Legendary Captain

Chapter 362 Landing Qualification Certification

"Xu Xian, don't rush to give me an answer. If you give the wrong answer, what did you say? You said you were willing, willing to be formally transferred to the Third Division?" Li Cheng, the squadron leader of Luohang, nearly popped his eyes out. "Am I hearing things?"

"No, your hearing is perfectly fine." Xu Xian repeated, "I personally agree to be transferred to the Third Division's formal staff."

"Wait, wait a minute?" Li Cheng couldn't accept it anymore: "Are you Xu Xian? Did I dial the wrong number? Or... do you have any requests or conditions?"

Admittedly, as Li Cheng just said, even if Xu Xian is transferred to the Third Division's formal establishment, the Third Division will still keep him at the Luohang Flight Base under the guise of a special training assignment. In reality, Xu Xian's life hasn't changed much. However, not changing much doesn't mean there's no change at all. At least after being transferred to the Third Division's formal establishment, Xu Xian has lost a lot of freedom in many situations.

The Luohang fleet, after all, isn't a real military force, and its control over its personnel is weak. For example, Xu Xian's use of military exercises as leverage to bargain with Ye Qing is unthinkable in a real military. If Xu Xian officially joins the Third Division and continues this behavior, he'll face a lot of trouble.

Li Cheng didn't believe Xu Xian was unaware of this situation. Precisely because of this, Li Cheng was even less convinced that Xu Xian had agreed so readily.

Previously, he had received a direct order from the Western Air Force Command to persuade Xu Xian to accept the mission of being formally transferred to the Third Division. Now, with this direct order from headquarters, Li Cheng naturally intended to carry it out diligently. However, Li Cheng didn't think it was a feasible order. Even if he promised Xu Xian that he could be stationed at the Luohang Flight Base under the guise of a special training mission, given Xu Xian's utterly incorrigible nature, even a fool could tell that the kid would absolutely refuse.

Li Cheng guessed that Xu Xian was probably thinking about how to "elegantly and gracefully" retire from the Luoyang Airlines fleet! He actually wanted to transfer to the Third Division's formal staff? Are you kidding me! Xu Xian couldn't even stand the minimum one-year service requirement in the Luoyang Airlines fleet. Let alone transferring to the Third Division's formal staff, which would add another year to the minimum service requirement. Wouldn't that be the death of Xu Xian?

Li Cheng was helpless against Xu Xian's carefree attitude, which only seemed to be focused on getting by. However, since Xu Xian hadn't committed any murders or arson, it was his business to be a hoodlum, and Li Cheng couldn't interfere.

Because he knew Xu Xian well, Li Cheng felt that the headquarters was being somewhat unrealistic. They probably thought that Xu Xian's excellent performance in the last trilateral exercise was enough to justify transferring him to a regular position. After all, the Luoyang Air Force fleet wasn't truly part of the Western Air Force.

There's no doubt they value talent, but the headquarters should at least investigate thoroughly. Wang Zhaoxin, as the commander of the 3rd Division, is familiar with Xu Xian's situation. The headquarters must have informed Wang Zhaoxin of this matter; shouldn't he have reported Xu Xian's situation to them to avoid them wasting their time?

However, since the order had been given, Li Cheng had to do it, even if he knew it was likely a waste of time.

Before making the call, he had discussed with Wang Chenchen at length how to coerce and entice Xu Xian. They even planned their explanations (tears and complaints) to headquarters if things didn't go smoothly. However, to Li Cheng's utter surprise, Xu Xian readily agreed before he could even voice his explanations. This completely disrupted Li Cheng's plans, leaving him speechless.

"Conditions? I have no conditions!" Xu Xian replied.

"Wait, wait! There's a problem, definitely a problem!" Li Cheng on the other end of the phone was starting to have an existential crisis: "Xu Xian, let's be frank, now that you're part of the Third Division, you're a regular soldier. Except for the slightly more relaxed management here, you're no different from a regular soldier, you know what I mean?"

When Wang Chenchen, who was standing next to Li Cheng, heard Li Cheng speak so bluntly, his expression immediately changed. He slammed down the phone receiver and said urgently, "Captain Li, how could you say that to Xu Xian? You should have kept it to yourself! What if you scared him by speaking so frankly?"

