Legendary Captain

Chapter 384 The Screws on the Deck

"What? Make Lian Shanxue the deputy general manager of the flight department? Is there a precedent for this? A co-pilot as the deputy general manager of the flight department?" When Lu Xinyu heard Qin Zongyang say that the higher-ups intended to promote Lian Shanxue to management, he didn't initially react much. Lian Shanxue was practically a savior of Xingyou Airlines, so promoting him to management wasn't unreasonable. But when he heard that the higher-ups meant to directly promote Lian Shanxue to the deputy general manager of the flight department, Lu Xinyu couldn't hold back anymore.

It wasn't that Lu Xinyu objected to Lian Shanxue serving as the deputy general manager of the flight department. In fact, given Lian Shanxue's contributions to Xingyou Airlines, as long as the company develops steadily, the position of vice president of operations would be hers for the future.

Adding flowers to brocade can never compare to providing charcoal in the snow!

However, what Lu Xinyu couldn't accept was that Lian Shanxue was currently only a co-pilot, and there was no precedent in the company's history for a co-pilot to serve as the deputy general manager of the flight department. This promotion was too fast, too fast for Lu Xinyu to accept.

"It's just the vice president in charge of administration, not the technical stuff." Qin Zongyang didn't react that strongly. He used to be the vice president in charge of administration in the flight department, and he felt that even a co-pilot could handle the job, because he himself felt that the vice president in charge of administration was really not that difficult.

Of course, even the vice president in charge of technology didn't find it difficult, since the vice president in charge of technology had the chief pilot to assist him, and he could just leave anything to the chief pilot.

Honestly, most deputies are essentially doing little work under normal circumstances. Their main function is to issue orders in emergencies when the head of the household is unable to exercise authority. Normally, deputies don't have much to worry about.

"Even administrative positions won't work!" Lu Xinyu took rules very seriously. He insisted that Lian Shanxue take on part-time work first, and then truly enter the management team after being promoted to captain. This was the more appropriate path.

Searching through all the airlines nationwide, you won't find a co-pilot promoted to management, not even departmental management. While the position of Deputy General Manager of the Flight Department is mostly a sinecure, in certain critical moments, it requires making decisions on behalf of the General Manager of the Flight Department, and cannot be taken lightly.

"You think you can just say no and that's it?" Qin Zongyang glared at him. "You know who my superiors are, don't you?"

Qin Zongyang is currently the Vice President of Operations, leading both the flight and operations systems. Above him are the top levels of the company, such as the President and Chairman.

However, given that the position of president is currently vacant, the person who instructed Qin Zongyang to promote Lian Shanxue to deputy general manager of the flight department is basically obvious.

Now that Qin Zongyang was her direct superior, Lu Xinyu couldn't afford to argue with him. She just said resentfully, "I don't believe the chairman would make such a decision. Where is the chairman? I'm going to find her! If this precedent is set, other airlines will think that Xingyou Airlines has no one to rely on."

"Chairman? You want to see the chairman? What are you thinking? You know how long it's been since the chairman's office opened. That's enough. Even if we're going to promote Lian Shanxue to deputy general manager of the flight department, it will take some time. These days, hurry up and arrange the process for hiring Lian Shanxue as a captain. I've asked her, and she has the time and resources." Qin Zongyang waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and hire her as a captain before the appointment announcement, then there won't be any problems. I really didn't expect you to be more stubborn than this old man who's almost sixty."

"Stubborn? That's called stubbornness, that's called principle. A deputy general manager of the flight department at the co-pilot level, wouldn't you be ashamed if you told others?" Lu Xinyu snorted. "However, what you said makes sense. I will personally oversee Lian Shanxue's promotion to captain and try to complete it as quickly as possible. By the way, do you know where the chairman went? I haven't seen her in a long time, and even Miss Yang isn't here."

Qin Zongyang was equally puzzled: "I don't know either. I asked the vice president of maintenance and a few directors, and they all only communicate with Ms. Yang online. It's been a while since they've seen the chairman or Ms. Yang in person. But since Ms. Yang is remotely controlling the entire company's operations online, why bother with so much? It doesn't seem like this is our business, does it?"

