Legendary Captain

Chapter 305 Two Machines Collide! Jumanji!

During the two-hour simulated C-16 experience on the first day, Xu Xian basically grasped the engine start-up and some ground testing procedures. However, the gap between military and civilian aviation was still too large, posing a significant obstacle for Xu Xian in terms of understanding the challenges. In Xu Xian's own opinion, he felt that he didn't gain that much from the two hours of hands-on learning.

It's a bit of a pity. When he came over, Xu Xian thought that fighter jets were nothing special. Unexpectedly, the first lesson really slapped Xu Xian in the face, and his face hurt a little.

In the afternoon, Xu Xian slept for the entire afternoon at the guesthouse. It was very likely that the brain cells had been severely depleted during the two hours in the morning, so Xu Xian, who originally only wanted to take a short nap, ended up sleeping for three or four hours. When Xu Xian woke up from his deep sleep, it was already dinner time.

Whether Ye Qing had timed it perfectly or not, not long after Xu Xian woke up, around 5:30 in the afternoon, Ye Qing called to ask if he wanted to have dinner together.

Ye Qing wasn't staying at the guesthouse; he had some business at Luohang Industrial in the afternoon and hadn't gone back. After finishing, it was dinner time, so he called Xu Xian to ask if he wanted to have dinner together.

Xu Xian had already come to his senses and felt that it was about time, so he agreed and they met downstairs at the guesthouse. The two of them went to the cafeteria together.

On the way to the cafeteria, Xu Xian asked Ye Qing about the small ducted turbofan engine from Qingyuan Group. Currently, only his small team of five is permanently stationed in the Qingyuan Group's research lab. Ye Qing only goes to the Qingyuan Group's research lab personally if the small team encounters a problem that they cannot solve.

Ultimately, Ye Qing did not regard the research on small bypass turbofan engines by Qingyuan Group as a serious and thorny problem. Most of the problems were solved by his own team. He would only personally step in when he encountered truly difficult problems.

"You have a good personal relationship with Xu Qing of Qingyuan Group, don't you?" Ye Qing suddenly mentioned Xu Qing's existence.

Xu Xian glanced at Ye Qing with some surprise: "What's wrong?"

"Did you know that the East Air Force once made a comprehensive assessment of Xu Qing's physical fitness, willpower, and flying talent? At that time, the score was the second highest in the Air Force in the past thirty years. If it weren't for the test flight accident that followed, Xu Qing would have had a very slight chance of joining the East Air Force."

This was the first time Xu Xian had heard that the Air Force had contacted Xu Qing privately: "You mean Uncle Qing might have previously joined the Air Force?"

"That's right! To be honest, compared to you, Xu Qing is more like a perfect fighter pilot. His maximum overload test is 10G. You have to understand, for most excellent fighter pilots, 9G is already the maximum load. But Xu Qing, without any professional training, exceeded the upper limit of most well-trained fighter pilots. Isn't he born to be a fighter pilot?" Ye Qing could still clearly remember the shocked expression on the face of the arrogant director of the East China Air Force's recruitment office when he talked about Xu Qing: "I wonder what your maximum overload is?"

In the words of the director of the pilot recruitment office, Xu Qingcheng was the strongest person he had ever met in his life, based solely on the prerequisites for being a fighter pilot.

"The strongest? Wasn't it said that Uncle Qing could only be ranked second?" Xu Xian asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he's from the East Air Force Recruitment Office. The first one on the list is from the North Air Force." Ye Qing patted Xu Xian with a smile: "I can tell you're the kind of person who can't handle hardship. People born with a silver spoon in their mouths are indeed a bit carefree."

Xu Xian frowned: "You investigated me?"

"Are you kidding me? People like us, going back three generations, are thoroughly investigated. Isn't that normal? Even civilian airlines have to undergo background checks, so it's normal for fighter jet pilots to have their background investigated, right?"

"You seem to be of a high rank? You even have access to my file." It's normal for the Air Force to investigate a pilot's background; otherwise, the country wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting fighter jets to someone with a questionable record. However, pilot files are usually restricted documents, and even within the Air Force, not everyone has access to them. This suggests that Ye Qing must be of a relatively high rank; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have the authority.

"Haha, I only glanced at it briefly." Ye Qing patted Xu Xian on the shoulder. "I was just curious, I didn't look much, I didn't look much. Come on, let's go eat, let's go eat."