"Scare him? He's scaring me!" Li Cheng's face still showed unresolved confusion. "The plan has changed. You should let go first!"

As he spoke, Li Cheng pushed away Wang Chenchen's hand covering the microphone and continued to say to Xu Xian, "Let's be frank, lest you can't stand it after joining the Third Division and desert halfway through!"

"Captain Li, I understand." Xu Xian's voice was still the same: "I'll say it again, I agree to be transferred to the Third Division's formal staff."

After saying that, Xu Xian hung up the phone.

After receiving confirmation from Xu Xian again, Li Cheng slowly put down the phone. His face remained stiff from the beginning to the end of the call. Li Cheng then grabbed Wang Chenchen's face and pinched it hard: "Does it hurt?"

Wang Chenchen was so hurt by Li Cheng's grip that tears almost welled up in her eyes. She slapped Li Cheng's hand away and said, "What are you doing?"

"It hurts, doesn't it? Was that a dream?" Li Chang let out a sigh of relief, slowly walked to the window, and looked up at the eastern sky: "The sun didn't rise in the west, so what's going on?"

Wang Chenchen was completely baffled by Li Cheng's series of inexplicable actions: "Captain Li, what's wrong?"

"What? What happened? Xu Xian agreed to be transferred to the Third Division's official staff? Isn't that unbelievable? And it happened in broad daylight!" Li Cheng asked Wang Chenchen, "That kid was so agreeable on the phone. All the arguments we came up with didn't work. Isn't that strange?"

"What? You agreed just like that?" Wang Chenchen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "There aren't any conditions?"

"No conditions! I still can't believe it. Do you think this kid's been bewitched? Is he out of his mind?"

"Hey Captain Li, we're materialists. We can't just spout nonsense about gods and ghosts." Wang Chenchen nodded. "Could he have hit a pig and gotten all confused?"

"Hitting a pig is even worse than my superstitious explanation!" Li Cheng's face darkened. "Here's what we'll do: let's not report this to our superiors yet. When Xu Xian comes back, I'll confirm it with him in person. That way, I'll feel at ease."

"Yes, that's the way to do it!" Wang Chenchen wholeheartedly agreed. "Do you think Xu Xian has been a lazy bum for too long and is finally thinking about turning things around?"

Li Cheng glanced at Wang Chenchen, speechless, and said, "Even if a salted fish flips over, it's still just a salted fish. Are you out of your mind?"

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xian looked at the Wen family ancestral home with a sense of desolation. He knew that Wen Jingshu was on the other side of the door, but at this moment he had no face to see her.

As his memories from that time gradually became clearer, he slowly recalled that when he was with Wen Jingshu, Wen Changxing had indeed told him that Wen Jingshu had some minor health issues and that she would need to take care of herself beforehand if she wanted to get pregnant. However, Xu Xian had completely forgotten about this.

When they were together before, they had sex, and thankfully no one got pregnant, so it wasn't a big deal. But this time, once he got really into it, that's when things started to get serious.

Just now, Wen Changxing said that Wen Jingshu's baby couldn't be kept, because it's very likely that this baby would endanger Wen Jingshu herself.

Xu Xian wasn't someone who liked children, but no matter what, they were his own flesh and blood, and their deaths would surely cause him some sadness and reluctance. However, the root cause of all this seemed to be himself.

Xu Xian's mind replayed Wen Changxing's evaluation of him over and over again. It was the first time someone had so bluntly exposed his human flaws, which caught Xu Xian off guard. However, after slowly processing it, Xu Xian felt that there was nothing wrong with what Wen Changxing said.

That's just the kind of person he is!

Perhaps Wen Changxing used to think that Xu Xian was still young and would know how to shoulder the responsibilities of a man when he got older. However, after Wen Jingshu's pregnancy, Wen Changxing realized that Xu Xian hadn't grown at all over the years, and even if he married Wen Jingshu in the future, Xu Xian might not be able to shoulder the responsibilities of a husband.

That's right, Xu Xian is someone who likes to shirk responsibility. Because taking responsibility would bring him a lot of burdens, which would undoubtedly add a lot of troubles for someone who just wants to coast along.

Wen Changxing saw this clearly, which is why he felt that Xu Xian should never become Wen Jingshu's partner.

