Legendary Captain

Chapter 297 Lift Fan System

When Xu Xian slowly woke up, his chest still ached slightly. Looking around, he noticed the predominantly white decor and immediately wondered, "A hospital?"

Just as Xu Xian was still a little dazed, a loud voice suddenly rang out beside him: "Awake!"

Xu Xian was already in a state of confusion when a voice suddenly came out, which startled him. His heart contracted sharply, followed by a sharp pain in his chest.

Xu Xian instinctively clutched his chest, his brow furrowing. However, the pain came and went quickly, as if it had never existed.

Ye Qing also noticed Xu Xian's subtle movements and teased, "What a pity, what a pity! I was just thinking about recruiting you into the Air Force! Xu Xian, right? A genius in civil aviation, it's a shame you're flying civil aviation."

"Who are you?" Xu Xian shifted slightly upwards, looking at the tall, well-built young man in front of him with a puzzled expression. "Wait, where have I heard your voice before?"

"You mean the walkie-talkie, right? Haha!" It turned out that the person in front of him was Ye Qing, a fighter pilot.

"Oh!" Xu Xian suddenly realized that there was some background noise from the walkie-talkie, so the voice inside wasn't very clear. When Xu Xian first heard Ye Qing's words, he only felt that they were somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite match them up. If Ye Qing hadn't admitted it himself, Xu Xian wouldn't have been able to tell them apart for a while.

"Do you want to join the Air Force?" Ye Qing suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Xu Xian was stunned for a moment, then thought of the incredible Cobra maneuver Ye Qing had performed before landing, and felt a surge of excitement in his heart. If he could perform such a difficult maneuver, his life would not have been in vain.

However, Xu Xian had no chance of flying a fighter jet.

"You have high cholesterol?" Ye Qing frowned. "You don't look like someone with high cholesterol."

People with high cholesterol are usually overweight, but Xu Xian looks quite well-proportioned and doesn't appear overweight at all.

Actually, the high cholesterol itself isn't the main concern; the real issue is that long-term high cholesterol can lead to coronary artery atherosclerosis. Mild coronary artery atherosclerosis doesn't significantly impact daily life. In fact, in civil aviation, even with coronary artery atherosclerosis, as long as it doesn't exceed the standard, a special medical certificate can be obtained.

However, for military aviation, especially fighter pilots, their flying environment involves a lot of overload maneuvers. If they have heart defects, their bodies may not be able to withstand the corresponding pressure when performing overload maneuvers.

Often, the upper limit of a fighter jet's maneuverability lies not in the jet itself, but in the pilot's physical limits. In many situations, a fighter pilot whose body can withstand more loads can perform more and more intense maneuvers than others, thereby gaining a greater advantage.

Xu Xian suddenly fainted and was taken to a nearby hospital. The doctor performed some basic tests and found that his blood lipid levels were too high. However, high blood lipids alone are not particularly medically significant; further tests are needed to determine the cause.

"How did you know I have high cholesterol?" Xu Xian didn't react for a moment: "Did you just check me?"

"The few simple tests I did for you only showed high cholesterol; everything else was normal. What's wrong with you?" Ye Qing asked curiously. "But since you're still flying commercial airlines, it shouldn't be anything too serious, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to fly commercial airlines. Tell me about it. If possible, try your best to improve your physical condition; maybe you can end up working for me."

Given Xu Xian's current condition of fainting after running just a few steps, he is definitely not fit for military aviation. However, if it's a minor issue, he might be able to recover with a little attention.

Xu Xian came on a flight, carrying all his credentials, making his personal information easily verifiable. Moreover, even though military and civil aviation are separate sectors, there are still some connections. Xu Xian's reputation in civil aviation is unparalleled; he's even heard of him in military aviation. In Ye Qing's view, someone like Xu Xian is wasting his talent flying steady civil aviation; military fighter jets are where he truly belongs.

"It's no use!" Xu Xian's expression turned slightly somber. "I have coronary atherosclerosis."

