Legendary Captain

Chapter 218 Joy Turns to Sorrow

Even though Qin Zongyang disagreed with putting too much pressure on the co-pilot, necessary learning was still within the normal range, such as appropriately reinforcing the review of decompression procedures.

Unexpectedly, just when the entire flight department was meticulously studying the decompression procedure, which had almost become second nature to all the pilots, they happened to encounter the decompression procedure by sheer coincidence.

Although decompression procedures are something to memorize, they can still catch pilots off guard if they suddenly appear. However, recently, decompression procedures have been brought up from various angles and in various ways, and they are already deeply ingrained in the minds of pilots. At this time, if an aircraft decompression occurs, it's not just a matter of giving them credit for nothing.

When Qin Zongyang heard the cockpit altitude warning, he showed no sign of tension; on the contrary, he was somewhat excited.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Qin Zongyang immediately roared, "I'm taking control! Put on your oxygen masks!"

Qin Zongyang, who had long since mastered the program, showed no sign of panic whatsoever. In fact, his words even carried a hint of smugness.

Compared to Qin Zongyang's excitement, the co-pilot was initially a little nervous, but perhaps influenced by Qin Zongyang, he quickly calmed down.

"Hand over control!" After replying to Qin Zongyang, the co-pilot hurriedly went to get an oxygen mask.

Unlike the old instructor who relieved the pressure in Lianshan Snow, Qin Zongyang at least did not experience bloating.

It is quite rare for sudden intestinal bloating to occur under decompression conditions, causing severe pain. No wonder Lian Shanxue was confused about the situation at the time, as it is indeed very rare.

It is normal and common for Qin Zongyang and the co-pilot to be able to calmly put on oxygen masks when the plane depressurizes, as is the case today.

After Qin Zongyang and the co-pilot put on their oxygen masks, the aircraft did not need to be manually switched to the MASK position. The microphone automatically switched to the oxygen mask microphone the moment they put on their oxygen masks.

"Can you hear me?" Qin Zongyang pressed the intercom button. According to procedure, he needed to test the crew communication first.

The co-pilot simultaneously replied over the intercom: "I'll listen to you five times!"

A score of five indicates excellent call signal quality, meaning the call can be received clearly.

"The crew communication is established!" Qin Zongyang said calmly. "Now, listen to my command: silence the alarm!"

Just like a fire alarm needs to be silenced, the cockpit altitude sound warning also needs to be silenced first. Otherwise, if the warning keeps ringing, it could become like mental pollution over time, which would seriously affect the crew's operation.

Perhaps it was Qin Zongyang's composed aura that enveloped the co-pilot, who now appeared very relaxed. He quickly located the alarm stop button, pressed it, and the cockpit altitude warning instantly ceased.

"Okay! Now, manually turn on the pressurization mode selector and close the outflow valve until the indicator is completely closed," Qin Zongyang continued to instruct.

Perhaps due to the absence of other aircraft or terrain, the Qianyang air traffic control directly instructed Xingyou 6774 to descend to 9,800 feet, without even causing them to deviate from their flight path, indicating that the surrounding airspace was not busy.

"We can descend to a corrected pressure altitude of 3,000 meters, corrected pressure 1015! Star Travel 6774!" After the co-pilot finished speaking, he turned to Qin Zongyang to confirm, "Instructor, we can descend to a corrected pressure altitude of 3,000 meters!"

"Understood!" Qin Zongyang replied casually, adjusting the altitude to 9,800 feet on the MCP panel, setting the speed to maximum, changing the altitude, reducing the throttle, and engaging the speed brakes. The aircraft's downward attitude gradually increased, eventually entering a descent speed of up to 5,000 feet per minute.

After doing all this, Qin Zongyang pointed to the back and said, "Ask the cabin if they found any damage to the fuselage and then performed a checklist for rapid depressurization and emergency descent."

If there is damage to the fuselage, it is relatively easy for cabin crew to see. For example, in the previous incident involving Lian Shanxue, the sealing ring of the front cabin door was damaged, which led to a breach in the airtightness of the fuselage, and a noticeable airflow sound could be heard in the front cabin crew area.

"Okay!" the co-pilot quickly responded, switched the communication transmitter, selected internal communication, and called the cabin.

"Zhao Jingjing in the front cabin!" The cabin crew responded quickly. Zhao Jingjing was the chief flight attendant for this flight.

