Legendary Captain

Chapter 380 Anti-ship missiles with the safety engaged

Following the release of the investigation results regarding the Letu Flight 5641 incident, Letu Airlines' dispatch and release department received some criticism and penalties from the regulatory authorities. The main reason was that although Longjiang Airport, the destination, had a window of opportunity within the scheduled landing time and met the release standards, the dispatch department underestimated the weather conditions along the route at the time of release, causing the crew to be trapped in the typhoon area. They bear some responsibility for this.

Meanwhile, the captain and first officer on duty had weaknesses in using weather radar and failed to detect the radar shadow early enough, which was the direct cause of the aircraft straying into the typhoon's core area.

However, the crew handled the situation calmly afterward. The captain even managed a successful single-engine landing, so his role in the incident will not be pursued at this time. Of course, no commendation will be awarded.

In the incident involving Flight 5641, Letu Airlines had its problems, but also some commendable aspects. Overall, its merits outweighed its demerits, though not by much. Therefore, the authorities' final response to Letu Airlines was merely verbal praise, without any substantial reward.

In this incident, the only party that wins is Star Travel Airlines.

It wasn't because Xingyou Airlines "generously" provided Letu Airlines with an emergency communication system, but rather because of Xu Xian's presence. Xu Xian was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to Letu Flight 5641. However, Xu Xian is now a member of the military, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China couldn't offer him much in terms of rewards, so the award was instead given to Xingyou Airlines. This was a result reached after consulting with Xu Xian.

The only rewards the regulatory authorities can offer an airline are more approved routes and the ability to cancel previously reduced operating hours. Previously, Star Airlines had its operating hours reduced several times by the authorities due to various issues, such as errors in maintenance records. This significantly impacts an airline's profitability.

These penalty orders to reduce flight hours had not been lifted, so we took this opportunity to do a favor and cancel these penalty measures as well.

Thanks to Lian Shanxue's support, Xingyou Airlines' reputation has been steadily improving. When Xingyou Airlines was facing its most difficult time, Qingyuan Group used a bundled ticket sales strategy to provide crucial financial support, essentially giving the airline a lifeline. Now, after all the hardships, Xingyou Airlines has emerged from its slump in terms of both reputation and sales volume. The lifting of the previous penalty of reduced operating hours is undoubtedly a major boon for the airline.

Compared to the rewards from the authorities and the cancellation of the penalty for reducing the number of hours, the happiest person in the entire Xingyou Airlines was probably Xu Xian's mentor, Qin Zongyang.

Previously, Qin Zongyang was just one step away from assuming the position of Vice President of Operations after the public announcement of his appointment. However, Xingyou Airlines' business situation took a sharp turn for the worse, catching everyone in the company completely off guard. Forget about promotion; even the company's survival was uncertain. At such a difficult time, Qin Zongyang's path to promotion abruptly ended. However, recently, Xingyou Airlines' business situation has clearly improved, and Qin Zongyang's appointment as Vice President of Operations is back on the agenda.

Previously, Luo Qing, the former Vice President of Operations, was supposed to be transferred to the group headquarters after stepping down. However, since Xingyou Airlines and Wens Group do not currently have a clear affiliation, Luo Qing's resignation would be a true retirement.

However, in recent times, Luo Qing has been working tirelessly to keep Xingyou Airlines afloat, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. He no longer has the will to continue, so he has retired and is now enjoying a peaceful life.

Now that the person in the position is willing to step down and the person taking over is full of enthusiasm, isn't the handover of the position a natural progression?

Today is the last day for the public announcement of appointments. Once today is over, the HR department will officially issue the appointment notice, and the matter will be considered settled.

This time, unlike the previous appointment announcement, it was practically just a formality. Actually, the previous appointment announcement should have been fine too; if Xu Xian hadn't gone off track, Qin Zongyang would already be the Vice President of Operations.

It can only be said that Xu Xian was both his strength and his weakness. However, this time, nothing could stop Qin Zongyang. Qin Zongyang naturally knew this as well, and at this moment, he was already full of pride. However, some strange voices gradually entered Qin Zongyang's ears, forcing him to verify some things.

At the entrance to the archives room, Qin Zongyang stared sharply at a staff member's face and said coldly, "I heard Xu Xian's file was transferred. What does that mean? Is that true?"

Qin Zongyang was no saint; under questioning, his expression became even more ferocious.

Indeed, just as Qin Zongyang had practically secured the position of Vice President of Operations, a rumor began to circulate within the company. It was that Xu Xian's personnel file had been transferred, and strictly speaking, Xu Xian was no longer affiliated with Xingyou Airlines.

