Legendary Captain

Chapter 234 As the sun rises, I will be famous throughout the world!

"Still unstable? Can you refer to it?" Chen Yuan asked quickly.

Xu Xian paused for a moment, then said, "Let's switch frequencies. We can't wait any longer; there's no time to hesitate."

The current situation doesn't allow him to dwell on why even the microwave landing signal is unstable; what he needs to do is land as quickly as possible.

Xu Xian felt as if his nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs were being burned by flames, and every breath brought him pain as if needles were piercing his throat.

This was after Xu Xian had used portable oxygen for a period of time; most people in the cabin did not have portable oxygen cylinders to breathe. Their condition was likely even worse than Xu Xian's.

Based on Xu Xian's own experience, he felt that everyone on the plane was already at their physical limit. If they continued to dawdle, they would all be in danger of losing their lives before the plane landed.

In reality, Xu Xian didn't have many choices: Chengdu Airport and Hamchi Airport. Although Hamchi Airport had unstable signal, Chengdu Airport didn't even have an unstable signal. Even though it was a choice between the worst and worst, Xu Xian had no choice but to bite the bullet and choose a relatively better landing airport.

Even if the signal is unstable, there is still a signal. Compared to Chengdu Airport, where you have to visually see the landing, Hamchi Airport is still a little better.

Now that the plane is approaching the airport, Xu Xian has clearly made up his mind to land at Hamchi Airport, so he proposed to switch frequencies to Hamchi control tower.

However, Chen Yuan could not accept this result: "The microwave signal is unstable now, how can you still approach?"

"Sure! I can still see some lights, so I can be sure the direction is right."

"Direction?" Chen Yuan understood the implication in Xu Xian's words: "Then what if you try to level off? At low altitudes, the signal is unstable and can't be used as a basis for leveling off. Can you clearly see the runway surface? Or can the aircraft communicate its altitude via radio?"

At slightly higher altitudes, because there is a greater margin for correction, even if the signal is unstable and the aircraft deviates slightly, the pilot still has the space and time to correct it.

However, at low altitudes, the margin for correction is very small. If you still follow the microwave signal completely, you can easily get caught in a trap without having a chance to correct it.

Therefore, at low altitudes, especially below fifty feet, because according to the normal landing profile, fifty feet should be the altitude above the runway, Xu Xian can only rely on his senses to determine when to level the aircraft.

During normal flight, pilots can rely on many methods to determine when to level off. However, they ultimately rely on instruments and visual observation. But now, with unstable signals that are unusable at low altitudes, and malfunctioning electronic altimeters, instruments offer no assistance whatsoever.

Due to his own limitations, Xu Xian could probably only distinguish the runway centerline lights to keep the aircraft on the correct course. However, given his current visual abilities, he was completely unable to discern anything at the relative altitude to the ground.

Let alone the fact that Xu Xian is now almost blind. Even normal pilots sometimes fly late shifts and land too late, so they get dizzy and have difficulty seeing the runway surface. This can easily lead to problems with leveling up and control of the aircraft, resulting in a hard landing.

Why is night flight difficult? The key is not in the air, but in the fact that the runway is not visible at night, so the relative distance to the runway is uncertain, and it is unknown whether the plane is descending quickly or slowly. If this is not controlled well, it is difficult to land properly.

Xu Xian certainly couldn't see the runway surface at this point; he was lucky if he could even make out the runway centerline lights. In this situation, he had absolutely no idea when the plane would touch down, when it should level off, or when it should establish a landing attitude.

If the approach is maintained in a five-wheel descent attitude, it is highly likely that the front wheels will touch down first, which is an extremely dangerous and highly undesirable landing posture.

If the front wheel touches the ground first, it often leads to the front landing gear breaking directly, which has extremely serious consequences.

Even if the aircraft doesn't land on its nose wheels first, failing to properly control the descent rate and causing a hard landing would still be extremely fatal for the current Star Travel 6333.

If the Star Travel 6333's airframe structure were intact at this moment, Chen Yuan might not be so worried. After all, the 737 was designed to keep the aircraft below 2.5G, so the aircraft structure would not suffer major damage.

It's quite outrageous for an aircraft to be subjected to a ground load of over 2G. Furthermore, even if a load of over 2G were to occur, it wouldn't necessarily cause problems such as damage to the aircraft's structure; it's just a possibility.

But the situation is different for Star Travel 6333 now. Xu Xian had previously reported that the skin of the right wing had been torn off, which undoubtedly indicated that the aircraft's structure had suffered a problem. At this point, Star Travel 6333's airframe was extremely fragile, and if it were to experience a hard landing, Chen Yuan was even worried that the aircraft might be shaken to pieces on the spot.

