Chapter 10 Bird Strike
It can only be said that it is indeed much more convenient to go through the crew channel. There is no need to queue up for a long time or deal with tedious safety inspections. In any industry, internal staff always have some benefits.
The terminal building of Jianchuan Airport has not been expanded yet. It only has one building and the area is not very large. Xu Cang jogged all the way, carrying a bag on his back and another in his hand, which was still a bit tiring.
Since learning that he would have to add crew, Xu Cang did not choose to check in his luggage. If he added crew, he could put his luggage in the front cabin crew's cloakroom, and then take it with him when he got off the plane, saving him the trouble of waiting at .
It took less than five minutes to get from security check to the boarding gate. When Xu Cang arrived, the boarding had already started. He was not in a hurry. He put his luggage on the seat and took a long breath. He secretly sighed that he really neglected exercise in the past. He was a little exhausted after jogging for five minutes.
When most of the passengers had boarded, Xu Cang took out his crew boarding pass and hung it around his neck. He picked up his luggage, held the assignment letter in his hand, and walked towards the boarding gate.
The ground service personnel at the boarding gate looked over the mission letter and the flight attendant boarding pass several times before letting Xu Cang in. The main reason was that the flight attendant boarding pass clearly stated that Xu Cang belonged to Blue Sky Airlines, so how could he be added to the crew of Feather Airlines?
However, there will be no problem as long as the name on the certificate matches the name on the assignment letter.
After passing the boarding gate, he had to go through another bridge security check in the corridor. When he arrived at the cabin, Xu Cang found the flight attendant, explained his intention to join the crew, and showed her his ID.
"Wait a moment, I'll talk to the cockpit." The chief flight attendant glanced in the direction of the jet bridge, confirmed that there was no one behind, and then leaned half of his body into the cockpit.
Not long after, the chief flight attendant seemed to have discussed it with the cockpit and took the luggage from Xu Cang's hand: "I'll put it in the cloakroom for you, please go in."
Xu Cang thanked the flight attendant, opened the cockpit door and went in, and found the captain and the co-pilot chatting. Looking at the layout of the cabin, Xu Cang realized that the aircraft model was a 737, which he had not noticed when buying the ticket.
When the two saw Xu Cang coming in, they were very enthusiastic, especially the captain who was wearing glasses and looked gentle and refined.
Civil aviation pilots are not completely prohibited from wearing glasses, as long as they meet the standards. Of course, pilots don't wear glasses except when they are working.
"I heard that you are going to the Consumers Association and the authorities to complain about our company?" Although he said so, the captain's tone and expression were basically joking, and there was no malice in his tone.
"I have an emergency at home and I need to go back." Xu Cang scratched his head embarrassedly: "Sorry to bother you."
The captain laughed: "It doesn't matter, we are all in the same business. Whether it's a Boeing or an Airbus, the observer's seat in the back will be vacated, right?"
"I'll put it down for you." The co-pilot was very enthusiastic and prepared to get up and put the seat down for Xu Cang.
"I fly Boeing, I will release the seat." Xu Cang quickly declined the co-pilot's kindness. However, out of courtesy, Xu Cang did not release the seat immediately. Usually, the observer would release the seat after the cabin door was closed. This was considered a rule.
As soon as Xu Cang finished speaking, the chief flight attendant opened the door and reported: "Captain, there is one VIP left, and she will be here soon."
As he said that, he patted Xu Cang's shoulder who was standing in the aisle and said, "Your luggage is put away."
Just as Xu Cang was about to say thank you, he happened to catch a glimpse of a field vehicle with the Feiyu Airlines logo painted on it driving towards the apron below the nose of the plane.
"People are coming?" Xu Cang said casually.
"Ah?" The flight attendant followed Xu Cang's gaze and leaned further into the cockpit. Through the windshield, he also saw his company's infield car: "Captain, it's the VIP shuttle bus. It should be here soon."
After the chief flight attendant finished speaking, he did not stay in the cockpit but went out to greet the passengers.
The captain curled his lips, obviously not satisfied with the situation, but he didn't say anything. He saw Xu Cang still standing, and he pressed his hand towards him: "People are here, sit down. There was a bit of noise in the cockpit, please bear with it, brother."
"No, no." Xu Cang put down the observer's seat with a dry laugh. The captain of Feiyu Airlines was a little too enthusiastic, and he was not used to this way of getting along.
Fortunately, not long after Xu Cang sat down, the chief flight attendant came over to report that everyone was gathered, and the infield car that drove to the bottom of the plane was indeed used to pick up VIPs.
After closing the hatch, the crew began to work, especially from pushout to cruising, which were critical stages. I think in more than half an hour, the two people in front of them didn't have the energy to chat with Xu Cang anymore.
If it were someone else, they might be curious about the pilot's working conditions, but Xu Cang, who was traveling with him, had no interest at all. Even though the observer's seat was not as comfortable as the bench in the terminal, Xu Cang yawned as soon as he sat down.
I don't know if other pilots are in the same situation, they are usually energetic, but when they hear the sound of the engine running, they instinctively start to feel sleepy.
However, Xu Cang still felt that it was not a good idea for him to sleep in the cockpit as a guest, so he just tilted his head and stared at the instruments with a distracted look, his mind full of immunosuppressants and money-making issues.
The plane was launched smoothly without any delay. After the plane was launched, Xu Cang secretly sent a message to his father and then turned off his phone and put it in his trouser pocket.
Today's Jianchuan Airport has not yet undergone expansion. Not only does it have only one terminal building, it also operates on a single runway, and the apron area is even narrower. After launching, one turn goes directly onto the main runway.
There seemed to be only one flight, Feiyu 6321, on the tower frequency, far from the busy scene of Southwest Airlines hub more than a decade later. However, when taxiing to the end of the runway, the tower did not let the plane enter the runway, but instead instructed: "Feiyu 6321, wait at the end of the runway."
The captain subconsciously looked towards the fifth airspace for a while, but did not see any approaching aircraft. He couldn't help wondering: "Is there a time limit?"
In fact, they were 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Sometimes, a flight is ahead of schedule but may not be able to leave, and the controller will let the plane wait at the end of the runway until it is almost on schedule.
However, the tower did not confirm the captain's statement , but said: "There is a bird-scaring operation on the runway, and it is expected to take three minutes."
"Oh." The captain replied casually, and then the co-pilot next to him said, "There seem to be frequent bird strikes recently. The airport has received many complaints. I guess they are afraid."
Any bird strike incident during the taxi phase is the airport's responsibility, and if such incidents occur frequently, the airport will be punished.
"The birds are coming here to spend the winter. We'll have to wait another two months before they stop." The captain yawned and said, "Just wait!"