The next morning, Xu Xian and Ye Qing went early to collect their anti-G suits. Originally, Xu Xian's flight would not involve high-G maneuvers, so the anti-G suit should not have been needed. However, just in case, Xu Xian was still required to wear the anti-G suit.

Overload maneuvers are not uncommon among fighter pilots. During these maneuvers, the pilot's blood spontaneously flows to the lower limbs due to centrifugal force and overload, leading to ischemia in the brain and heart. Anti-G suits compress the abdomen and lower limbs, forcibly preventing blood from flowing to the lower limbs, and can generally increase the body's maximum overload by 1.2 to 1.6.

The anti-G suit Xu Xian received was a common pouch-type anti-G suit, with five interconnected air sacs in the abdomen, calves, and thighs, as well as side sacs in the lower limbs, all secured to the surface with crisscrossing straps. After putting it on, Xu Xian felt his lower body was tightly wrapped, which was not very comfortable.

Wearing the oversized anti-gravity suit, Xu Xian felt sluggish and uncomfortable walking.

However, according to Ye Qing, if Xu Xian really flies fighter jets in the future, anti-G suits will be standard equipment for fighter pilots, and he will get used to it.

Xu Xian didn't know if the C-16 that was conducting the actual flight this time was the same one he observed and learned from yesterday, as he didn't remember the serial number of the one from yesterday.

The fighter jets that were to take off were parked on an open tarmac. After Ye Qing and Xu Xian arrived, Ye Qing first spoke a few words to the maintenance crew. After the handover, just like yesterday, Xu Xian sat in the front seat and Ye Qing sat in the back seat.

Fortunately, he had learned from yesterday's experience, and this time Xu Xian's operation was much more skillful. More importantly, he was not so timid when making movements.

Yesterday it took almost two hours to complete the entire ground preparation procedure, but today it only took about forty minutes. Originally, Ye Qing wanted to have him guide Xu Xian through the procedure quickly, but Xu Xian was very stubborn and wanted to do it himself, only asking Ye Qing for help if there were any parts he didn't understand.

If Ye Qing had guided him step by step, it would have taken about twenty minutes to finish. However, when Xu Xian did it himself, it took him more than forty minutes.

"I'll handle all the radios from now on; you just need to operate them," Ye Qing instructed. Military aviation communications is a complex subject, and instructors usually take you on several flights to familiarize you with the communication formats. Moreover, Xu Xian wasn't very familiar with the relevant terminology in military aviation communications, which could easily lead to communication problems.

These aren't major problems; Ye Qing can sit up there and help Xu Xian fill in any gaps. But so far, the plane has been sitting on the tarmac for over forty minutes without moving. If they keep fiddling with communications in the air, they might as well not fly today.

Ultimately, Xu Xian came here to experience flying, not to train for it.

Xu Xian also knew that communication could not be learned in a day or two, and there was no point in worrying about whether he should do the communication himself. He had already spent a lot of time on the ground because he insisted on doing the ground preparation procedures himself. He should focus on experiencing the flight for the remaining hour or so.

So this time, Xu Xian readily agreed: "Okay, then I'll be in charge of operating it."

The Luohang Flight Base is not large, and the taxiway is extremely simple. The base has a single runway running north-south. At each end of the runway, and at the one-third and two-thirds points, there are two rapid exit taxiways connecting to a taxiway parallel to the runway. This taxiway connects to the apron in the middle, which is where Xu Xian is now located.

This is an airport with a fairly simple and straightforward structure.

Once everything was ready, Xu Xian maneuvered the aircraft at a snail's pace. Regardless, the basic principles of aircraft control are the same; if Xu Xian can fly a large passenger plane, he can also fly a smaller fighter jet.

Thanks to the simple structure of the Luohang Industrial Flight Base Airport, which has no winding taxiways, Xu Xian found taxiing quite comfortable.

After sliding to the runway head as instructed, Ye Qing requested permission to enter the runway. After receiving permission, Xu Xian began to slowly align himself with the runway.

During this process, Ye Qing reminded Xu Xian: "Our plane is not carrying any loads today, so it's relatively light. Be careful when you lift off later, and don't lift it too suddenly."

This is just a simple flight experience. Ye Qing said that the airspace approved by the higher authorities is an area with an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 meters, located 80 kilometers southeast of the airport. After takeoff, we will fly directly to the target airspace to experience various subjects.