In other words, Xu Xian not only had to land the plane safely on the runway, but also had to control the plane's touchdown load as much as possible.

For Xu Xian, who was unable to determine the timing of the leveling process, this was an impossible task.

"It's alright, I have a plan." Xu Xian calmed down at this moment: "Let's switch frequencies. After contacting Hamchi Tower, I need to focus on preparing for landing. There's no time to waste on calls."

Having said that, Chen Yuan had no grounds to press further. He could only let out a long sigh: "Alright, then contact Xianchi Tower at 123.625. Goodbye!"

"123.625, goodbye!" Xu Xian paused for a moment, adjusted the frequency, and then added, "If I survive, I will definitely come to thank you in person."

From the moment the aircraft declared an emergency until its preparation for touchdown, the Chengdu Area Control Center provided tremendous assistance. Despite the congestion in their own airspace, they overcame numerous obstacles to clear a vast area of ​​airspace for Xingyou 6333. Since the aircraft malfunctioned, they never worried about traffic congestion, allowing them to focus solely on managing the aircraft's condition. Especially towards the end, they even contacted the Air Force for guidance. All of this demonstrates the tremendous effort put in by the Chengdu Area Control Center.

Although most air traffic controllers will do their best to help the crew after an aircraft declares an emergency, it is still quite rare to see them go to this extent.

Xu Xian wasn't ungrateful; he knew how much the Rongcheng Control Center had done for them. Chen Yuan deserved this thanks.

Perhaps it was at this crucial juncture, nearing landing, that Chen Yuan, in an attempt to calm his agitated heart, made a small joke: "I'm the director of the Chengdu Area Control Center, do you think I'd be happy about the thanks from some nobody co-pilot?"

Despite having racked his brains and exhausted all his efforts for Xingyou 6333 before, Chen Yuan suddenly became arrogant at this moment.

The controller next to him covered his face in embarrassment, too ashamed to look at Chen Yuan. He was ashamed to have such a superior.

Ye Jing and Shi Lanxi exchanged a knowing smile but didn't say anything.

"Unknown?" A sudden glint of determination flashed in Xu Xian's weary eyes. "If I can see the sun rise tomorrow, who in the world will not know me? At that time, you will be proud of my gratitude!"

If there is a future, when the sun rises, I will be famous throughout the world!

"Have we connected to the airport signal?" In the conference room of Wens Group, after being adjusted by technicians, a video image of the runway landing area was projected onto the conference room projector screen.

"Chairman, this is the live feed of the runway landing area at Hamchi Airport. If Star Cruises 6333 landed normally, it should appear in this video," the staff member said. "In addition, the tower frequency communication has also been connected to the loudspeaker. However, since this is a temporary setup, we can only receive messages and cannot transmit on the frequency. But we have already contacted the tower control room on another channel. If the Chairman has any instructions, just press this button to contact the tower."

"Okay!" Wen Jingshu nodded and waved her hand, "You can go out now."

The staff member quickly scanned the people in the conference room, a look of unease creeping over them. More than two-thirds of the group's top management were present; the lineup was truly formidable.

He had no idea what had happened at Hamchi Airport that was worth so many big shots gathering to watch the live broadcast.

After the staff left, Wen Jingshu addressed the crowd below, saying, "Is no one leaving? Do you all want to watch?"

To be honest, she was reluctant to let these people stay here, but there were people with vested interests involved.

"Chairman, I think I'll keep it. I still have a plane parked over there, I can't leave it," a director said with a pained expression.

Upon hearing this, many high-ranking officials shared the sentiment and quickly nodded in agreement.

Hamchi Airport isn't very big. If Star Cruises 6333 really has a problem landing, it could easily affect the tarmac near the runway. That would be a disaster for the private jets parked there. Each private jet is built on a mountain of money; even for high-earning corporate executives, it's not a small amount.

Unlike the board members who were worried about their private jets, Wen Ningyuan's fear was practically written all over his face. Ever since he agreed to take over Xingyou 6333, he had been praying that nothing would happen to the plane.

If the plane fails to land safely and damages Hamchi Airport, the subsequent reconstruction of the airport would be a catastrophic consequence for Wen Ningyuan.

It's important to know that in the budget he submitted for the construction of Hamchi Airport, all costs were nearly 30% higher than normal. And this extra 30% budget naturally didn't go towards making the airport perfect; it all ended up in Wen Ningyuan's own pocket.

