At some point, Xu Cang had stood up from his seat. The sudden change in wind direction had awakened Xu Cang from his distracted state and made him alert.
It does not mean that a drastic change in wind direction will lead to similar serious consequences such as wind shear. The occurrence of wind shear needs to meet certain standards. It can only be said that the change in wind direction will have a greater possibility of causing the consequences of wind shear.
However, even if it was wind shear, it would not cause Xu Cang to react too much, at least not to the point of direct intervention. After all, it is actually a very bad move for someone other than those present to intervene.
Therefore, when the wind shear warning sounded, Xu Cang was watching from behind. He felt that after knowing about the 11-meter uncertain wind and the active report of unstable airflow by the aircraft in front, no matter what, as a competent captain, he should have a plan for encountering wind shear in his mind, that is, he should know that there is a certain probability of encountering wind shear at low altitude.
There is a huge difference between being prepared and being unprepared during flight. Many unsafe incidents are caused by the crew being unprepared and panicking, leading to procedural errors and omissions.
Logically speaking, in Xu Cang's opinion, if a captain cannot handle wind shear even when he is prepared, then there is undoubtedly doubt about the rationality of the captain's qualifications.
However, Xu Cang was wrong about one thing, that is, he had made a deviation in his estimate of the intensity of this wind shear.
Before the wind shear warning appeared, the headwind turned into tailwind in an instant, causing the speed of the aircraft to drop rapidly. The captain once consciously increased the throttle to make up for the speed, but the throttle was increased to more than 80, and the momentum of the airspeed decrease was not completely stopped.
At this time, Xu Cang could feel that the wind shear would be stronger this time, but he still did not have enough understanding of it until the wind shear audio warning sounded and the captain immediately increased the throttle to the maximum, but the plane still could not stop falling. Only then did Xu Cang realize that the intensity of this wind shear was extremely high.
Generally speaking, in mild wind shear, the speed and altitude will increase when the throttle is applied. If the wind shear is weaker, it will only last for less than five seconds, and the physical sensation will not be significant.
For slightly stronger moderate wind shear, after using the maximum thrust, even if the speed and altitude cannot be increased at the same time, at least one of the data can produce a significant increase. Although the aircraft in this case needs to stalemate with wind shear for a longer time, it is generally acceptable. Therefore, whether it is altitude or speed, in a sense, they are connected. As long as one of them increases, it means that the other data at a lower level can be compensated by the crew's control.
In regular flight training, most wind shears are moderate in intensity, because many mild wind shears are not only short-lived, but also as strong as more severe turbulence. If you react slowly, you may not even need to correct for them.
The most difficult and dangerous thing is severe wind shear, that is, at maximum thrust, the speed and altitude of the aircraft will not increase significantly. At this time, the pilot needs to make trade-offs in certain situations, and such trade-offs will be carried out in an extremely dangerous way, similar to dancing on the edge of a knife.
Not to mention safety regulations, even from a personal emotional point of view, Xu Cang did not want to take action. If someone took action while he was operating, he would also be greatly disgusted. Until Xu Cang found that the captain began to push the stick to suppress the stick shake, he knew that it was a serious matter of flight safety and had to intervene.
Stall stick shaker and push stick to reduce the aircraft's angle of attack are almost a very direct conditioned reflex of the pilot. This is rooted in the heart of every pilot, starting from aviation school.
Especially in the captain's mind, stalling at such a low altitude would be extremely dangerous. Even the most skilled pilots would need to lose a certain amount of altitude to correct for the stall. This is an objective law and has little to do with the pilot's ability.
Therefore, even though the captain knew that pushing the stick up at a low altitude was also a very risky move, he still had a lucky thought in his mind that he could suppress the stick shaker by pushing the stick up at a relatively high altitude, and then release the stick push action after recovery.
However, under such severe wind shear, the headwind suddenly turns into tailwind, and the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft is weakened unimaginably. At this time, the so-called remaining altitude of less than 1,000 feet is actually not a margin at all, and any so-called intentional push-up will completely consume this already weak altitude space.
Therefore, Xu Cang had to stop the captain's behavior as quickly as possible. He stared at the captain coldly: "Do you really know how to fly a plane? At such a low altitude, you dare to push the stick and put the crosshairs above the pitch limit indicator. Can you do it? If not, then let me fly!"