"Coronary atherosclerosis? No wonder, so it's a problem with your heart function. But your physical condition is really bad. You just ran a few steps and you fainted on the spot. Do you exercise regularly?" Ye Qing said speechlessly.

Even if Xu Xian has coronary atherosclerosis, it's definitely not serious; otherwise, he would have been disqualified from the civil aviation medical examination long ago. Coronary atherosclerosis will certainly affect heart function, but it wouldn't cause him to faint after strenuous exercise. Ultimately, it's because Xu Xian's physical condition isn't very good; he probably doesn't pay attention to exercise at all.

When Ye Qing pointed it out bluntly, Xu Xian blushed and said, "I have been a bit lazy lately."

Xu Xian was being quite tactful; during his rest time, he would sit if he could sit, and lie down if he could lie down. It's a miracle that he can maintain his current physique with such a lazy lifestyle.

"Your atherosclerosis shouldn't be too serious, right? If you put in more effort and move around more, it's still possible to get rid of this problem," Ye Qing encouraged.

"Impossible." Xu Xian shook his head. "The root of my problem is hyperlipidemia, but it's hereditary. Maintaining my current condition is already a good outcome; a complete cure is practically impossible. To completely cure it, I'd have to take medication constantly, and I doubt the Air Force would want a walking pharmacy."

"Genetic factors? You went to the hospital, and that's what the doctor said?" Ye Qing clicked her tongue. "What kind of genetics is this!"

"I'll just fly commercial airliners for the rest of my life. Fighter jets are not for me." Xu Xian said with deep regret.

Not only Ye Qing, but even Xu Xian himself felt that fighter jets were the real stage for him to showcase his talents. The freedom to freely demonstrate his piloting skills and the adrenaline-pumping feeling in the air combat environment—that was the romance of men.

However, due to genetic factors, uncontrollable genetic factors, Xu Xian could only say goodbye to his aspirations.

"If there's really no way to treat hyperlipidemia, then...that would be a real shame." Ye Qing also felt regretful. Before this, Ye Qing had read Xu Xian's investigation reports on the two recent special incidents. Even though military and civil aviation are two different systems, they are both matters within the aviation circle. As a genius in military aviation, he also showed considerable interest in the rising star from the other side.

It was unexpected that such brilliant figures from the military and civil aviation systems would meet in this way, and it seems they will never have the chance to fight side by side again.

"I heard you've been discussing the civilianization of fourth-generation fighter jet engines with the Air Force through the Civil Aviation Administration?" Ye Qing suddenly changed the subject, directly bringing up the civilianization of fourth-generation fighter jet engines.

Xu Xian was shocked; he hadn't expected Ye Qing to know about this: "How did you find out?"

"I'm from the Southwest Aero Engine Research Institute. The small bypass engine you want to modify for civilian use is my work. Why would I not know?" Ye Qing grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, looking like a sunny young man.

"You did this? You're an engine designer?" Xu Xian practically jumped out of bed. He looked Ye Qing up and down. From every angle, Ye Qing looked extremely young, probably only a few years older than Xu Xian. Xu Xian simply couldn't believe that such a young man was not only an incredibly skilled fighter pilot but also an engine designer.

Human energy is finite, and it is unlikely that one can achieve extraordinary success in two fields, unless Ye Qing in front of us is a true genius, a genius born with innate knowledge.

Seeing Xu Xian's expression of utter disbelief, Ye Qing chuckled: "You think I'm too young and don't fit your image of a technical expert?"

Xu Xian didn't speak, but his expression basically gave the answer. In Xu Xian's impression, so-called technical experts were at least in their forties, if not all, with white hair; they were far from the image of a young man in his twenties. The difference was too great.

"Does the amount of talent depend on age?" Ye Qing raised his chin, quite smugly saying, "So, I'm talking about what others call genius! Got it? You should understand, we're at least the same kind of people. You achieved what you have now through hard work and accumulation, didn't you? Isn't it all thanks to talent? What is genius? The results of other people's lifetime of hard work are just our starting line, that's all."

