Legendary Captain

Chapter 226 Disappeared from Radar!

"Brother, I'm about to descend," Xu Xian said softly, bowing his head slightly.

At this moment, Xu Xian also felt a trace of confusion. Between life and death, there is always the greatest fear in the world, and Xu Xian was no exception.

As he looked down, the flashes of lightning seemed to strike his heart again and again, and he was afraid! However, Xu Xian would not back down because of fear.

His question was less a question to Wang Qian and more a way of encouraging himself.

Xu Xian did not expect Wang Qian to agree with him, after all, his choice was indeed too risky, even if there was no other way to achieve the best of both worlds.

However, Wang Qian, who was almost completely exhausted from vomiting, gasped for breath and managed to say with difficulty, "I'm sorry, please help me!"

Xu Xian's body trembled, and the hesitation in his previously bewildered eyes vanished. His hands clenched tightly, and he said in an unquestionable tone, "Brother, we will survive!"

At this moment, Wang Qian's words became Xu Xian's strong support. He no longer doubted his decision and only wanted to forge ahead to save everyone on the plane.

"Star Travel 6333, beginning descent! Requesting clearance of surrounding airspace!" Xu Xian pressed the command button. He couldn't guarantee what he would encounter in the thunderstorm zone, or even if he did pass through it, he wasn't sure he would still be able to control the aircraft. All this uncertainty meant Xu Xian couldn't promise precise execution of air traffic control commands. Since Xu Xian couldn't guarantee what would happen next, he simply requested that the surrounding airspace be cleared, allowing him complete freedom to maneuver.

Xu Xian knew this request was extremely difficult. The airspace he was in was a junction of air routes, where a large number of routes converged. Clearing the entire area would be a huge burden for air traffic control. Moreover, with dangerous weather rampant, the space for maneuvering was compressed, which added another layer of difficulty.

Before this, the airspace control in Rongcheng only cleared the airspace in front of Xingyou 6333. But now Xu Xian wants to clear the airspace from his 360-degree angle, which involves a much larger area than before.

Chengdu air traffic control was surprised that Xu Xian's immediate request was to clear the surrounding airspace. Looking at the densely packed aircraft on the radar screen, the controllers were overwhelmed. They had already expended considerable effort clearing the airspace ahead of Xingyou 6333; now, clearing the entire surrounding area was proving to be beyond their capabilities!

"Star Travel 6333, if you clear the surrounding airspace, we might be able to..." The Rongcheng controller originally wanted to say that they would do their best to provide assistance, but they could not guarantee how clear the airspace would be.

This is a fairly prudent answer, avoiding potential responsibility for making a boastful promise.

Hearing this from behind the controller, Shi Lanxi, though not hearing the whole thing, basically understood what the controller meant. She just sneered, quite disdainful.

Retreating in the face of battle, seeking only self-preservation, no wonder that no figures like Xu Qing and Han Qi can emerge from the control system.

However, the next second, Director Chen Yuan snatched the controller's microphone: "Star Travel 6333, this is Rongcheng Air Traffic Control. We will clear the surrounding airspace. You can maneuver with confidence; there will absolutely be no RA conflict!"

"Chief!" The air traffic controller was stunned. "More than 60% of our airspace in the Chengdu area is currently covered by thunderstorms. Of the remaining available airspace, some are restricted or prohibited zones. How can we possibly allocate so many aircraft?"

Before the controller could finish speaking, Director Chen Yuan casually tapped him on the head, saying with exasperation, "So you really give up as soon as you encounter difficulties? What's the point of having you then?"

The controller scratched his head: "Sir, even if you twisted my head off, I couldn't guarantee I could clear the airspace! This isn't a matter of attitude, it's a matter of competence!"

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't do it! Admitting his shortcomings in front of his superiors shows that this controller was truly driven to desperation.

Human initiative is important, but we must also follow objective laws! Even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice; there's simply no extra space to allocate resources.

There needs to be sufficient spacing between aircraft; you can't just cram them all into any available airspace. If there isn't enough extra airspace, air traffic controllers can't just conjure it up out of thin air.

"Director Chen, why don't we just let it go? You've done your best, but the objective conditions didn't allow it, so we don't blame you," Shi Lanxi suddenly said.

Ye Jing observed from the sidelines, knowing full well that Shi Lanxi's words weren't genuinely meant to persuade Chen Yuan to give up. If Chen Yuan truly did give up, the documentary about censorship wouldn't include any content about Chengdu's censorship.

"Old Shi, there's still a way!" Chen Yuan raised his hand and turned to his assistant: "Contact the Chengdu Military Region Air Force and request the emergency opening of the restricted area in Chengdu."

No-fly zones are generally closed except in very rare circumstances, as they involve various classified information. However, restricted airspace is relatively more lenient in comparison.

The assistant was completely bewildered when he heard that he needed to contact the Chengdu Military Region: "Director, there's an air force exercise in the restricted area today. How can we open it up?"