Xu Xian, somewhat dejected, took out his phone. He wanted to call Wen Jingshu or Yang Ning, but then decided against it. He was the one who had caused this predicament, and he had no face to have any further contact with Wen Jingshu.

He put away his phone and slowly walked away from the Wen family ancestral home, softly humming: "A quiet maiden, so beautiful, awaits me at the city corner. I love her, but she is not there; I scratch my head and hesitate. A quiet maiden, so lovely, gives me a red writing brush. The red writing brush shines brightly, delighting in her beauty. She returns from the pasture with tender shoots, truly beautiful and unique. It is not the woman herself that is beautiful, but the gift from the beautiful woman."

This is a love poem between Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu, taken from an ancient book. The name "Jingshu" in Wen Jingshu's name comes from this poem, which complements each other perfectly and shows their fate.

Inside the Wen family residence, Wen Changxing heard a servant's report: "They've left?"

"Let's go!" the maid replied.

"Didn't you make a phone call or do anything else?"

The maid recalled, "He did answer a phone call, but that was it. He glanced at the door a few times, and then left."

"He's still a man for leaving like that!" Wen Changxing snorted. If he were truly shameless, he probably would have made a scene at the door. Xu Xian's quiet departure showed that the kid at least had some self-respect.

He sighed, "Xu Xianna, you haven't grown at all over the years. If you can learn from this experience, it's not too late. But if you continue to live with your old attitude, I will never feel comfortable entrusting Jing Shu to you."

Office of the General Manager of the Flight Department, Xingyou Aviation.

"Last night, Kunlong Airlines flight 9432 touched down on the edge of runway 22 at Changfeng Airport. It is understood that a total of twelve runway edge lights were blown up. Just now, the Southwest Regional Administration forwarded the General Administration's report on the unsafe incident and requested that all our companies organize a study session." Chief Pilot Ning Sheng handed a document to Lu Xinyu: "The Administration's intention is that this case study should cover all pilots without any omissions."

Lu Xinyu took the document: "Does that mean it didn't run off the track?"

"No, there wasn't. The crew managed to bring the plane back to the runway, and there were no injuries. However, this dangerous situation should be classified as an accident warning."

"Accident indication." Because Xu Xian had previously overrun the runway, Lu Xinyu was quite concerned: "An accident indication? That means the captain might have his license revoked!"

"Yes, at best, it'll be demotion to co-pilot, and they won't be allowed to apply for captain reinstatement for three years. The worst-case scenario is direct license revocation. The punishment should fall within this range," Ning Sheng said. "Mr. Lu, if there are no problems, I'll speak to the planning department."

Thanks to the efforts and oversight of the Airline Flight Union, airlines are now hesitant to use pilots' rest time for training sessions. However, some training sessions are still necessary, the most important of which is the analysis of typical cases. For example, the incident yesterday at Changfeng Airport where Kunlong Airlines damaged a runway edge light is one that needs to be emphasized.

This is not only a requirement of the airlines, but also a clear requirement from the regulatory authorities. Since the training sessions cannot take up rest periods now, we must communicate with the planning department to make time for the training sessions in advance.

"Okay, you can handle this as you see fit!" Lu Xinyu nodded, not asking for further details: "Go back and organize the details of this case, and you'll be the one to present at the first training session."

This training session needs to cover all pilots, so it certainly can't be done all at once. The planning department can't possibly schedule a day when all pilots don't fly, so it will definitely have to be done in several sessions.

Lu Xinyu's idea was to have Ning Sheng set an example at the first training session, outlining the main points, with the chief pilot serving as the main speaker.

"No problem." The chief pilot is in charge of this, and he was also preparing to draft a technical briefing on precautions for landing in nighttime precipitation. It happened to overlap with the training session he was preparing for, so it wouldn't take much extra time.

"By the way, it seems that the Kunlong incident is related to crew fatigue. The authorities want each company to send a pilot representative to discuss revisions to the regulations regarding pilots' rest periods."

"You mean the Kunlong pilots were too tired and their eyesight was failing?" Lu Xinyu shook his head, saying helplessly, "That's true. If they weren't seeing things, under normal circumstances, which pilot could mistake the runway edge light for the runway centerline light? Couldn't you have gone?"

