Legendary Captain

Chapter 359 Runway Sideline Touchdown!

"You mean the Navy might intercept Xu Xian? That's unlikely, isn't it? Xu Xian is nominally still one of our Western Air Force members." Liao Yuan looked unconvinced by Jing Chenfei's statement.

"You know it's only nominal," Jing Chenfei said helplessly. "If you let Xu Xian fly with the Navy for even a few days, any experienced pilot with a discerning eye would see what kind of person he is. In recent years, the Navy has developed rapidly and is extremely short of excellent carrier-based pilots. Nominally belonging to the Western Air Force, how much binding force does that have? Have you forgotten how the Navy came here to poach pilots when its first aircraft carrier was launched?"

Previously, without aircraft carriers, the navy's air force was small and operated independently from the air force. However, with the acquisition of aircraft carriers, the size of the naval air force has grown rapidly, leading to a shortage of its own pilots. As a result, the navy directly petitioned the Ministry of National Defense, requesting to recruit experienced pilots directly from the air force—isn't this essentially competing with the air force for personnel?

With the current shift in national strategy, emphasizing the development of a blue-water navy, there's a slight policy bias towards the navy. If Xu Xian were sent to the navy for training, and they were to take a liking to him and decide to intercept him, the Western Air Force would be in a very difficult position.

Most importantly, Xu Xian is only nominally affiliated with Xikong. It's hard to say whether Xikong will have any grounds to fight for Xu Xian's "ownership" when they face each other in person.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense. Sending Xu Xian over so hastily could be a disaster if he doesn't come back. We need to come up with a more comprehensive plan." After Jing Chenfei said this, Liao Yuan felt a little panicked. They had finally found such a promising talent, and they didn't want him to end up doing all the work for the Navy.

Jing Chenfei offered a suggestion: "We can't formally assign Xu Xian to our Western Air Force; he can just be a special envoy pilot training at Luoyang Air Force. This way, as long as the affiliation is established, instead of the previous nominal one, it will be much more secure. When a war of words breaks out, we'll have more leverage."

"A special assignment for training, that's a good idea." Liao Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately felt that the advisor's ideas were more effective.

In the Western Air Force, the level of the Los Angeles Airlines fleet is undeniably high. Therefore, some pilots will exchange and learn from Los Angeles Airlines, and occasionally some promising young talents will be sent to Los Angeles Airlines for training, while their original organizational structure remains unchanged.

Xu Xian is said to be hopelessly lazy; forcing him into the military would be tantamount to killing him. The only option is a roundabout approach. If Xu Xian is assigned to the 3rd Air Division as a long-term trainee pilot stationed with the Luoyang Air Force, his unit will be under the 3rd Western Air Division, while he can remain with Luoyang Air Force – a win-win situation.

"If you also think this method is feasible, we first need to talk to that kid Xu Xian. We can only proceed if he agrees," Jing Chenfei said with a smile. "Wasn't Xu Xian supposed to be coming? Where is he?"

The Western Air Force Command is not far from the Third Division Headquarters. Originally, Liao Yuan's idea was that after Xu Xian arrived at the division headquarters, Wang Zhaoxin would accompany him to the command headquarters so that Liao Yuan could take a look.

It was quite late, but Xu Xian and Wang Zhaoxin still hadn't arrived, which surprised Jing Chenfei.

"I'm not coming. Ye Qing told me that Xu Xian has something urgent to attend to, so he's gone to take care of his personal matters first," Liao Yuan said.

"This private matter is more important than the public matter, unlike you, you don't seem to have any reaction at all," Jing Chenfei said with a smile. He knew that Liao Yuan was a person who completely put the public interest first, but this time he was so indulgent towards Xu Xian, which was really rare.

"What business is this? It's just that I personally want to see him. It's a private matter!" Liao Yuan chuckled.

"Isn't a superior's order just official business?" Jing Chenfei said. "However, Xu Xian's sense of authority is indeed weak, there's nothing to say about that."

Perhaps in Xu Xian's eyes, there was no such thing as a teacher or superior; these titles and such were less important than his own personal matters. This is a manifestation of a weak sense of authority.

Such people have their good and bad sides. If they're kept in check, they can be independent and self-reliant. But if they go too far, they can easily become arrogant and stubborn. However, most so-called geniuses have rather eccentric temperaments. If they're only slightly different, Jing Chenfei can tolerate it, but certain bottom lines cannot be crossed.

"By the way, the Air Force Equipment Department asked us about the seminar that the Second Laser Institute came to discuss. I contacted Luohang and they said the seminar plans have been postponed. It was the person in charge of the Second Laser Institute who brought it up. I wonder what happened. I hope it's not because we at the Western Air Force didn't treat them well," Jing Chenfei said.