Many restricted areas are designated for military exercises to prevent accidental damage to civilian aircraft. Normally, outside of exercise hours, the military is more likely to make exceptions. But right now, they're conducting exercises in that airspace; what kind of logic is it to suddenly cut in and stop them from practicing?

Do you really think military exercises are child's play? You can start them whenever you want and end them whenever you want?

Chen Yuan remained silent for a while. To be honest, he didn't want to have any contact with the military unless absolutely necessary, as they were two completely different systems. Moreover, Chen Yuan knew how much energy and money a military exercise required from soldiers, and forcibly interrupting it was indeed quite infuriating.

But Chen Yuan hesitated only for a moment before stating definitively, "Human life is of paramount importance. They are the people's army; they will definitely know this. Contact them and explain the situation!"

After her assistant left to contact the military, Shi Lanxi clapped her hands and laughed, "Director Chen, if you had chosen to play it safe just now, I, Shi Lanxi, would have looked down on you! Although flight operations and air traffic control belong to two different systems, broadly speaking, they are still part of the civil aviation family. The flight operations sector is now teeming with talent, but air traffic control is like a stagnant pool; it's time for a change!"

"Old Shi is right!" Chen Yuan was extremely ashamed. The controller who had just heard Xu Xianqing's request to clear the airspace had instinctively chosen to back down, showing absolutely no sense of responsibility.

This is vastly different from the air traffic controller who was in charge of everything during the Kunyang River emergency landing incident.

Although his subsequent actions salvaged some of his dignity, the controller was, after all, one's subordinate; their fates were intertwined, and he had lost face today.

"Director Chen, don't blame yourself. It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm." Shi Lanxi didn't dwell on this point too much. "Let's see what kind of extraordinary abilities Xu Xian has! If he survives, the entire civil aviation industry will be his!"

Unlike the battle of wits and courage that the Chengdu Air Traffic Control Center had to wage, Xu Xian had no more worries after receiving a promise from the control center to clear the surrounding airspace.

He took out an oxygen mask, put it on himself, and simultaneously lowered the passenger oxygen supply for them to breathe. Flight attendant number two had just said that many passengers in the cabin were vomiting, and even if he lowered the oxygen masks, they wouldn't be able to put them on. But Xu Xian wasn't a miracle worker; all he could do was lower the oxygen masks and land as quickly as possible!

Breathing in the fresh oxygen through his oxygen mask, Xu Xian's mind became clearer than ever before. He turned on the passenger announcement system and made his final address.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is about to descend, and we will strive to land as quickly as possible. During this process, if any problems arise, please do not panic and follow the instructions of the flight attendants." Xu Xian's calm voice echoed in the cabin, like a shot of adrenaline, giving many passengers great confidence. Some passengers, even though they were feeling extremely unwell, became excited upon hearing that they would be landing soon.

The broadcast was supposed to end there, but after a few seconds of pause, Xu Xian inexplicably added, "May we all have good luck!"

Upon hearing this, Lian Shanxue, who was in first class, narrowed her eyes slightly. She muttered to herself, "Xu Xian, aren't you sure yourself?"

After doing all this, Xu Xian glanced at Wang Qian beside him and said, "Brother, the plane is about to land. Shall I put an oxygen mask on you?"

Wang Qian waved his hand but did not speak.

His vomiting was getting worse and worse, and he couldn't control it at all. Even after putting on an oxygen mask, he would definitely still vomit, and while crossing the thunderstorm area, Xu Xian would definitely not have the energy to take care of him, which would put him at risk of suffocation.

Rather than suffocating to death, it's better to wait until Xu Xian crosses the thunderstorm zone. Once he crosses it, everything will become clear. If he can't, then all hope is lost.

Seeing that Wang Qian didn't want to wear an oxygen mask, Xu Xian didn't insist and let him go. Although Wang Qian was currently unwell and unable to work, he hadn't lost his ability to think, and he would take responsibility for his choice.

"Hey bro, hold on tight!"

After the series of conversations and operations just now, the aircraft has flown over the area of ​​dense lightning and can now descend.

Xu Xian immediately adjusted the altitude to 3,000 meters and simultaneously reported: "Star Travel 6333, target descent altitude correction to sea pressure 3,000 meters!"

This is just the target altitude; Xu Xian has no idea whether he can descend to it or maintain it.

"Star Travel 6333, good luck!" Chengdu Traffic Control replied.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Xian piloted the aircraft into descent, maintaining autopilot engaged throughout the descent. While using CWS mode in severe turbulence is a standard operating procedure recommendation, whether CWS mode can withstand the turbulence of the thunderstorm below remains a big question mark.

At the same time, Xu Xian did not choose a high-speed emergency descent, because maintaining high speed in a thunderstorm area would greatly increase the aircraft's air load, which would mean an increased risk of the aircraft breaking apart.

Looking down at the dark clouds, with flashes of lightning behind him, Xu Xian breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any lightning in the clouds they were about to pass through. Did that mean the turbulence inside wouldn't be too strong, and the autopilot could handle it?