Xu Cang's request was very precise, that is, to set the attitude crosshairs of the aircraft to above the pitch limit indicator. It cannot be lower than the pitch limit indicator. If it is lower, it will be the same as what the captain did just now. You can correct the stall, but you will lose altitude very quickly. However, you cannot completely ignore the pitch limit indicator and refer to the wind shear to make maneuvers and follow the flight guidance. Because once you completely ignore the pitch limit indicator and follow the guidance, it means that the crew needs to give a more obvious and continuous action of pulling the stick. Of course, the amplitude of this upward attitude will change continuously, but it is basically obviously greater than the attitude of the pitch limit indicator.
If the flight director is followed, this pitch attitude is too high for today's aircraft. The aircraft's speed will be consumed in an instant, and it will actually enter a stall state.
At the real speed, the turbulence generated by the aircraft will greatly reduce the lift of the wing, and finally the aircraft will fall straight down. Xu Cang certainly cannot allow the aircraft to happen to this situation.
The pitch limit indicator attitude is too small, and the flight director attitude is too large. One is related to altitude, and the other is related to speed. Now there is no surplus in altitude and speed, and under maximum thrust, there is no momentum for increase due to the exaggerated weakening of aerodynamic performance. Therefore, in this case, we should abandon the idea of ​​normalizing one of the data.
Because any efforts made to this end will not only be in vain, but will also cause another data to produce an uncontrollable and dangerous tendency.
"Then just ignore the stick shaker and the speed?" The captain obviously didn't understand Xu Cang's idea and was still worried about the low speed.
"You are still thinking about these questions now?" Xu Cang knew that the captain had fallen into a dead end of thinking and had apparently given up the idea of ​​persuading the captain at this juncture.
However, if the captain still maintained his grip on the steering wheel during Xu Cang's intervention, it would have a very big impact on Xu Cang's control.
But at this moment, Di Qingquan shouted: "Let him control it, and you let go!"
The captain was obviously stunned for a moment, and looked at Di Qingquan in disbelief, but in the end he let go of the steering wheel as Di Qingquan requested.
In this way, Xu Cang was completely liberated. Although operating from the back only allowed him to control the steering wheel with one hand, this was obviously enough.
It is impossible to normalize the altitude and speed of the aircraft in such severe wind shear. Therefore, what Xu Cang has to do is not to correct the speed of the aircraft, but to maintain the current extreme data to pass through this high wind shear area.
Xu Cang kept the crosshairs of the plane above the pitch limit indicator. Although the speed of the plane could not increase under the maximum thrust, the speed of the plane would not decrease as long as there was no obvious movement of the stick. It would only swing back and forth at the top of the red and black speed band. This speed change was what Xu Cang wanted to see.
After Xu Cang took over the plane, he said that he would keep the crosshairs above the pitch limit indicator, and it really did not move at all. You know, under such strong wind shear, the plane will experience continuous high-intensity attitude changes of unknown magnitude, just like a small boat on the crest of a huge wave, and it is not limited to pitch, but also in roll.
However, in such a bad situation, the crosshairs of the aircraft seemed to be stuck on the pitch limit indicator and could not move at all. If there were no fault flags on the ND display, the captain would have thought that there was something wrong with the aircraft's PFD.
To be honest, the captain thought that he was not very good in Guoda Airlines, but at least he was above the standard of a captain. However, compared with Xu Cang, he felt that he was not even a little bit behind. Even the experienced old instructors in Guoda Airlines would not be so exaggerated. This plane was like a robot.
Moreover, the control wheel of the plane was shaking from beginning to end, which was very difficult to hold, but it seemed to have no effect on Xu Cang's control.
No, even the most sophisticated autonomous driving can't be so scary, right? Moreover, judging from Xu Cang's appearance, he doesn't seem to be very old. Could he be a young talent from some company?
Ever since Xu Cang took over the plane, the plane's descent rate has been quite unstable, fluctuating from one thousand to five hundred feet, and the maximum has not exceeded one thousand five hundred feet.
However, at an altitude of only one thousand feet above the ground, such a rate of descent was already very scary. However, Xu Cang was like a rock that had not changed for thousands of years, and it seemed that even his expression had not changed at all. Xu Cang even had the energy to visually refer to the runway ahead.
As time went on, the people in the cockpit could clearly feel that the plane's fluctuations were much smaller. The captain was immediately delighted, and the plane's speed and descent rate began to stabilize.
"We're coming out!" The captain looked down at the altimeter. The AFE altitude was only about 400 feet. "Should we go around?"
"Land!" Xu Cang saw that the speed began to increase and the descent rate began to return to zero, so he directly reduced the throttle and patted the captain's shoulder: "You take over, we are out."