Xu Xian was at a loss for words after Ye Qing's comment. Indeed, his proficiency in civil aviation was not the result of tireless study and effort; he seemed to be born knowing how to fly, overcoming obstacle after obstacle with just a little guidance. Even obstacles that would take others a very long time to overcome.

Xu Xian wasn't interested in arguing with Ye Qing about whether he was a genius or not; he was more curious about Ye Qing's mindset in asking that question.

"What are you trying to say?" Xu Xian asked, appearing serious for the first time.

The engine of the Xiaohandao is related to Xu Qing's supersonic passenger plane project, and Xu Xian is quite concerned about anything related to Xu Qing.

"What I'm trying to say is, you're all too naive. Do you really think fourth-generation fighter jet engines are some cheap, readily available technology that we can just casually disclose to you? Aren't you overthinking it? Open your eyes and look around. How many countries in the world have the capability to independently develop fourth-generation fighter jets? The engine is the heart of a fighter jet; how can it be disclosed so easily? I reckon it will take at least ten years, until the next generation of engine technology matures, before your plan for civilian modification might become a reality. Now? Don't even think about it." Ye Qing bluntly told Xu Xian to abandon this unrealistic idea as soon as possible.

The small bypass turbofan engines used in today's fourth-generation fighter jets are the best in China. Under such circumstances, how could the country possibly carry out civilian modifications to them? Unless the next generation of better engines emerges, it is unlikely that the civilian modification of such engines will be permitted.

"Ten years?" Xu Xian was immediately shocked. "Does it really take that long?"

"What do you think? Don't you know how much manpower and resources are needed to develop an engine?" Ye Qing rolled his eyes.

Xu Xian scratched his head: "But ten years is too long."

"If you're really in a real hurry, you can modify an existing, mature high-bypass turbofan engine! Isn't that more practical than building one out of thin air or hoping the military will agree to civilian modifications? Your civilian airliners don't need to consider thrust vectoring, so modifying the bypass ratio isn't that difficult, is it?"

Xu Xian's lips twitched: "We're following the path of modifying high-bypass turbofan engines, but there are a few core issues we haven't been able to resolve. Actually, undertaking the military's engine civilianization modification projects isn't mandatory. As long as the military agrees to provide some technical support and help us overcome a few core problems, everything will be fine."

"Why should the military provide you with technical support?" Ye Qing suddenly blurted out.

Xu Xian's face darkened: "So that's why things can't be done now."

Hearing Xu Xian's somewhat embarrassed and angry voice, Ye Qing smiled mysteriously: "However, I can provide technical support in my personal capacity. It's just modifying the bypass ratio, what's so difficult about that?"

"You?" Xu Xian looked Ye Qing up and down suspiciously. "Aren't you from some power research institute? Isn't that a national institution?"

"Aren't you going to talk nonsense? It's definitely the country's."

Xu Xian then asked uncertainly, "So, does this kind of behavior count as taking on private work?"

Now it was Ye Qing's turn to be speechless. He barely suppressed the urge to hit someone: "I will report to the institute, and the technology I provide to you will not involve any classified information. Don't worry about that. It's not considered taking on private work. You've done a lot of work in this emergency landing, so consider this my reward."

"Emergency landing." Mentioning the recent, incredibly impressive emergency landing, Xu Xian became interested: "Was that last nose-up maneuver of yours the Cobra maneuver?"

"That's right!" Ye Qing said proudly, "How about it? The plane is pretty good, isn't it? The structural strength is absolutely top-notch."

The Cobra maneuver definitely requires the aircraft to be strong enough; otherwise, if the nose pitches up, the wings might break off on the spot.

"Impressive, impressive!" Xu Xian nodded. "How come such a powerful fighter jet doesn't even have a lift fan? If it had a lift fan, none of this would have happened."

"A lift fan?" Ye Qing frowned.

"That's right!" Xu Xian said, "A vertical takeoff and landing lift fan system!"

(End of this chapter)