If the Wen Group were 100% controlled by the Wen family, that would be one thing—if I cheated my own family, it would be a family matter, not a serious issue. However, while the Wen family does hold the position of the largest shareholder and has a say in the group, it doesn't mean the group is solely their private enterprise. There's a significant amount of external capital involved, which creates a rather awkward situation.

Wen Ningyuan's exploitation of the group means he's not only exploiting the Wen family, but also the external shareholders. The Wen family might not do anything to him due to blood ties, but the external shareholders won't be so lenient.

Wen Ningyuan has been using his position as chairman of the Wen Foundation to amass wealth for some time now. The main reason is that the group is quite generous to its senior management; as long as the foundation proposes a reasonable proposal with a modest budget, the group usually doesn't bother to thoroughly review it before approving the funding.

It was precisely because of this relaxed attitude towards investigation that Wen Ningyuan secretly made a lot of dirty money.

However, if Star Travel 6333 were to crash at Hamchi Airport, it would inevitably damage the airport. Damage would then necessitate reconstruction. Reconstruction would require referencing the original construction plans. Once the past construction records are reviewed, the problems would be difficult to conceal.

Under normal circumstances, Wen Ningyuan might be able to cover it up. But if something happens to Star Travel 6333, it's a major incident involving hundreds of lives, attracting nationwide attention. Under such intense scrutiny, would Wen Ningyuan still dare to resort to underhanded tactics to cover it up?

The reason Wen Ningyuan reluctantly agreed to take over Xingyou 6333 was because he felt that Wen Jingshu seemed to have guessed his shady dealings in the Xianchi Airport project. Moreover, Wen Jingshu was a woman of her word, and his status as her second uncle meant absolutely no weight with her. If he hadn't agreed, Wen Jingshu would have dared to have the audit and legal departments thoroughly investigate his accounts.

Now that they've agreed, it's a temporary measure to appease Wen Jingshu.

But if something happens to Xingyou 6333, what he's trying to hide might not be able to be kept secret anymore. At that point, it won't be Wen Jingshu who wants to kill him, but the group's supervisory board.

To prevent the board of directors from abusing its power, the group will establish a supervisory board to oversee the board. Wen Ningyuan shuddered at the thought of those stubborn and unyielding members of the supervisory board.

If the supervisory board finds something wrong with him, even if they don't send him to jail, he'll be stuck in retirement for the rest of his life, and nothing in the group will concern him anymore.

The only way to clear our names now is for Star Cruises 6333 to land safely, drawing everyone's attention away from Hamchi Airport.

"Xu Xian, you can't get into trouble!" He placed all his hopes on Xu Xian, the man who almost became his niece's husband.

Seeing that many directors were worried about their plane parked on the tarmac, Wen Jingshu didn't want to shoo them away: "Fine, let them watch it if they want."

"Project the image of Hamchi Airport onto the big screen!"

With Chen Yuan's command, just like the image of Hamchi Airport projected in the Wens Group's conference room, the Chengdu Control Center also received a signal from Hamchi Airport and projected the image onto the central screen in the main hall.

The air traffic controller sighed softly, "They really are rich and powerful. There are surveillance cameras everywhere, but Chengdu Airport doesn't have any."

"The construction cost per unit area of ​​Xianchi Airport is two to three times that of Rongcheng Airport. Can it compare? They're taking the high-end route!" Chen Yuan shook his head, but inwardly he was also marveling at the luxury of private airports.

Of course, thanks to the significant investment at Hamchi Airport, they can even watch the live broadcast of Star Cruises 6333's landing. However, this is contingent on Star Cruises 6333 landing safely.

"Hamchi Airport 123.625 is being monitored, but you can't speak in there, sir," the controller reminded him.

As the control center for the entire Chengdu area, their communication system was not as rudimentary as the one hastily set up by the Wen Group. Even though they didn't control the frequency of the Xianchi Tower, they could still issue commands from it if they wanted. However, doing so seemed extremely unruly.

Chen Yuan waved his hand irritably: "Don't I know this logic? I've already said everything, what else is there to say?"

"However, Star Travel 6333 has already forwarded the frequency, so why haven't we heard any contact yet?" Chen Yuan asked curiously.

Just as Chen Yuan finished speaking, Xu Xian's voice came through the loudspeaker: "Xianchi Tower, Xingyou 6333, at your command."

In an instant, the atmosphere in both the Chengdu Control Center and the Wens Group conference room froze, and neither side dared to breathe loudly.

The prepared control tower immediately replied: "Star Travel 6333, Ground wind 040/03, Light rain, wet track, Track 04, Landing possible!"