Air Force Equipment Department (AFEP) is responsible for the procurement, research and development, maintenance, and distribution of Air Force equipment. Defense contractors like Los Angeles Aerospace Industries (Los Angeles Aerospace) deal with the Air Force Equipment Department for their equipment needs. Since the Second Laser Research Institute's visit to Los Angeles Aerospace was to discuss the compatibility of laser weapons with the C-42, which was a key focus for the AFEP, they specifically inquired with the Western Air Force about the Second Laser Research Institute's situation. However, upon arriving, Jing Chenfei discovered that Ying Ruoqing had absolutely postponed the discussion plan without specifying the reason. This led Jing Chenfei to worry whether the Western Air Force had failed to provide adequate hospitality.

"Luoyang Airlines' reception plan has been reviewed and should be fine. I also believe they're definitely carrying out the reception according to standards. If they're still not satisfied, then I think it's not our problem. Lao Jing, don't worry too much. Just tell the Air Force Equipment Department the truth. If it's our responsibility, then we'll accept the punishment. If not, then don't bother with it." Liao Yuan was quite open-minded about the matter and even proactively advised Jing Chenfei, "By the way, what do you think about the Air Force talent pool? Do you think recommending Xu Xian for a spot is feasible?"

"Hey Lao Liao, are you really determined to give this year's spot to Xu Xian? If Xu Xian passes the assessment, that's fine, but if he doesn't, you'll be under a lot of pressure," Jing Chenfei said. "Can't you let him get some more practice?"

"If we keep pushing forward and drag it out, the young people's spirit will be worn down, and that would be a case of losing more than we gain." Liao Yuan said firmly, "You take charge of handling Xu Xian's organizational reassignment, and I'll communicate with the Air Force Command about sending Xu Xian to the Navy for training. We'll work on both fronts simultaneously."

"You're so impatient, using a two-pronged approach. Putting everything else aside, I need to go through Xu Xian's entire file again. You're just focusing on his technical skills and not considering anything else?"

Liao Yuan laughed heartily: "Exactly, exactly, I'll leave this to you, Lao Jing."

"You've got the hands on the shopkeeper's hands," Jing Chenfei said helplessly.

A parking space at Changfeng Airport.

Xu Xian had originally planned to go down with the passengers. However, he heard that other areas of Changfeng had been hit by sudden torrential rain, and many places were flooded. He might get stuck on the way to the Wen family residence, and it was already too late. Even if he didn't miss the journey, he wouldn't arrive until 1 a.m., which wouldn't be convenient for him to knock on the door at 1 a.m. After thinking it over, Xu Xian decided to wait the night and get up early the next morning to go.

Anyway, he had already contacted Yang Ning, who said that Wen Jingshu had only arrived at the ancestral home in Changfeng yesterday and wouldn't be returning to Dianyun anytime soon. Strangely, he called Wen Jingshu several times, but no one answered, so he had no choice but to contact Yang Ning.

The disruption caused by the heavy rain was unexpected, and Xu Xian hadn't booked a hotel near the airport. Now that the rain is getting heavier, finding a hotel is proving quite difficult.

"Why don't you stay at our hotel in Changfeng? It's near the airport, less than a ten-minute drive away," Wang Lingkun suggested as he saw Xu Xian looking for a hotel.

The rain at the airport was getting heavier, with the control tower reporting it as more than moderate rain. Such heavy rain, especially at night, made takeoffs and landings impossible. However, according to the meteorological department's forecast, the rain should subside in half an hour, so Wang Lingkun slightly delayed boarding. This increased the crew's turnaround time, making them less rushed. Wang Lingkun even had time to inquire about Xu Xian's whereabouts.

"You mean the one run by China Airlines? Forget it, that one's too old." Xingyou's overnight stay at the hotel in Changfeng was run by China Airlines, of course, a long time ago, when China Airlines was at its peak. However, given that China Airlines' glory days are long gone, the hotel is quite old.

Xu Xian had stayed at this hotel before. The food was alright, but the rooms were too old and the facilities were outdated, so Xu Xian didn't really like it. He figured he was only staying at the hotel for one night and wouldn't even eat there. Most importantly, he was definitely going to get caught in the rain later and really wanted to take a good shower. Given the way China Airlines hotels treated him, Xu Xian was quite dissatisfied.

"Then how about an airport hotel?" Wang Lingkun said casually. "If you want to go to an airport hotel, I can contact the airport and call a shuttle to take you directly to the hotel entrance, so you won't get wet in the rain."

"Can the crew shuttles take us directly to the airport hotel? That's great!" Upon hearing that he wouldn't have to get wet in the rain, Xu Xian was immediately interested: "Instructor, could you please let the site know?"