Honestly, Qin Zongyang got to where he is today entirely because he took on a good apprentice. But now that Xu Xian is no longer with Xingyou Airlines, why should Qin Zongyang still receive such a huge benefit?

Perhaps it was information released by someone jealous of Qin Zongyang, or perhaps it was just a baseless rumor. But it didn't matter to Qin Zongyang anymore. What he wanted to know now was whether Xu Xian was still part of Xingyou's organization and whether he was still his apprentice.

Xu Xian's commercial operation license was previously suspended, but he remains an employee of Xingyou Airlines. The bond between Qin Zongyang and Xu Xian as mentor and apprentice lies in flying. If Xu Xian is no longer a pilot for Xingyou, then their mentor-apprentice relationship is like a rootless duckweed.

Actually, more than anything else, he wanted to know if Xu Xian had really left Xingyou Airlines without saying a word.

Xu Xian is no longer the rookie he was when he first joined Xingyou Airlines. He's grown up and independent; he's no longer someone I can control...

"Mr. Qin, as you know, employee files can only be accessed with the permission of the HR director. I have no right to let you in." The employee files in the archives contain a great deal of employee privacy. If the staff in the archives allow anyone to browse them at will, it would be considered a lack of supervision at best, and at worst, they would be held legally responsible. She absolutely dared not let Qin Zongyang in.

"Mr. Qin, why don't you ask the HR director for written permission?" the staff member suggested.

Accessing employee files requires not only the HR director's permission, but also written authorization. If an employee's privacy is subsequently compromised, it's crucial to determine who is responsible.

"Written permission?" Qin Zongyang waved his hand impatiently. "The HR director is in Tianning right now. Where am I supposed to get written permission from him?"

Recently, Star Travel has experienced a strong recovery, but its staff has become insufficient. Therefore, Star Travel held a grand recruitment fair in Tianning, and the HR Director naturally needed to be present.

However, Qin Zongyang was aware of the company's rules. Indeed, employee files could not be accessed without the written permission of the HR director, and the staff in the archives had not done anything wrong.

So Qin Zongyang had to change his approach: "I'm not going in now, I just want to ask you one question. Is Xu Xian's file still inside?"

The staff member seemed hesitant, unsure how to answer.

This infuriated Qin Zongyang: "I'm not looking through files. I'm just asking if Xu Xian's file is in there. Does that involve anyone's privacy? Since when did your archives become so confidential that you can't even answer questions about whose file is in there?"

"Mr. Qin, there's no such thing..." The staff member gave an awkward laugh, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Qin, Xu Xian's file has been moved, and there's no file of his in the archives now."

"What did you say?" Qin Zongyang was shocked, not expecting the rumors outside to be true. He quickly asked, "Where was the file transferred to?"

"This... I really don't know. That time, the bureau came in person to retrieve the files; it's never happened before."

"The bureau officials came in person?" Qin Zongyang was stunned. He suddenly noticed the computer in the archives reception area and pointed at it, asking, "This is the company's computer; can it connect to the intranet?"

"Yes, what's wrong, Mr. Qin?" the staff member asked.

Qin Zongyang swallowed hard, his heart pounding. He instructed his staff, "Log onto the Civil Aviation Information Network and search for Xu Xian's name. See if you can find any information about him?"

The Civil Aviation Information Network is only accessible through the internal networks of individual airlines, where basic information about flight crew members nationwide can be found. However, this is limited to basic information; detailed information is not readily available to others online.

"Oh, okay." Checking the Civil Aviation Information Network isn't an operation that requires any additional permission. The staff member immediately typed a few words on the keyboard, and after a short wait, said to Qin Zongyang, "Mr. Qin, there are eight people named Xu Xian listed, but none of them match."

"None of them match?" Qin Zongyang stepped forward and checked the computer himself. The personnel information on the Civil Aviation Information Network included ID photos, and Qin Zongyang checked them one by one, but none of them matched.

If Xu Xian's information cannot be found on the Civil Aviation Administration of China's website, it means that Xu Xian has not transferred to any airline. Combined with the Civil Aviation Administration's report on the Letu Airlines incident, which describes Xu Xian as an Air Force pilot…

Previously, he roughly knew that Xu Xian had gone to the Los Angeles Air Force Base to fly fighter jets for a period of time because of something, it seemed to be about repairing the flight data recorder.

Qin Zongyang, being a former air force officer, knew that the Luoyang Airlines fleet wasn't officially part of the air force. And given Xu Xian's incredibly lazy nature, he wouldn't normally agree to a transfer to the air force. But now, things seemed different.

Xu Xian's file was missing; the bureau had to come and retrieve it themselves. If he didn't transfer to another airline, where else could he have gone?

The answer is already obvious.