"Flight attendant, can you see any damage to the plane?" the co-pilot asked.

Soon, flight attendant Zhao Jingjing provided the answer: "We did not see any damage to the organism on our side."

"What about cabin order?"

"Everything is normal now!" The flight attendant spoke in a relatively relaxed tone, unlike her usual tense demeanor. Firstly, this flight attendant was actually a senior instructor, very old and incredibly experienced; she'd seen it all. Secondly, this emergency descent really wasn't anything to be nervous about; at least compared to the recent incident with Lian Shanxue, this decompression was quite smooth.

There were neither excessively large or frequent changes in aircraft attitude, nor was there a continuous whistling sound in the cabin after the front cabin door seal was damaged.

Aside from the oxygen mask falling down, there wasn't anything particularly frightening about this decompression.

With such excellent personal qualities and a relatively calm external environment, it would be strange if the flight attendant had any emergency.

"Okay, we'll let you know when we have the next move." After hanging up, the co-pilot reported to Qin Zongyang, "Instructor, the cabin is fine!"

"Okay, got it! Then maintain maximum speed!" Qin Zongyang nodded, looking inscrutable, and waved his hand: "Proceed with the rapid decompression and emergency descent checklist!"

"Alright!" Qin Zongyang maintained his composure, ensuring the co-pilot remained calm. In the cockpit, the captain's state of mind significantly impacts many things. If something goes wrong and the captain panics, the co-pilot is easily affected and may also become flustered. Conversely, if the captain can remain calm, he can control the situation, and the co-pilot will not falter.

Therefore, evaluating a captain's overall ability is never just about technical skills; psychological qualities are equally important. Some captains can fly brilliantly in normal times, but they can't handle things in critical moments—they're just pretty faces, useless in reality.

At least in the co-pilot's mind right now, Qin Zongyang's calm and collected demeanor is what a captain should look like.

Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression will remain unchanged!

Under Qin Zongyang's command, the cockpit's depressurization procedures were handled in an orderly manner without any confusion. Although Qin Zongyang, the commander, appeared expressionless, he was secretly overjoyed.

That's it? That's it? This is what they call stress relief? It's so easy to do when you have something prepared!

The prior review of the decompression procedure proved effective; at least this time, the decompression process proceeded smoothly without any delays.

Ah, that feels good! Although handling a plane depressurization isn't a huge achievement, Qin Zongyang doesn't think that even a small favor is insignificant, especially now that he's vying with Lu Xinyu, any addition of a bargaining chip could tip the scales.

"Cockpit Altitude Warning Checklist!" The co-pilot read out the checklist name first, as was customary.

This is not a direct checklist for emergency descent. Instead, the checklist for cabin altitude warning is completed first, and then the checklist for cabin altitude warning is transferred to the checklist for emergency descent. The order must be correct.

You don't need to complete the cabin altitude warning checklist immediately. At the end of the checklist's memory section, if it is confirmed that the cabin altitude is uncontrollable, you will be redirected to the emergency descent checklist.

Therefore, completing the entire checklist should consist of memorizing the items from the cabin altitude warning checklist and the entire emergency descent checklist. Since the emergency descent checklist is mostly memorized items already completed by the crew, the so-called checklist completion is more like a confirmation of procedural actions; at least two-thirds of the checklist is like this.

While Qin Zongyang was working on the checklist in the passenger seat, in addition to confirming the information, he also spent some of his energy considering what to do next.

They definitely can't go to Dianyun now, for the same reason as with Lianshanxue before. Dianyun is too high; it's impossible to get there at an altitude of less than 10,000 feet, so they will definitely have to make an emergency landing.

They're currently at around 10 o'clock, and Qianyang Airport is not far away. If they transfer there now, they can probably land within half an hour, which is very convenient. If they transfer to another airport, it will take much longer.

Yunnan Airport typically has three alternative airports outside Yunnan Province: Chengdu Airport, Nanyong Airport, and Qianyang Airport. The flight times from these three airports are roughly the same, all around an hour. However, Xingyou 6774 is currently positioned slightly south, making it quite far from Chengdu Airport. Nanyong Airport is only about ten minutes more away than Qianyang Airport, not by much, but Qin Zongyang simply doesn't want to go to Nanyong.