"No problem!" Wang Lingkun laughed, but he wouldn't say it himself. He shouted towards the cockpit, "Call the site, get a crew vehicle over here, and say that a crew member needs to go to the airport hotel."

"Yes, instructor!" came the reply quickly from the cockpit.

Looking at the raindrops on the window, Wang Lingkun felt a sudden surge of irritation for no apparent reason: "Lately, the entire eastern coastal area has been experiencing widespread typhoon weather. It's the kind that extends hundreds of nautical miles! I had to make an emergency landing on my flight to Hanjing last week, and now even the central region is affected. When I first arrived, the edge of the typhoon was just barely touching the runway, but now it's probably completely covered, preventing other planes from getting in. Plus, the tailwind is strong, so we can't change runways. Isn't that infuriating?"

"What about the other side? Is it clean?" Xu Xian saw that the cockpit had already called the crew car, so he wasn't in a hurry. He simply sat down and chatted with Wang Lingkun for a few more minutes.

When Wang Lingkun approached, he found that Wuxiang was right next to the edge of the weather forecast. Moreover, based on the low-level wind direction, the weather forecast would soon completely cover Wuxiang. Compared to the less-than-ideal weather conditions on Wuxiang, the situation on Yixiang was much better.

However, the control tower reported a headwind of six meters; if they changed runways, it would be a tailwind of six meters. On a wet runway, a tailwind of six meters is definitely excessive. Since they couldn't change runways, Wang Lingkun figured that if the following planes weren't willing to wait, they would have to divert. Frankly, they were lucky; in five minutes, ten minutes at most, they wouldn't be able to clear the approach. The initial thunderstorm detour had consumed a lot of fuel, leaving little extra fuel for waiting. If this approach was aborted, they would have no choice but to divert.

While the "eight shoulds and one should oppose" principle includes making an emergency landing when necessary, from a personal perspective, Wang Lingkun was extremely reluctant to do so. There were numerous issues involved, and an emergency landing would easily extend both flight time and duty period. Given the already significant delays, he certainly wouldn't be happy if the flight couldn't continue after only the first leg.

"One side is fine. We can take off as soon as the rain subsides. It won't affect anything," Wang Lingkun said. "At the safety meeting a couple of days ago, several airlines' planes couldn't avoid the thunderstorms and had to declare 'PANPAN' (a type of emergency). This year's weather is really strange."

"Declaring PANPAN? That's so exaggerated, how bad must the weather be?" Xu Xian rarely saw a thunderstorm escaping to declare PANPAN. This situation definitely wouldn't happen if the weather wasn't extremely severe. This shows just how significant the impact of hazardous weather can be.

"Flying around 100 nautical miles is commonplace for me. Last time I flew to Qinghu, I even circled around to Xuzhou. The dispatch gave me an extra hour and a half of fuel, but after landing, I only had ten extra minutes of fuel. I went too far," Wang Lingkun said.

"By the way, what happened to that engine detachment incident? Wasn't it supposed to be a problem with the maintenance company in Chenyan Kingdom? What's the compensation situation?" The authorities have already released their investigation results. The engine detachment incident involving Xingyou Airlines was caused by the maintenance company in Chenyan Kingdom improperly disassembling the engine, resulting in a crack in a U-shaped clip on the engine nacelle. After repeated operation, the crack widened, eventually causing the engine mount to break and the engine to detach.

Wang Lingkun: "It seems that the company has hired a very capable lawyer, and this time they should be able to recover a large amount of money."

"A very capable lawyer? Who is it?" Xu Xian asked curiously.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think the surname is Su."

"Surname Su?" Xu Xian was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what he meant. The only powerful lawyers in China with the surname Su were those from Su Qiye's family. He hadn't expected Xingyou Airlines to have found a law firm belonging to the Su family.

Just then, in the cockpit, the co-pilot had finished his preparations and was sitting idly in the left seat. He glanced at the co-pilot in the right seat: "Turn to the control tower frequency and check the rain situation!"

When they were advancing after landing, they overheard the control tower's frequency; it reported moderate to heavy rain. Landing was impossible under those conditions. However, the control tower had said the weather department predicted the rain would decrease rapidly, and now, shortly after, it appeared to the naked eye that the rain had lessened considerably.

They also need to keep a close eye on the rain; if it rains heavily at night, they won't be able to take off.

"Kunlong 9342, there are currently showers in the area, which is acceptable," Changfeng Tower inquired.

Sure enough, the rain had decreased significantly, from moderate to light showers, and the intensity of the rain had clearly dropped.