Qin Zongyang sighed deeply: "Xu Xianna, what exactly are you thinking?"

The deck of the aircraft carrier Gengdu.

The First Squadron dispatched three pilots to conduct an anti-ship target practice demonstration, led by Squadron Leader Lü Ping as the lead aircraft. Qin Qing served as the second wingman, and Xu Xian as the third wingman.

Indeed, the most outstanding member of the three fleets is a member of the First Squadron, which Xu Xian found somewhat coincidental when he saw the list of personnel to carry out this anti-ship target practice demonstration.

However, compared to Qin Qing being a member of the First Squadron, the mystical significance of another matter is even stronger.

On the deck, Lü Ping walked straight ahead with his head down, followed by Xu Xian and Qin Qing. However, it was obvious that Lü Ping did not look very happy.

Xu Xian, who was lagging behind, couldn't hold back any longer and jogged to catch up with Lü Ping, walking side by side: "Hey Captain, you've been acting like a powder keg ever since we were in the briefing room. What's wrong with you?"

"What's going on?" Lu Ping glared at Xu Xian. "Who said the anti-ship demonstration wouldn't be brought forward? You've finally seen through me. You can't trust either your words or your actions."

Xu Xian's face stiffened. He recalled his conversation with Lü Ping two days ago, where he confidently assured him that the anti-ship demonstration would not be brought forward. But no sooner had he spoken than a messenger arrived with the news that the demonstration, originally scheduled for ten days later, had been moved up by eight days, infuriating Lü Ping to the point of nearly vomiting blood on the spot.

"How can you blame me for this? Let's be reasonable, right? It's just a routine training observation, what reason is there to bring it up in advance, isn't it?" Xu Xian spread his hands, looking quite innocent.

Lu Ping snorted: "Stop talking nonsense to me. You promised me the day before yesterday that there would be absolutely no problem. You better remember that. If you mess up, see how I deal with you."

Xu Xian's face darkened. The headquarters had changed the time of the anti-ship demonstration at the last minute. How could he be blamed for that? Why did it seem like Lü Ping was taking his anger out on him?

Actually, Lü Ping wasn't angry with Xu Xian. It's just that the anti-ship demonstration was brought forward so much, and he had originally planned to let Xu Xian review the procedures on the ground, but now there was no time. Lü Ping was very annoyed and quite irritable, so he was also quite angry.

Well, Xu Xian was caught in the crossfire, and the innocent bystanders suffered the consequences.

Lu Ping is like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. Xu Xian didn't dare to talk to him anymore, lest he get another beating.

Slowing down slightly, she fell behind Lü Ping and walked alongside Qin Qing again. To be honest, Qin Qing was exceptionally beautiful, with a rather aloof air, somewhat similar to Lian Shanxue now.

From the briefing room just now until now, as we're about to board, Qin Qing has only talked about things related to the mission, without mentioning anything else. He exudes an aloof and unapproachable aura.

Xu Xian had seen plenty of beautiful women, and he wasn't the type to be easily swayed by them. Since Qin Qing was clearly rejecting him, Xu Xian wasn't about to force his way in. If Qin Qing wouldn't talk to him, he wouldn't initiate a conversation with her either.

A man like Lü Ping who seemed to have swallowed gunpowder, a man as cold as an iceberg like Qin Qing, and a man utterly speechless like Xu Xian—this trio created an extremely strange atmosphere as they walked across the deck. Many outsiders who got even a little closer could sense the disharmony between the three.

When the three arrived at the parking position, they separated. Xu Xian went to his car, where the maintenance crew was already waiting.

Upon seeing Xu Xian approach, the maintenance crew handed him a list, saying, "Two Viper missiles, one Flying Shark. Please check them."

This is just a routine anti-ship live-fire exercise in the vicinity, so there's no need to bring too many weapons. The Viper, of course, is an air-to-air missile. Bringing this is purely for safety, as we need to ensure that all aircraft deployed have a certain level of self-defense capability, even if that capability might not be needed.

Having something but not using it is a completely different concept from not having it at all.

The Flying Shark missile was the weapon used in this anti-ship target practice exercise. It is an anti-ship missile that uses a combination of inertial guidance and active radar terminal guidance, and it is now basically the mainstay anti-ship missile in China.

This anti-ship missile comes in air-launched, ship-launched, and submarine-launched versions. However, the basic structure of these three types is the same, and the differences are not significant.

Xu Xian checked the weapon configuration and confirmed it was as the maintenance crew had described. He then conducted another walk-around inspection, and after confirming everything was correct, he signed the form. The maintenance crew put the form away and said to Xu Xian with a smile, "Things are getting lively on the island superstructure right now, so you'd better do your best!"