"Star Travel 6774, just wanted to confirm with you, what's the current status of your plane?" the air traffic controller in Qianyang asked.

The co-pilot had just answered, but a smug Qin Zongyang waved his hand, signaling for him to answer: "The plane just depressurized and is now making an emergency descent. Apart from the pressurization problem, we haven't encountered any other malfunctions yet."

"Can you determine what caused the aircraft depressurization?" Qianyang Air Traffic Control continued to ask.

Qin Zongyang: "It's not certain yet, but we just checked and it seems the machine isn't damaged."

One of the more dangerous situations during rapid depressurization of an aircraft is when the plane tears a large hole. This is the most dangerous situation because it could potentially suck people out of the plane.

"The aircraft isn't damaged, right?" Qianyang air traffic control made a note of this, then asked, "Did any passengers report any injuries?"

"We haven't had time to compile statistics yet, but when we just checked with the cabin crew, they reported that the cabin order was good and there shouldn't be any major problems. We will contact you promptly if there are any further developments."

The control center in Qianyang paused briefly before replying, "Okay, please let us know as soon as you have any further instructions so we can prepare accordingly. Takeoffs and landings at this airport are currently normal. If you choose to divert to Qianyang, we can contact you in advance."

When the area control officer spoke to the crew, his tone was quite calm. Judging from Qin Zongyang's steady and composed manner, there seemed to be no major problems, which made the control officer less nervous.

"After the repairs are completed, we will contact our families and let you know when we have made a decision," Qin Zongyang said.

"OK!"

After dealing with the area control measures, Qin Zongyang snapped his fingers: "Continue with the inspection."

Star Travel Aviation Operations Control Center.

Safety Director Chen Fei was on duty today. With nothing to do, he wandered around the company building and finally decided to sit in the Operations Control Center.

Recently, the company has experienced two safety incidents: one involving the depressurization of Lian Shanxue's plane, and the other a misoperation. Lian Shanxue's case is relatively complicated, and the authorities have not yet made a decision. However, judging from the overwhelming support for Lian Shanxue online, it is estimated that the authorities will not really make things difficult for her.

It's unlikely there will be a reward, given that Lian Shanxue's actions were indeed quite risky, even if she had her reasons. Rewarding her would be tantamount to encouraging such extremely risky behavior, which would be unacceptable to the authorities, who prioritize safety above all else, even if Lian Shanxue currently enjoys high popularity online.

Chen Fei felt that Lian Shanxue's situation would most likely result in neither reward nor punishment, or at least a symbolic criticism without any substantial penalties. This would reflect the Bureau's attitude without hurting the feelings of those who admired Lian Shanxue. Moreover, to be honest, Lian Shanxue's violation was justified, and she had indeed saved a life. To punish her for that would be truly unfair.

Compared to the complexity of the Lianshan Snow incident, the recent erroneous interruption was much easier to assess. In situations where the facts are clear, the handling is quite simple and quick.

In this erroneous incident, the primary responsibility undoubtedly lies with the co-pilot, who was immediately demoted to First Officer. While the captain didn't make the wrong decision, as the highest-ranking decision-maker on board, his failure to fulfill his supervisory responsibilities certainly warranted punishment. Consequently, the captain had two months' performance-based pay deducted, and his application to become an instructor was rejected, to be reviewed again after three months.

As long as the technical level is not affected, and certain special operational qualifications are not suspended, such as international operations or complex airport operations, deducting some performance-based pay and suspending instructor promotion for a period of time is not a serious punishment. In comparison, the captain's punishment is indeed very light.

Xingyou Airlines submitted its investigation report on the erroneous interruption and its proposed penalties to the authorities. Shortly afterward, the authorities issued their approval, agreeing with Xingyou Airlines' penalty decision and keeping it on file.

The penalties for the crew involved have been issued, but the penalties for the airline are still under discussion, and there's no word yet on what the specific penalties will be. However, based on past practices, it will likely involve reducing some flight hours.

In the past, cutting flight hours would have been the death knell for Marketing Director Li Chuan, who would have definitely come to him with a tirade, and it would have been Li Chuan who suffered the consequences. But recently, Li Chuan has been focusing all his attention on the operation of peripheral products. Even though there are rumors that the authorities are going to cut the company's flight hours, Li Chuan seems completely unconcerned. At least things are quiet here, so I don't have to deal with that guy Li Chuan's nagging.