"The company was just starting to improve, and then the leader disappeared without a word. What kind of nonsense is this?" Lu Xinyu was quite speechless. Before, when Xingyou Airlines almost declared bankruptcy, Wen Jingshu and Yang Ning were at least present at the company every day, even though Wen Jingshu often left early.

Of course, it wasn't that Wen Jingshu was slacking off at work; it was simply due to pregnancy symptoms, which was unavoidable.

But now, Xingyou Airlines has just recovered from its slump, and its chairman, Wen Jingshu, is nowhere to be seen; she hasn't been seen at the company for a long time. According to Qin Zongyang, other higher-level leaders, such as directors and above, haven't seen Wen Jingshu in person for a long time either, which means that Wen Jingshu is indeed gone.

The contrast was so stark that Lu Xinyu found it hard to accept. Having finally recovered from a near-death experience, shouldn't he press his advantage?

Qin Zongyang reminded Lu Xinyu: "This doesn't seem like something you should be considering. Also, Tianyan Magazine will conduct a separate interview at the D903 maiden flight ceremony. This interview is very likely to be used as material for the tenth-anniversary issue, and as the general manager of the flight department, you will definitely have to appear on camera."

"You mean, you want me to go to Tianning for the maiden voyage ceremony? Aren't they supposed to be interviewing us? Why do we have to follow their schedule?" Lu Xinyu was somewhat dissatisfied. It was clearly Tianyan Magazine that wanted to interview him, but how did it become that he had to travel all the way to Tianning to cooperate with Tianyan Magazine's interview?

"That's enough." Qin Zongyang snorted. "Just go. We've already spoken with Qingyuan Group. They'll definitely give you a high-level reception, right? Lian Shanxue is going to Tianning tomorrow. You'll go with her. That's settled."

Qin Zongyang was too lazy to waste words with Lu Xinyu and made a direct conclusion, leaving Lu Xinyu no room for negotiation.

Lu Xinyu's face stiffened. Facing Qin Zongyang, the Vice President of Operations, he really didn't dare to say anything more: "Fine, fine, I'll go, okay?"

Qin Zongyang was in a great mood: "Good, as long as you listen to me, hahaha!"

He had been fighting with Lu Xinyu for a long time, and now he had become Lu Xinyu's direct superior. He could boss Lu Xinyu around and Lu Xinyu couldn't refute him. It was as if every pore on Lu Xinyu's body was open up.

"By the way, don't you have a good relationship with the HR director? Do you know when he'll be back? How many days has that job fair been going on?" Qin Zongyang asked.

"HR Director, what's up?" Lu Xinyu asked curiously. He did have a good relationship with the HR Director; they had been on good terms since he was the deputy general manager of the flight department.

Qin Zongyang smiled and said, "I just have something to ask him."

On the maiden voyage of D903, at the departure hall of Jianling Airport.

Jianling Airport has a limited number of flights, and most of them are concentrated in the morning. Qingyuan Group specifically applied for a flight time when there were no other flights nearby, so that the inaugural flight ceremony would not be held during peak hours.

Jianling Airport has a different flight structure, with a large portion of flights being private jets, so the number of ordinary passengers is actually not large. Furthermore, by choosing a time interval between flights, the number of people in the entire terminal was not large.

Qingyuan Group specifically designated an area in the departure hall for press conferences, so as not to affect the waiting time for ordinary passengers.

Jianling Airport doesn't have many flights, but the terminal is quite large. The area designated for the press conference was very large, making it quite impressive in scale.

At the press conference, all the top executives of Qingyuan Group were present. Of course, those sitting in the main seats, besides Xu Qing and Mei Tingting, were the flight crew who operated the debut flight, namely Han Qi and Lian Shanxue.

At that moment, media personnel were asking questions of Han Qi and Lian Shanxue.

Many people initially thought that Lian Shanxue would receive fewer questions with Han Qi and Xu Qing present, given that Han Qi and Xu Qing are top figures in the civil aviation industry. However, in reality, during the actual press conference, the number of questions asked by the media about Xu Qing, Han Qi, and Lian Shanxue was distributed relatively evenly, which surprised many.

Actually, it's easy to understand if you think about it. Xu Qing has completely withdrawn from the civil aviation industry, and his current traffic is relying on his past achievements, so a decline is inevitable. As for Han Qi, he is also in a semi-retired state, basically in the same situation as Xu Qing.