For a purely experience flight, there will definitely be no payload, hence the aircraft is particularly lightweight.

In fact, whether it's a fighter jet or a passenger plane, flying empty is not an easy operation. Xu Xian hasn't experienced what it feels like to fly a fighter jet empty, but he once did a evacuation flight where there were no passengers except for the crew—a completely empty flight. At that time, Xu Xian always felt that the plane was very unstable, like a leaf falling in a strong wind; the slightest ripple would cause the plane to lose stability.

Moreover, for an unloaded aircraft, the response of control inputs to the aircraft's status is more pronounced. During a pitching-up maneuver, the same stick input might result in a lift rate of 3 degrees per second for a fighter jet with a normal load, but on an unloaded fighter jet, the same stick input might result in a lift rate of 4 degrees per second. If the pitching-up is too rapid, the fighter jet could still scrape its tail.

It was precisely because of this concern that Ye Qing specifically reminded Xu Xian, lest Xu Xian be unaccustomed to it and carry it too fast.

"I know." Xu Xian set the brakes and stretched his muscles a little. He was still a little nervous about piloting a fighter jet for the first time.

Ye Qing, who was behind Xu Xian, saw his little actions clearly and said with a smile, "Are you nervous? It's okay, I'm here behind you, nothing will go wrong."

This C16D fighter jet is a two-seat aircraft, with both seats equipped with a full set of control, electronic, and navigation systems. If any problems arise, Ye Qing can intervene in time, so there are basically no issues.

"You said it yourself," Xu Xian said with a smile.

At this point, the control tower granted takeoff clearance: "024, calm winds on the ground, clear for takeoff. Remain alert after takeoff."

"024, ready for takeoff." 024 is Ye Qing's identification number.

"Let's go!" Xu Xian began to increase the thrust to the maximum, but did not activate afterburner. This was not an emergency takeoff, so there was no need to use afterburner for takeoff.

After the thrust gradually increased to its maximum, Xu Xiansong opened the brakes, and the surging thrust of 75,000 Newtons propelled the aircraft to accelerate wildly. The feeling of being pushed back into the seat was something that passenger planes could never experience.

If afterburner is used, the thrust can reach 130 kN, increasing the power by about 40%. In an emergency takeoff, the pilot's body would probably be glued to the seat back as if it were glued on.

Ye Qing did not specify the approximate wheel-lifting speed of the C16, as he knew that an excellent pilot did not need to know dogmatic wheel-lifting speeds.

Just as he expected, Xu Xian did not know the C-16's takeoff speed, but after the aircraft accelerated to a certain speed, it would begin to automatically pitch up as it approached its takeoff speed. Once this pitching torque was felt, it meant that the aircraft was approaching its takeoff speed.

Since the aircraft was unloaded this time, its nose began to rise when it reached approximately 200 knots. This was not caused by Xu Xian pulling on the stick, but rather by the aircraft itself. At this point, Xu Xian knew that the time to lift the nose had come.

Just then, Xu Xian gently pulled the stick, and like a dragonfly skimming the water, the aircraft took off, its two main wheels leaving the ground, drawing a beautiful diagonal line in the air, and soaring straight into the sky.

After takeoff, Xu Xian gripped the landing gear and maintained a climb angle of approximately 15 degrees. It must be said that the C-16 fighter jet's landing gear handle is very small, unlike the bulky handle of the 737. It does resemble the small handle of the 737 MAX somewhat, located on the upper left panel, easily reachable with Xu Xian's left hand.

"024, ascend to 3,000 meters, turn right and fly to the target airspace on your own, maintain constant vigilance." The control tower gave the instructions after the aircraft took off.

As planned, Xu Xian and his team needed to fly to the approved airspace 80 kilometers away before they could maneuver.

"Above 3,000, turn right to target airspace, maintain constant position, 024 received." Ye Qing replied, then spoke to Xu Xian in private, "I've already entered the location of our operational airspace for you. You can see it in navigation mode, right? Just fly towards point one, use autopilot."

"I see. Forget autopilot, I'll just fly it manually. Eighty kilometers isn't far." Eighty kilometers is indeed not a long distance for a fighter jet. This is a rare opportunity to try flying a fighter jet, why would I engage autopilot? What's the point of flying then?