The captain said "oh" and quickly took over the control of the aircraft. At this time, the aircraft did not deviate much from the localizer, but was high on the glide path, close to a point, but it was still within the range that could be corrected.
"Turn off the guidance!" Xu Cang said casually, then sat back in his seat.
Because the TO/GA switch was pressed just now, the aircraft guidance was no longer following the blind landing signal guidance. If the pilot instinctively referred to the flight guidance, he would definitely leave the standard glide path faster.
Di Qingquan certainly understood what Xu Cang meant, but he didn't expect Xu Cang to land. Because in general, a go-around is required in this situation. However, at this moment, the deviation of the aircraft is not to the point where it cannot be corrected, so continuing to land is not a big deal, but it is necessary to directly enter the visual phase.
He turned off the guidance switches on both sides and pointed to the runway: "Let's fly visually!"
The captain didn't think it made any sense, as such a deviation was not a big deal for him, so he reduced the throttle again and pushed the stick up to catch up with the glide path at a descent rate of about 1,000 feet. Moreover, this stick push also caused the aircraft speed to increase, and eventually gradually approached the reference speed selected on the CDU approach page.
Seeing that the plane's deviation was being corrected quickly, Di Qingquan nodded with great satisfaction. The captain of Guoda Airlines had a solid foundation and was quite skilled in deviation correction.
Seeing that the plane was basically in normal condition, Di Qingquan reported to the tower: "Guoda 1344 encountered severe wind shear between 800 and 400 feet above the ground. It has now been corrected and is continuing to land."
"Guoda 1344, received, thank you for your feedback." The tower paused and said, "Muhua 5123, have you received the relevant information? Do you want to continue the approach?"
The second half of the sentence was obviously not addressed to Xu Cang and the others, but to the Muhua Airlines plane following behind Xu Cang. Severe wind shear was no joke, and it already involved the issue of whether the plane could land.
However, the decision to land or not is still up to the crew, because wind shear is subjective. The wind shear just now was definitely severe for most pilots, and they needed to maintain the aircraft speed below the stick shaker speed to barely pass it, which requires extremely strong skills. A slight mistake can lead to a serious safety accident.
However, for Xu Cang, this was just a slightly difficult problem and he could handle everything with ease.
Without waiting or hesitation, the crew of Muhua Airlines immediately said, "We have chosen to abort the approach. Tower, how do we fly now?"
Generally speaking, if you are not below 1,000 feet AGL, you should abort the approach rather than go around. An abort approach is simpler than a go around, and does not require a dramatic initial climb.
Because it is an aborted approach, sometimes the standard go-around procedure is not required. At this time, you need to consult the tower on how to fly next.
"Muhua 5123, maintain course, altitude corrected sea pressure 3,600 meters, corrected sea pressure 1,009."
"Maintain the course, altitude corrected sea pressure 3,600 meters, corrected sea pressure 1009, Muhua 5123!" After returning to the tower, a slightly older voice came over the channel: "Brother from the National University in front, thank you!"
Severe wind shear is extremely dangerous for any pilot, and NUS Airlines has helped them deal with it.
Di Qingquan did not answer, but quickly looked at the speaking button to indicate that he understood.
"They are really lucky." Xu Cang laughed and teased Di Qingquan: "I think your bureau should thank me once for reducing your workload."
Di Qingquan snorted: "It seems that you think the wind shear just now is difficult to deal with except for you."
"At least 70%, more than 70% of the time the captain can't solve it. But I'm not sure what the final result is, whether the plane crashes or falls off the runway. Of course, whether the plane crashes or falls off the runway, you should all be very troubled." Xu Cang smiled: "So, you should thank me."
Di Qingquan did not respond, but just hummed. The captain on the left was horrified. Are all young people nowadays so crazy?
The subsequent landing was quite smooth. I have to say that China National Aviation Corporation is worthy of being the number one airline in the country. The quality of its pilots is indeed excellent, but a little rigid.
After the plane landed, it took about fifteen minutes to taxi to its destination. This was why Xu Cang didn't like large airports, as they took up too much time on the ground.
After the engine was cut off and the APU was connected, Di Qingquan began to pack up and prepare to go down. The captain could not leave yet and had to wait until all the passengers had disembarked before he could leave.
Before getting up, Di Qingquan thought of something and told the captain: "If your company's safety and supervision department gives you trouble afterwards, it's fine if you can handle it. If it's difficult to handle, just let them come to me. Got it?"
Xu Cang's handling of wind shear just now was really a bit out of the ordinary, and it was quite bold to land directly after the final correction. If the quality center and safety supervision department of Guoda Airlines were all mediocre, they might cause trouble.