"Ship island?" Xu Xian frowned. "What's wrong? Has the commander already arrived?"

"Otherwise what? Tsk tsk tsk, you managed to alarm our South Ship's commander with a single anti-ship target practice exercise. You've got some nerve. You'd better perform well and not embarrass us in front of the commander." Although they belong to different departments, they are still part of the same carrier strike group and share the same fate. If Xu Xian can perform well in this anti-ship demonstration, he, as the aircraft mechanic, will also be honored.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian practically patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems at all. You can put your mind at ease."

Xu Xian laughed loudly as he climbed onto the scaffold and entered the cockpit.

"Anti-ship target practice? They're making such a fuss over something as simple as this. I really don't know what they're worried about," Xu Xian muttered as he sat in the cockpit. In Xu Xian's view, anti-ship target practice was a very simple task, and even if he hadn't practiced it many times, there was really nothing to worry about.

However, in reality, both Lü Ping and the mechanic from earlier seemed quite worried about him, which made Xu Xian rather unconvinced. Did they really think he couldn't even handle an anti-ship target practice exercise?

Xu Xian made up his mind that he must show off his skills this time.

After the engine started normally, Xu Xian was guided to the second catapult. Just a short while ago, Lü Ping and Qin Qing had taken off, and Xu Xian was the last one.

The initial procedures went smoothly. After the final inspector conducted a final configuration check on the aircraft, the lead sergeant, wearing a green helmet and green vest, came to the front of the aircraft to prepare for catapult connection. He was the core member of the entire catapult connection process.

At this point, the guide instructed Xu Xian to lower the ejection lever. Normally, when Xu Xian lowers the ejection lever, it should fit perfectly into a groove in front of the ejector. If it doesn't fit, the guide will instruct the pilot to use the nose wheel to adjust the position until the ejection lever is properly engaged in the groove.

It's rare for something to not fit into the groove, but Xu Xian didn't encounter that this time; instead, it fit perfectly into the groove.

After the ejection lever is engaged in the groove, the limit lever operator moves forward to install the limit lever so that the aircraft remains in place.

Most current limit levers are hydraulic devices that can be reused. After steam pressure is input, once the traction force on the aircraft reaches a certain value, the limit lever will disengage, allowing the aircraft to be ejected.

After the limit lever was installed, the guide instructed Xu Xian to continue moving forward so that the ejection lever could lock onto the reciprocating vehicle. At this point, the sergeant at the front withdrew to the side and gave the pilot a hand signal to Xu Xian to raise both hands.

Why was Xu Xian instructed to raise both hands? Mainly because the bomb loader was about to begin their work, and the bomb loader's primary task was to engage the weapon safety. If the pilot accidentally pressed a switch during this time, it could cause a major problem. Therefore, the pilot's hands must be raised during the bomb loader's work to prevent any mishaps.

Xu Xian was familiar with the procedure. After receiving the hand signal from the sergeant at the front, he immediately raised his hands to cooperate. Once it was confirmed that the pilot had raised his hands, the bomb loader, wearing a red vest, began to engage the safety mechanism on the loaded missile.

That's right, it's not just the aircraft's weapon systems that have safety mechanisms. The missiles or bombs themselves also have safety mechanisms, and these mechanisms need to be manually disarmed by the bomb loader.

The safety mechanisms for each type of missile are slightly different. For example, the Eagle missile uses a safety pin, while the Viper and Flying Shark missiles use a rotating handle.

Because the Viper and Flying Shark missiles are produced by the same company, they are similar in some ways. For example, their missile safety features are both counter-clockwise rotating handles.

The bomb loader pulls up the handle, then rotates it counter-clockwise to the red pre-positioned area, and finally presses the handle to disengage the missile's safety. The disengagement method is the same for both the Viper and Flying Shark missiles.

The disarming of weapons is handled with extreme care, as mishandling it could lead to a major disaster. Therefore, weapons safety is always disarmed just before ejection. Once the aircraft has landed, it must be confirmed that the weapons are disarmed and the safety is released before it is allowed to return to the hangar.

After operating the two Viper missiles, the bomb loader, when disengaging the safety on the last Flying Shark missile, turned the handle to the red pre-positioned area and casually pressed it down, assuming it was fully depressed. However, in reality, a small portion of the handle was still protruding, meaning the handle was not actually depressed.

The bomb loader, who thought he had completed the disarming of the weapons, gave a hand signal to the sergeant in front, indicating that the disarming was complete. At this point, the sergeant in front would step forward to perform the final work.

Xu Xian was also impatient, but he didn't know that his Flying Shark missiles were not deactivated.

(End of this chapter)