Normally, the chief pilot is responsible for liaising with the authorities, but Lu Xinyu's idea was to have Ning Sheng participate.

"I can't. All pilots with official duties are not allowed to participate; it's a strict requirement from the authorities. In addition, the authorities also said that it would be best if I were a co-pilot," Ning Sheng said.

The authorities know the airlines inside and out. What substantive suggestions could those pilots who are in charge possibly have? They're all out of touch with reality and can't offer any opinions from the perspective of a front-line pilot. What's the point of bringing such people over?

The authorities always felt that only those at the very bottom could know where the company's problems lay, because even a small management mistake, after accumulating at each level, would have a very noticeable impact on those at the grassroots level.

"A co-pilot? What kind of requirement is that?" Lu Xinyu frowned, unable to think of a suitable candidate for a long time. To be honest, he could count the number of co-pilots he could recall on one hand. He had no choice but to ask Ning Sheng for his opinion: "What suggestions do you have?"

Ning Sheng had gone deep into the grassroots and knew the situation of the co-pilot like the back of his hand.

"Well, Mr. Lu, it seems that Lian Shanxue is the only well-known co-pilot in our company," Ning Sheng said with difficulty.

Although this is just a symposium, it's still an opportunity to represent the company, so we need to make a good impression. As for the co-pilot, Lian Shanxue is definitely the most representative person for Xingyou Airlines, after all, she was the subject of a special interview in the tenth issue of Tianyan Magazine.

"Lian Shanxue, her..." Lu Xinyu let out a unique sigh, "Let's go with her. After all, she's the first person from Xingyou Aviation to be featured in the tenth anniversary issue of Tianyan Magazine. It would be good for her to bring honor to our company."

"Tianyan Magazine is scheduled to conduct a special interview at the end of this month, and the reception department has already prepared the most detailed reception plan. We had an interview with Tianyan Magazine before, which gave our company a lot of experience. Just like last time, the reception department informed our flight department in advance, and we may need the flight department's cooperation at that time," Ning Sheng said. "In addition, the bureau asked us to decide on the personnel for the Kampong evacuation flight as soon as possible, as it would not be good to delay any longer."

"Is there anyone willing to take on the role of captain?" Someone had already volunteered for co-pilot and met the criteria; it just so happened to be Lian Shanxue. However, the captain position remained unfilled.

Speaking of this, Ning Sheng also looked worried, after all, deciding on the Gongbang flight was the chief pilot's responsibility: "Those who meet the standards don't want to go, and those who want to go don't meet the standards. President Lu, this is really difficult!"

The evacuation flight from Kampong involves inherent risks, and the company has no right to force any pilot to perform it; it's not an obligation for commercial airline pilots. Therefore, if no captain is willing to operate this potentially dangerous flight, Star Airlines doesn't really have a good solution.

Star Travel Airlines is still searching for a replacement, and the authorities are pressing them hard, which is really a headache.

"Mr. Lu, I actually have an idea. What do you think about having Han Qi and Lian Shanxiue fly together? Aren't they going to be flying the maiden flight of the D903 aircraft later? Wouldn't that be a good opportunity for them to get some experience? And if Han Qi is the captain, his technical skills are definitely not a problem, and it would be convenient for him to handle some emergencies. To be honest, the operating environment of the Kampong route is quite complicated. I'm not very comfortable with a regular crew going there."

"Han Qi?" Lu Xinyu was suddenly startled: "If he's willing to go, that would definitely be a great thing. The key question is, why would he want to go? He's not from our company."

Han Qi has been absent for some time now. Since leaving Kunlong Aviation, he seems to have vanished into thin air. Moreover, with the rise of Xu Xian and Lian Shanxue, Han Qi seems to be rapidly fading into the past.

However, no matter what, Han Qi still wields unparalleled influence for the time being. Why should he work for Xingyou Airlines? Lu Xinyu felt she didn't have that kind of influence.

For someone of Han Qi's status, Star Travel Airlines simply couldn't offer him anything in exchange. Therefore, Lu Xinyu felt that Ning Sheng's idea was somewhat unrealistic.

"Mr. Lu, you've forgotten. Han Qi once expressed his willingness to join our company. However, it seems that Xu Xian persuaded him against it. I'll discuss with Xu Xian whether he can help introduce me to Mr. Han Qi, and I'll try to convince him."

