed tears. They were somewhat puzzled by Yang Ning's request, but due to Yang Ning's imposing presence, they all obediently turned their heads to the other side.

In just a few seconds, Wen Jingshu was already in tears. Listening to the words that sounded like her last words, she felt a pain as if her heart had been ripped out, and her whole chest felt empty.

Just then, Xu Xian's voice continued to come over the loudspeaker: "Jing Shu, I can't listen to you anymore!"

Immediately, an extreme determination flashed in Xu Xian's eyes: "I don't trust others, I only trust myself!"

"You're insane! You're insane, Xu Xian! Do you know what you're doing? I'm the captain! How dare you defy my authority?" Li Zhiming could hardly believe that, in front of everyone, Xu Xian was trying to seize his power!

Li Zhiming could even feel another force being applied to the steering wheel!

"Crazy? Maybe!" Xu Xian murmured softly, "Perhaps...maybe I really am crazy! But what can I do? I just want to live!"

(End of this chapter)