Normally, Hamchi Airport would be closed by now, but Star Cruises 6333 was the only aircraft on board, so the landing instructions were given very early.

"Light rain?" Xu Xian paused for a moment. "Is it drizzling right now?"

"That's right!" Perhaps thinking the crew was worried that the rain would affect visibility and runway braking, the Hamchi control tower quickly added, "The rain isn't heavy and won't affect visibility. We've also conducted a quick check of the runway, and there's no standing water on the surface, so the braking effect is fine."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Xu Xian said, pursing his lips. He had originally planned to try opening the side window a little later. At that time, the plane's speed would be relatively low, making the side window easier to open, and the wind blowing in wouldn't be too strong. Otherwise, if the plane's speed were too high, the wind blowing in from the side window would be so strong that Xu Xian might not even be able to open his eyes.

Therefore, opening the side window just before landing to allow Xu Xian to regain his composure temporarily would be the optimal strategy, without significantly impacting his own maneuverability. However, since it's raining outside, that's a different story.

Even a light drizzle, at the plane's current speed, would result in a significant amount of water flooding the cabin, enough to completely impair his control. Therefore, the plan to open the side window had to be abandoned.

Of course, Xu Xian never expected that opening the side window would help him much; at most, it would make him feel a little better at the last moment, allowing him to concentrate more on the landing. The idea that a breeze would cure his eyes was pure fantasy.

Given this, Xu Xian was somewhat disappointed, but it didn't affect his mindset too much.

But when these words reached the ears of the control tower, they were enough to make his heart clench. He knew that almost all the members of the group's board of directors were listening to his conversation with the flight crew!

"So what are you worried about?" the control tower asked.

"It's nothing!" Xu Xian said calmly. "Are you sure your microwave landing system is working properly?"

"There's definitely no problem. We just sent someone to check it again."

Xu Xian sighed: "As expected, there was a problem with my aircraft's receiver."

The lightning strike directly destroyed the aircraft's instrument landing system, while the modified microwave receiver, though it escaped the attack, still suffered some damage, resulting in somewhat unstable signals.

"What do you mean?" Wen Jingshu blurted out instinctively. She had no idea that Xu Xian's plane couldn't even receive the microwave landing system's signal stably.

None of Yang Ning and the directors below could answer the question; it had already touched upon their blind spots in knowledge.

"Why don't you ask the control tower, Chairman? Can't we get in touch with them?" one of the directors suggested.

After hesitating for a moment, Wen Jingshu gave up the decision: "At this time, I shouldn't cause them any more trouble."

Even if she could find out the answer, what good would it do? She wouldn't be able to offer any constructive advice. Rather than wasting Xu Xian's time, he should just listen patiently.

"Star Travel 6333, our airport is equipped with speed detection devices. The Chengdu air traffic control previously reported that your speed display was faulty. We can provide you with the speed information! Do you need it?" the tower controller said.

Xu Xian's eyes lit up; finally, he had found something useful. Although the overspeed warning and lever shake warning were now separated, indicating that the ice on the sensor was melting, the speed display was still very abnormal. He guessed that the ice on the sensor had not completely melted, and the speed display was still inaccurate.

Xu Xian had originally planned to make do with what he had, but now with the help of the control tower, things were much simpler.

"Okay, report my speed every five seconds!" Xu Xian instructed.

"Alright! Your speed is now 210 knots!"

With the speed information provided by air traffic control, Xu Xianfang felt much more at ease deploying the flaps and landing gear. Otherwise, he would have needed to expend more effort to safely lower the flaps and landing gear.

Things are different now. Aircraft structures are very fragile. If the speed exceeds the speed indicated by the flaps or landing gear by too much, he is really afraid that the flaps or landing gear structure will be damaged.

Because the right engine stalled due to lack of fuel, this was a single-engine landing, meaning a landing using flap 15 was employed. Compared to a landing using flap 30, a landing using flap 15 has a wider safe speed range, allowing Xu Xian to operate the vehicle without being overly cautious.

Although Hamchi Airport is a small private airport, its runway is long and wide enough that there is no need to worry about the problem of a short runway.

Following instructions from the control tower, Xu Xian quickly established a landing configuration and signaled to the cabin that he was about to land, but after a while, the cabin did not respond.

Looking at Lian Shanxue, who was still sleeping with his eyes closed like a baby, Xu Xian thought that he was probably the only one on the plane who could stay conscious!