Operating a Kampong flight and returning safely is a highly commendable achievement for the crew. It's not all dangerous, though.

"Xu Xian... I wonder if he'd be willing." Lu Xinyu was slightly worried. After all, Xingyou Airlines hadn't offered any help during the runway overrun incident, and Xu Xian had to find the person himself to repair the flight data recorder.

Now that Xu Xian has been suspended from flying because of that incident, they still want Xu Xian's help, and Lu Xinyu feels a little ashamed.

"This isn't just a matter for Xingyou Airlines; it's all about the safety of our overseas citizens. I believe Xu Xian understands the situation," Ning Sheng confirmed.

"I see!" Although Xu Xian has some minor flaws, he can still distinguish right from wrong when it comes to important matters. Lu Xinyu thought for a moment, "Then why don't you talk to Xu Xian about it?"

Luohang Flight Base, Squadron Leader's Office.

Upon returning to Rongfu and arriving at the base, Xu Xian was immediately "invited" into Li Cheng's office, a gesture brimming with ceremony.

"You really agreed?" Li Cheng's eyes narrowed with laughter. "Xu Xian, you've really changed your ways. This is officially joining the army, and you actually agreed to this?"

Xu Xian rolled his eyes: "You seem to have a lot of opinions about me agreeing to this. How about I just do as you say and not agree?"

"No, no, no! Just kidding, just kidding, don't mind it!" Li Cheng quickly stopped him. "It's just that this world is so amazing, I can't quite process it all right now. I'll be fine after a while, hehe!"

Li Cheng grinned from ear to ear: "Now that I've confirmed your intentions, I'll reply to headquarters. Also, there's something I need to tell you."

"What's wrong?" Xu Xian asked curiously, judging from Li Cheng's expression, it seemed to be something serious.

"What the command says is that if you agree to transfer to the Third Division, they will apply to the higher authorities to let you enter the Navy for training. You need to complete the carrier landing qualification verification as soon as possible. You don't need to learn from Wang Chenchen anymore. Go back to your Fourth Squadron and learn C18 from your captain. Lay a solid foundation first, so as not to embarrass our Luoyang Aircraft Fleet on the ship later."

"Captain Li, wait a minute! Carrier landing qualification certification? Isn't that a qualification certification only required for flying carrier-based aircraft? You mean you want me to learn how to fly carrier-based aircraft?" Xu Xian's mind went blank. What was going on? He was doing well in the Air Force, why did he have to transfer to the Naval Aviation?

"That's right! Isn't the C-18 the main carrier-based aircraft? We've already made you learn about the C-18, don't you understand what it means?" Li Cheng laughed.

"Of course I know the C18 is a carrier-based aircraft, but I'm from the Air Force. Carrier-based aircraft are flown by the Naval Aviation. What does it have to do with the Air Force? The Third Division belongs to our Western Air Force, right? Didn't they just tell me to transfer my personnel to the Third Division?" Xu Xianren was dumbfounded. There were just too many tricks involved.

"Is there any conflict between transferring your unit to the Third Division and going to the Naval Aviation for training?" Li Cheng opened his innocent big eyes: "The higher-ups value you and are giving you an opportunity to develop in all aspects of the army, navy, and air force! Do you understand the leaders' good intentions? Once you complete your carrier landing qualification certification, you will still have to come back, don't worry! You will be a member of the Western Air Force. We are just sending you out for further study and to expand your skills. You will still have to come back later."

"How about I go to the Marine Corps again to experience it firsthand, and really become an all-rounder across land, sea, and air?" Xu Xian said speechlessly, "When I come back, how about I learn about attack aircraft, transport aircraft, electronic early warning aircraft, and refueling aircraft?"

"Hmm? Well... our base doesn't have transport planes or early warning aircraft, otherwise you could learn all of them." Li Cheng said seriously, "To be honest, you don't need to learn much about transport planes, early warning aircraft, and tanker aircraft. The feel of flying them is very similar to the civilian airliners you used to fly, very stable. If you want to learn, you'll have to go to the Third Division's base, and you probably won't be used to the living environment there."

"Is this a matter of getting used to it or not?" Xu Xianren was completely dumbfounded. "You really want me to learn so much?"

Requesting monthly votes

(End of this chapter)