After Chen Fei arrived, the emergency manager on duty at the operations control center quickly and obediently gave up his seat. Chen Fei was quite satisfied with the emergency manager's understanding, but just as he was about to sit down, a staff member came up to report to the emergency manager.

"Manager, code 6774 is now an emergency!"

"Huh?" Both the emergency manager and Chen Fei were taken aback.

Chen Fei immediately asked, "When did this happen?"

"Mr. Chen, just now! Air traffic control in Qianyang called and confirmed that the plane has depressurized!"

"Another stress relief?" Chen Fei scratched his head irritably. "Who flew 6774?"

"President Qin!"

At Xingyou Airlines, there was only one leader surnamed Qin. Chen Fei's eyes widened in surprise. "That old bastard Qin Zongyang?" he exclaimed.

The staff member looked conflicted; he really didn't dare to respond! Chen Fei called Qin Zongyang an old geezer, but he couldn't just agree to anything.

Just then, a staff member at another desk called out, "6774 is calling!"

"A phone, a satellite phone?" Chen Fei and the emergency manager exchanged a glance and quickly ran over.

"Turn on the loudspeaker!" Chen Fei shouted softly.

After the staff completed the setup, Chen Fei grabbed the microphone: "Unit 6774?"

"That's right! Hmm? It's Chen Fei?" Qin Zongyang's somewhat puzzled voice came from the loudspeaker.

Chen Fei had some personal acquaintance with Qin Zongyang, and recognized the voice immediately. He quickly asked, "Old Qin, is the plane alright?"

"It's nothing! What could possibly happen to me on the plane! Everything's fine! The plane has leveled off at 3,000 meters now. I just wanted to ask if we're going to Qianyang." Qin Zongyang's tone was so cheerful it was as if the word "happy" was written all over his forehead.

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright!" From Qin Zongyang's tone, Chen Fei roughly knew that Qin Zongyang had handled the situation well this time, and he felt a little relieved.

"By the way, were any passengers injured?"

"No! We just checked, everything in the cabin is fine. We've also informed air traffic control of the situation, and now we're just waiting to discuss with you whether to go to Qianyang or Nanyong."

"Let's go to Qianyang! We have a plane there that we can use for overnight stays, so it's easier to coordinate," the emergency manager interjected.

"I also said I'd go to Qianyang! Can we even make an emergency retreat in Nanyong? If we go there, we'll never be able to get back up," Qin Zongyang laughed.

Seeing the crew so relaxed, the people in the operations control center breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there really wasn't any major problem. The crew wasn't stupid; they could basically sort out any oversights by now that they had finished.

If this is handled well, the authorities might even offer a reward. I'm not asking for any reward, just a chance to redeem myself and avoid reducing flight hours.

At this point, Chen Fei was already considering how to negotiate with the authorities. He trusted Qin Zongyang's abilities and judgment; Qin Zongyang's current demeanor suggested there were no problems.

The series of bad luck that has befallen our company recently is finally coming to an end, and our luck has finally turned around.

"Alright! Since we've reached an agreement, let's not discuss it further. You should also contact Qianyang to ensure adequate support after landing."

Chen Fei now appeared very relaxed: "Don't worry about that!"

"Our flight department's been having a really bad run of luck lately, and we need me, Qin, to cleanse the mess!" In the cockpit, Qin Zongyang's eyebrows shot up. Then, he said to the co-pilot, "Nothing's wrong in the cabin, just let air traffic control know we can cancel tomorrow!"

The aircraft has now leveled off to below 10,000 feet, and there are no injuries in the cabin. The aircraft has also not shown any other obvious malfunctions. Now it only needs to be guided by air traffic control to Qianyang Airport, and there is no need to maintain the state of emergency.

If a state of emergency is declared, then it will naturally be lifted; this is called having a beginning and an end.

The emergency status was not lifted during the decompression of the Lianshanxue plane because not only was the plane decompressed, but the captain also lost consciousness, so the emergency status had to be maintained.

"Okay, sure!" the co-pilot said, preparing to speak to air traffic control.

After Qin Zongyang finished giving his instructions, he glanced at the panel unconsciously as he looked away. That one glance made his smiling face freeze instantly.

The next second, Qin Zongyang suddenly roared, "Who shut down the component?!"

(End of this chapter)