Each airline has slightly different regulations regarding the landing of precipitation, and the control tower needs to consult with the flight crew.

"Moderate showers? Then we're fine!" the senior co-pilot laughed. Star Travel's policy is that takeoffs and landings are not allowed during moderate rain at night, but moderate showers are acceptable.

"That's good! I was worried that if we stayed here any longer, we wouldn't have enough time for our duty period. This time, the duty period for the four flights was already very tight. If we spent time on the ground, there would be a risk of exceeding the time limit." The co-pilot in the right seat breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they had just heard from the control tower that the rain would subside in a short time, they were still somewhat worried without accurate information. Now that the rain had turned into moderate showers, they were finally relieved.

"Kunlong 9342, no problem." A somewhat hoarse voice came from the frequency, sounding very tired.

"Kunlong 9342, surface wind 230/7, runway 22, cleared for landing, proceed with caution." Upon hearing that Kunlong Airlines could tolerate moderate showers, the control tower immediately issued landing clearance.

"Runway 22, ready for landing, Kunlong 9342."

Just as Kunlong Airlines responded, the control tower contacted Chimelong Airlines, whose plane was parked at the exit of runway 22: "Chimelong 5441, there are showers at the airport. Is it clear for takeoff?"

"Yes!" The voice of the Chimelong Airlines crew was much louder and more energetic.

"Okay, Chimelong 5441, wait outside runway 22, there are planes on the fifth wing," the control tower commanded.

"Wait outside the runway! Chimelong 5441!"

The senior co-pilot, overhearing the conversation on the radio, chuckled, "Looks like Kunlong Airlines' precipitation operation standards are the same as ours!"

Although Star Travel is no longer affiliated with Chimelong Airlines, they were in a superior-subordinate relationship for many years, and many of Star Travel's operational regulations were based on Chimelong Airlines'. Therefore, Star Travel's operational standards were essentially copied from Chimelong Airlines. However, it now appears that Star Travel's operational standards are not only the same as Chimelong's, but also as those of Kunlong Airlines.

Long ago, domestic civil aviation didn't have so many rules. There were no restrictions on landings in moderate rain or nighttime precipitation. There was only one rule: land if you can see the aircraft, leave if you can't. Why were there so many rules?

Currently, landing restrictions are affected by factors such as whether there is precipitation, the intensity of the precipitation, whether the airport is a complex airport, whether it has a short and narrow runway, and whether it is day or night. All of these factors will affect whether or not landing is possible.

The regulations are becoming increasingly detailed, to the point that pilots hesitate when making decisions in certain situations, fearing that there might be specific rules for handling such cases.

Pilots can generally remember the regulations for most key issues. However, pilots are not machines and cannot possibly memorize every single detail.

Now there are regulations everywhere, and everything is about priorities, but there's no real priorities. To be honest, pilots feel much more tired flying now than before. It's not physical fatigue, but mental fatigue.

On the fifth side of the road, the crew of flight Kunlong 9432 were making final preparations for landing. This was the last leg of their flight mission for the day, and they were just a little short of being overtime. Fortunately, at the last moment, the rain intensified from moderate to heavy showers, which perfectly matched the company's landing criteria.

"Wave wipers on high." The captain wiped his face with a damp towel to clear his head. Four segments of flight were incredibly exhausting, and the final segment, constantly circling around thunderstorms, was even more draining. By the time they landed, the two people in the cockpit were completely worn out.

Following the captain's instructions, the co-pilot adjusted both windshield wipers to the high position. As the wipers swept the rain to the sides, the previously blurry vision immediately became clear.

However, the rain was still quite heavy. As soon as some rainwater was blown away, new rainwater kept coming in, resulting in a thin layer of water constantly covering the windshield, which did slightly impair visibility. However, the impact wasn't significant and remained within the permitted visual standards.

"Decision high! Runway visible!" the co-pilot reported, his eyes now bloodshot.

"Continue!" the captain replied weakly. At night, the runway surface was barely visible, but fortunately the runway lights were clearly visible.

Visually inspecting the runway doesn't mean you have to see every single detail of it clearly. As long as you see enough runway lights according to visual standards, you're considered to be visually inspecting the runway. The captain knew this.

However, as the altitude decreased, he kept feeling like something was wrong! It seemed like the distribution of lights wasn't quite what he expected; the lights on the left side seemed dimmer. But at that moment, the captain's mind was foggy, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was.

Just then, the senior co-pilot was about to change the VHF tower frequency for the second unit when suddenly the Chimelong flight crew's screams came through the frequency: "Kunlong 9432, where are you flying towards? Are you going to touch down on the runway edge?"

I'll write down the standard procedures for aircraft carrier landing later.

(End of this chapter)