In fact, during the journey from Chengdu to Xianchi Airport for an emergency landing, Xu Xian had tried to contact the flight crew. However, after several unsuccessful attempts, Xu Xian directly announced via the passenger announcement that once landed, the flight crew could immediately organize the evacuation without waiting for a signal from the cockpit.

But after the broadcast, there was no response at all.

Therefore, Xu Xian had already expected that the flight crew would not respond after he gave the landing signal.

"Hamchi Air Force Tower, there may be a large number of people unconscious on board. After landing, we will not be able to evacuate on our own, and you may need to force open the cabin doors," Xu Xiantong knew.

If even the flight crew loses consciousness, there's no way to organize an evacuation. Even if someone is still alive and opens the emergency exits, not many people will have the strength to walk to the emergency exit slides and evacuate on their own.

I reckon most people, even if they're not unconscious, are slumped in their seats like dead fish. That's why they need outside help right now.

"Understood! We've already notified the emergency response team, don't worry!" the control tower assured them. "Do you have any other requests?"

"Requirements?" Xu Xian glanced at the track so close at hand, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Turn off all the lights except for the end lights and center line lights!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the Chengdu Area Control Center. They were knowledgeable and knew why Xu Xian was doing this.

"He really can't see things clearly!" Chen Yuan murmured.

Why did Xu Xian request that only the runway end lights and runway centerline lights be kept? It's because he can't see very clearly right now, and if other lights are turned on, he'll easily get confused.

The runway centerline lights can indicate his direction, while the runway end lights can indicate that he has entered the airspace above the runway; the rest of the lights are just distractions for him.

In contrast, the people in the Wens Group's conference room, lacking professional knowledge, didn't quite understand what Xu Xian meant. They only vaguely sensed something was amiss based on their intuition.

"Damn it!" Wen Ningyuan knew some inside information. Even if he didn't know professional flight knowledge, he could still guess that Xu Xian's condition was probably not very good.

That's terrifying! Airplanes are flown by people; if the people on board are incapacitated, the plane will be in serious trouble.

Wen Jingshu pursed her lips tightly; she dared not let her thoughts wander and could only wait quietly.

Perhaps Xu Xian's request seemed too unusual, and the control tower couldn't accept it immediately: "Star Travel 6333, are you sure you want to turn off all the lights except for the runway centerline lights and runway end lights? Not even the approach lights?"

"No need! I know what I'm talking about!" Xu Xian affirmed.

At this point, the control tower had no choice but to cooperate with the flight crew. With a series of operations, all lights except the runway centerline lights and runway end lights, including the nearby taxi lights, were turned off.

In an instant, Hamchi Airport was plunged into darkness, with only two vertical light strips remaining: the runway centerline light and the runway end light.

At this moment, the still somewhat blurry vision suddenly became clearer, and Xu Xian was finally able to clearly distinguish where the center line lights and end lights of the runway were.

Chen Yuan's palms were sweating as he stared at the big screen.

"Xu Xian, how exactly are you going to level it out?" It seems that Xu Xian really can't see things clearly now, so how is he going to complete the final leveling action?

Onboard the aircraft, Xu Xian continued to descend, referring to the cockpit instrument signals and the outside lights, maintaining a descent approach attitude throughout the process.

At this time, the airflow around the five-sided runway was still very turbulent, and the aircraft remained unstable. However, thanks to Xu Xian's efforts, it was able to maintain a relatively stable position along the runway extension.

As the plane descended, Xu Xian gradually tightened his grip on the control wheel, carefully sensing the turbulence caused by the airflow and memorizing the pattern of this turbulence.

The moment the plane passed the runway end lights, Xu Xian's breath caught in his throat.

At this moment, Star Travel 6333 began to appear on the screens of both the control center and the Wens Group conference room.

"It's here!" Chen Yuan and Wen Jingshu stared at the video screen, as if their hearts had stopped beating at that moment.

Unlike Wen Jingshu, a layman, Chen Yuan had some flying experience. The moment the plane entered the video frame, his primary concern was its attitude. If the plane's landing attitude was off, it would result in a hard landing.

But after he examined it closely, his heart felt as if it had been twisted by a giant hand.

The aircraft's attitude is not good!

Xu Xian hasn't even started leveling the playing field yet!

At this altitude, the aircraft should have already begun establishing its landing attitude!

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and every second felt incredibly long. The aircraft's wheels were about to touch down, yet the aircraft still hadn't established an attitude.

Chen Yuan was going crazy. If this continued, the plane would definitely have to make a hard landing!

However, in the next moment, as if a celestial being had descended from the heavens, the plane suddenly pitched up, completing its maneuver without warning!

(End of this chapter)