This maiden flight of the D903 aircraft is not just a matter for Qingyuan Group, but also marks the beginning of the domestic large aircraft entering the historical stage, and the domestic large aircraft market is no longer a monopoly of foreign aircraft.

At this significant moment, no one would try to pull any tricks. Even though many people were actually quite envious of Qingyuan Group's new D903 model.

A press conference where no one dares to try anything clever is naturally exceptionally harmonious, and most of the questions are even prepared in advance. This press conference was more like a performance, a pre-planned performance.

Although Xu Qing disliked things that were already planned, the D903 was too important to him to make any mistakes, so it was better to play it safe. After all, nothing in the world is perfect.

After asking the crew of the maiden flight some routine questions, one of the reporters suddenly asked Xu Qing, "Mr. Xu Qing, I believe some people are still not very familiar with our D903 aircraft model. Could you briefly introduce some of the advantages of this model compared to other mainstream aircraft models?"

This question was also planned, and Xu Qing answered smoothly: "Our new model has better aerodynamic performance than others, and its approach speed is slower."

"Mr. Xu, I'm sorry, could you provide some more intuitive data? Many people may not understand aerodynamic performance very well," the reporter interrupted.

Interrupting someone is somewhat impolite, but the atmosphere of the press conference was quite pleasant, so it didn't cause too much offense.

"Well, let me give you one example. The top speed of most mainstream aircraft is Mach 0.82, but our D903 can reach Mach 0.82 during normal cruising, and its top speed is Mach 0.86," Xu Qing said with a smile. "That should be a fairly straightforward comparison, right?"

In fact, it is rather one-sided to talk about whether the maximum speed or cruising speed is fast or slow. It is not that other mainstream passenger aircraft models cannot increase speed, but rather how to perfectly balance speed and economy.

Once the speed exceeds Mach 0.8, the aircraft begins to enter the transonic range. Even if the overall speed is not supersonic, it may reach the speed of sound in certain local regions.

Many people know that breaking the sound barrier requires a huge amount of extra energy, which is absolutely unacceptable for commercial airliners that are extremely economical.

Therefore, the maximum speed of mainstream models is Mach 0.82, which is definitely not a decision made on a whim, but rather the result of careful research. Within this speed range, there will be no local supersonic situations, thus maximizing economic efficiency.

Airbus and Boeing have always disliked each other, and in many ways, they deliberately made their designs different. However, they are surprisingly consistent in terms of maximum speed, which shows that Mach 0.82 is indeed the most economical speed for modern passenger aircraft.

However, the D903 model has achieved a significant improvement in both top speed and cruising speed. This indicates that, at least in this model, many issues related to localized supersonic speeds have been resolved compared to previous mainstream models. Otherwise, the D903 could not have achieved such a speed increase.

"That's for sure," the reporter said with a smile. "I've received information that Qingyuan Group is developing a supersonic passenger jet. Mr. Xu Qing, would it be convenient for you to comment on this? Of course, if Mr. Xu Qing feels it's inconvenient, you can ignore my question."

Several high-ranking executives from Qingyuan Group present subtly changed their expressions. However, the reporter was clearly very tactful; knowing the question was unplanned, he deliberately clarified that it was an optional question to prevent Xu Qing from misunderstanding that he was intentionally making things difficult. This last addition was filled with a blatant desire to survive.

"A supersonic passenger plane?" Xu Qing pondered for a moment. "We are indeed researching this type of aircraft. However, I believe many friends who know the history of civil aviation are aware that the history of supersonic aircraft is one of failure. Our Qingyuan Group is committed to pioneering a new era of domestic civil aviation. Even though we know that the path of supersonic passenger planes is fraught with difficulties, we are still willing to explore it. Even if it's just to leave experience for future generations, I think it's worth it."

Upon hearing this, the entire press conference fell into a brief silence. Even Han Qi couldn't help but glance at Xu Qing. Xu Qing's expression at that moment was incredibly sincere, and it didn't seem like a hypocritical declaration.

The next moment, the reporters in the audience burst into applause, expressing their sincere admiration for Xu Qing's heartfelt words.

Indeed, Xu Qing seemed to have transcended vulgar interests. For a private corporation, researching new aircraft models is quite risky; it's an investment that doesn't always yield returns.