Ye Qing pouted: "Whatever."

For Xu Xian, the only thing he had to adapt to was the change from steering wheel to stick control; the rest of the changes were still within an acceptable range.

Eighty kilometers is just a matter of minutes for a C-16 fighter jet, and before long, Xu Xian flew to the target airspace.

"The navigation points I set are based on the approved airspace center coordinates. Okay, you can fly up, down, forwards, or backwards if you want. However, the lower limit is 1,000 meters and the upper limit is 8,000 meters. Don't exceed the altitude restrictions."

"I know, I know." Xu Xian was already very excited. When flying on a passenger plane, he had to be restrained in everything he did and couldn't let loose at all. Now that he was on a fighter jet, he was going to be able to do whatever he wanted.

Before letting loose, Xu Xian specifically instructed Ye Qing, "You have to hold the reins tight; we're counting on you to protect our lives."

At this moment, Xu Xian had not yet lost his mind and reminded Ye Qing to monitor the aircraft's status and not to get carried away and cause the aircraft to become complicated.

"Don't worry, I'm watching!" Ye Qing laughed. "Once I call for control, you'd better let go, understand?"

In fact, it's quite difficult for an aircraft to enter an uncorrectable complex state; it's not something that can be done casually. If Ye Qing detects any risk that Xu Xian might enter a complex state, he will intervene as appropriate.

"I know the rules!" This applies to passenger planes as well, as we are afraid that repeated input of control parameters will cause mutual interference.

"Alright, go ahead! Remember not to make any overly aggressive maneuvers. Although you have an anti-G suit, it's not a panacea. You haven't received specialized training, so your load-bearing capacity isn't good enough. If you make too aggressive maneuvers, even the anti-G suit won't be able to protect you." Seeing Xu Xian's excited expression, Ye Qing still felt it necessary to remind him again, even though he had already said it on the ground.

Xu Xian's physical condition is really not good. High-load maneuvers will put a great strain on his body, and Ye Qing is worried that Xu Xian will not be able to withstand it.

Xu Xian casually replied, "Okay!"

After receiving Ye Qing's assurance, Xu Xian immediately began to let loose. Before this, he had always wanted to fly backwards, but for passenger planes, flying backwards places too high a demand on the structural strength of the aircraft, which could result in the catastrophic disintegration of the aircraft. Therefore, Xu Xian could only take this opportunity to try it on a fighter jet.

However, for Ye Qing, flying backwards was just a regular occurrence. Xu Xian was having a blast, while Ye Qing remained remarkably calm.

After Xu Xian had been laughing for a while, another teasing voice suddenly came through the channel: "Brother Ye, are you keeping the Crown Prince company while he studies?"

Ye Qing could distinguish the sound very clearly. He glanced at the radar, turned his gaze to the right, and sure enough, he spotted a fighter jet at the same altitude and at the two o'clock position.

"Wang Qi, hurry back after training. The control tower channel isn't for chatting," Ye Qing retorted, clearly annoyed.

Xu Xian also noticed another fighter jet to his right and asked Ye Qing in private, "Luoyang Airlines Flight Squadron?"

"Hmm, he probably just finished training, we can ignore him."

But Wang Qi's voice didn't stop there: "Brother Ye, we should at least give the newcomers a welcoming ceremony, shouldn't we?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xiansheng saw the fighter jet that was originally at his two o'clock position suddenly turn its nose and fly straight towards the opposite side that was looking at him.

What should have been a situation where the two planes passed each other by suddenly turned into two fighter jets flying head-on!

"Damn it! They're all troublemakers!" Ye Qing cursed under his breath, then shouted into the channel, "Wang Qi, this is his first flight, he hasn't even joined the squadron yet, get out of here!"

"Even you, Brother Ye, are flying with him, so he's definitely going to get in! Anyway, all the new recruits in our fleet have to go through this, so it's no big deal if he gets in a little earlier!" Wang Qi laughed. "Brother Ye, you should tell him that if he can't handle it, he should just get back up; it's not shameful!"

"Xu Xian, pull him up. Don't bother with this madman," Ye Qing urged.

At this point, Xu Xian basically understood: "Jumanji: The Next Level, is it?"

He sneered, and instead of pulling up, he immediately activated afterburner. As a shockwave was generated, the fighter jet began to break the sound barrier and charged straight toward the enemy fighter!

(End of this chapter)