The moment that thought arose, the nose of the plane plunged into the clouds like a dragon entering a vast ocean. The clouds in the thunderstorm area were like a giant, dark maw that instantly swallowed the plane.

It was only when he actually entered the thunderstorm zone that Xu Xian realized how ridiculous his idea was.

Can self-driving cars hold up? What a naive idea!

The moment the plane entered the thunderstorm, a sudden updraft caused it to pitch up violently. The autopilot disengaged in less than a second, leaving only the autopilot disconnection warning sounding continuously.

Xu Xian immediately took over the controls, but the plane was so unstable that he had to use both hands to grip the wheel to barely keep it in control.

As the aircraft's attitude continued to increase, it was unable to descend at all. At one point, the nose of the aircraft broke through the thunderstorm clouds again, and at that moment, Xu Xian saw the moon hanging high in the sky once more.

At this point, the aircraft's attitude exceeded 20 degrees, and this was matched with a very small throttle. Under such circumstances, the aircraft's speed was like a dam that had been opened, gushing out uncontrollably and dropping straight down from an airspeed of 280 knots.

As Xu Xian's face was illuminated by the moonlight, the plane's stall warning sounded instantly, and the control stick began to jerk.

Without hesitation, Xu Xian pressed down on the steering wheel, and the moonlight that was cast down lasted only two or three seconds before disappearing completely.

The nose of the plane, which had been slammed down by Xu Xian, plunged back into the thunderstorm area. This time, there was no updraft to lift the plane up.

Once Xu Xian actually entered the thunderstorm cloud area, he understood why no one dared to enter this restricted zone. The plane was now like a lone boat on a raging sea; the influence of human control had been reduced to a minimum, and it was mostly being tossed about by the turbulence within the thunderstorm cloud area.

Even with both hands gripping the steering wheel, Xu Xian still couldn't control the plane. His hands felt like they were holding two writhing pythons, completely out of his grasp.

Even Xu Xian, who is known for his steady handling, could only try his best to keep the speed of the plane within an acceptable range.

Because the aircraft's condition was too unstable, the red and black speed bands above and below also became extremely volatile, constantly separating and merging. At times, Xu Xian had less than ten knots of normal speed range left. In other words, Xu Xian needed to keep the aircraft's speed variation within ten knots.

In normal flight, Xu Xian can control the aircraft's speed fluctuation within one knot without any problems, even in the event of strong gusts.

However, under the current circumstances, Xu Xian's ability to control the vehicle is already at its limit with speed fluctuations within ten knots. As a result, overspeed or stall warnings are frequently heard in the cockpit.

However, even if there are warnings for speeding or stalling, they don't last long. Xu Xian is able to correct his speed as quickly as possible within the shortest time after the warning appears.

At this moment, Xu Xian was practically dancing on the edge of a knife.

Everyone at the Rongcheng Control Center and the Xingyou Operations Control Center was monitoring the flight data of Xu Xian's aircraft. They discovered that the altitude and speed data of Xingyou 6333 were extremely unstable, which showed how harsh the environment Xingyou 6333 was in. They were all worried for Xu Xian.

Just as Xu Xian was carefully controlling the aircraft, he noticed that his plane's airspeed suddenly began to spike without any warning. Then, the red and black speed bars closed rapidly, and Xu Xian's airspeed indicator was completely filled with red and black speed bars, leaving no speed range that was safe to operate at.

Xu Xian was completely dumbfounded. What was going on?

Then, turning his head to look at the airspeed indicator on the captain's side, he saw that the maximum and minimum airspeed bands there had overlapped with Xu Xian's airspeed. What drove Xu Xian even crazier was that his airspeed value was different from the captain's.

Before Xu Xian could figure out what was going on, a speeding warning and a lever jerking signal appeared simultaneously. Xu Xian was already having trouble keeping his grip on the steering wheel, and with this lever jerking, he almost lost his hands.

At the same time, IAS DISAGREE (indicated airspeed inconsistency), ALT DISAGREE (altitude inconsistency), and AOA DISAGREE (angle of attack inconsistency) all issued warnings. SPD (speed) and SPD LIM (speed limit) failure flags also appeared. On the main display, the pitch limit indicator moved up and down nervously, making it impossible for Xu Xian to reference. Suddenly, various amber-colored fault indicators appeared on the main display and navigation page, making Xu Xian's heart pound with fear.

That's not all. When the overspeed and stick-shaking warnings are activated at the same time, the AIRSPEED LOW warning is also triggered, and the cockpit is filled with a series of alarm sounds.

Just then, before Xu Xian could find the root of the problem, a dazzling burst of light suddenly exploded outside the windshield. In that instant, the world seemed as bright as day, and Xu Xian instinctively closed his eyes.

As the light, resembling the dawn of creation, spread out, the surface of the aircraft was instantly ignited with eerie blue arcs of fire, appearing strange and mysterious.

At this moment, the small dot representing Xingyou 6333 disappeared instantly on the radar screens of Rongcheng Control and Xingyou Operation Control!

(End of this chapter)