Many people know how much profit developing a new model can bring them, but why doesn't anyone in China conduct research on new models? The main reason is that this requires a huge investment, and no one can guarantee that it will be successful in the future.

But since no one else was willing to do it, Xu Qing did it, and he will continue to invest in the even more uncertain supersonic passenger jet project. It's important to understand that supersonic passenger jet projects have a history of failure; the project is extremely risky. However, this doesn't mean the supersonic passenger jet project is entirely without prospects; it simply means that current technology cannot solve the problems inherent in supersonic passenger jets.

The supersonic passenger aircraft project was clearly a risky undertaking, yet Xu Qing still threw himself into it without hesitation. There was no other explanation than that he wanted to find a new path for China's civil aviation industry.

While the press conference for the new model was in full swing, Xu Xian was still working on the deck, grumbling and cursing.

That's right, Xu Xian worked overtime, reluctantly.

Xu Xian was supposed to have a day off today, but Chen Cheng said, "How can someone who's 'wearing a criminal' rest?" So, Xu Xian had to continue his cleaning job, much to his dismay.

Normally, working an extra day wouldn't be a big deal, and Xu Xian could accept it. But today was different. Of all the bad luck, today was the date of the press conference for the new model, and Xu Xian was planning to watch the live broadcast! Now that he had to work overtime, what was the point of watching it?

Despite his outward smile, Xu Xian was inwardly seething with frustration, even mopping the floor felt uncomfortable. Looking at the leisurely crew members on deck, Xu Xian felt abandoned by the world, his depression almost overwhelming.

The only thing that makes Xu Xian happy is that this period probably won't last much longer.

The investigation results regarding the Flying Shark missile's weapon safety have been released. The weapon safety handle of that Flying Shark missile itself had a problem, causing it to jam during the final step of releasing the restraints by pressing down on the handle.

However, even if the missile itself had a problem, the bomb loader's negligence in not checking and failing to notice that the safety handle was not fully depressed is also a valid point. Therefore, the bomb loader also bears responsibility.

However, Xu Xian did not know the specifics of the punishment for that bomb loader; he only knew that the bomb loader was no longer on the aircraft carrier.

Following this, the entire ground support department on the aircraft carrier underwent a major safety overhaul, during which the head of the support department even made a special trip to see Xu Xian. The reason was simple: if it weren't for Xu Xian's quick thinking and resourcefulness, their entire carrier strike group would have lost face in front of the fleet commander.

Although the fleet commander saw through Xu Xian's trick of using air-to-air missiles instead of anti-ship missiles, he didn't lose face as much as he had, and most of his dignity was preserved.

"All he does is apologize verbally, he doesn't do anything practical, even just give me an extra meal would be fine," Xu Xian muttered as he mopped the floor.

The logistics department is a major department on the entire aircraft carrier, handling everything from weapons and aviation materials to food and daily necessities. Xu Xian wasn't interested in daily necessities; whether one used a towel to wash their face or two, it was all the same. However, food was different; the supply of certain foods was rationed, such as desserts.

It's not that desserts are particularly rare; it's just that desserts are generally considered snacks, and it's impossible to store large quantities of them. While the food supply on aircraft carriers is much better than before, it's still finite. Rather than allocating food quotas to desserts, it's better to use them for meats with higher protein content.

Of course, the main reason is that desserts are really not good for maintaining physical fitness. Eating them occasionally is fine, but eating them without restraint is not good for a soldier's physical condition.

However, Xu Xian has a fondness for desserts. Since it's impossible to get extra desserts under normal circumstances, he hoped the logistics department would have a change of heart and, feeling ashamed, ration him some more.

As a result, the support department offered Xu Xian only a verbal apology, and nothing more—a completely bureaucratic attitude. This greatly displeased Xu Xian. He had cleaned up the mess left by the support and maintenance departments, and they didn't even offer a token of appreciation?

Those guys in the maintenance department who spend all their time with engine oil don't get a single penny of it. The support department, on the other hand, has tons of stuff, but they won't even give you a tiny bit—they're so stingy.

Xu Xian felt like a failure after missing the press conference and not getting any dessert, and his life seemed to have turned gloomy.

Suddenly, Xu Xian's mop seemed to have scraped against something, making a slight metallic scraping sound. Xu Xian stopped and looked onto the deck: "Huh? That's a screw?"

(End of this chapter)