However, the current civil aviation environment is relatively relaxed. If the captain can solve the problem himself, Di Qingquan will not bother to intervene. But if the captain cannot solve the problem, Di Qingquan will still have to speak up for him.
"Got it! Thank you, Chief Engineer!" The captain was overjoyed when he heard this. This was like a life-or-death gift to him. He was a little worried when taxiing just now, but now he really has nothing to worry about.
"Let's go!" Di Qingquan patted the captain's shoulder and said, "We have something to do, so we'll leave first. I'll leave the rest to you."
The captain was flattered and said quickly, "Chief Engineer, please come with us."
"No need!" Di Qingquan shook his head: "The bureau has a car coming to pick you up."
As he spoke, Di Qingquan waved at Xu Cang: "Let's go!"
Xu Cang's back and waist ached from sitting for a long time, so he stood up, took his seat, and walked out. The two of them packed up their things and walked down the side of the bridge to the apron. When they got down, the Civil Aviation Administration's car had not arrived yet, so they could stand under the bridge to avoid the rain.
However, Di Qingquan, the chief pilot of the General Administration, was so unpunctual that even their infield car was not on time, so Xu Cang even teased Di Qingquan for this, which made Di Qingquan quite embarrassed.
I don't know if it's because he was frozen during the Yulong transportation mission. Although it was raining in Hanjing, it wasn't actually cold, but Xu Cang always felt chilly.
Just when Xu Cang was hesitating whether to go back to the corridor bridge first, Di Qingquan asked: "Why did you land just now?"
"Do you think the wind shear area is limited to the approach area? We have clearly passed through the wind shear zone. If we make a go-around, won't we have to go inside it again?" Xu Cang put his hands in his pockets, looking quite casual: "Although it's not a big deal, it's not something that will cause trouble for ourselves, right?"
Di Qingquan smiled and said, "But, that level of wind shear is indeed very dangerous, but it is not unsolvable for you."
"But I'm tired." Xu Cang rolled his eyes.
Di Qingquan was choked and speechless, but he quickly adjusted his mood and asked seriously: "So what do you think of the captain just now?"
"Ah?" Xu Cang didn't expect that he would be asked to comment on the captain of National University Airlines just now, so he said casually: "He is a little depressed, but it's okay."
Di Qingquan glared at Xu Cang fiercely: "I'm talking about the technique, the skill of the hands."
Di Qingquan's current appearance reminded Xu Cang of the time when Teacher Mo Shangyun forced him to evaluate the deputy class leader.
"He's not here right now, so let's exchange some techniques among our peers."
"From a technical perspective, the foundation is good, but a bit rigid." Xu Cang thought for a while: "The rest, let's just forget about it for now."
"Do you think there is any way to change it?" To be honest, from a technical perspective alone, Di Qingquan almost regarded Xu Cang as a template, and naturally hoped that everyone could become like Xu Cang.
Xu Cang's expression gradually became serious, and he suddenly chuckled: "Do you think it needs to change? In fact, people like me are not suitable for civil aviation. They are full of adventure and opportunism. Do you want other pilots to be like me? I think your heart will not be able to bear it. Alas, if it is not for survival, who is willing to do such a dangerous operation?"
"It can be seen that you have a lot of ideas, or you are not satisfied with the current situation of domestic civil aviation." Di Qingquan stared at Xu Cang: "So, you want a quota to set up an airline, and you want to do it yourself? However, from a personal perspective, I advise you that airlines are not as simple as you think. Why do you want to set up an airline? Money? I don't think so, at least not all of it."
In fact, Di Qingquan wanted to ask Xu Cang about this from the conversation he had with him before he started the Yulong transportation mission. Xu Cang didn't look like someone who was extremely eager for money, so why was he so enthusiastic about setting up an airline?
Xu Cang lowered his head and slowly asked a question: "If we are about to face a disaster that has never happened before, how can we survive? It is... to stick together!"
Di Qingquan slowly suppressed the last bit of his relaxed mood. He could tell that Xu Cang was hinting at something, especially the "unprecedented disaster"!
"Xu Cang, what do you know?" Di Qingquan asked tentatively.
However, Xu Cang smiled and did not answer. He couldn't tell Di Qingquan that the abrupt halt of domestic civil aviation after twenty years of growth was a near-destructive blow.
In the next twenty years, domestic civil aviation seemed to have freed itself from all constraints, ushering in an unparalleled period of development, and finally ushering in its golden age ten years later.
During that peak era, all civil aviation people were generous with their wildest imaginations about the future, even predicting that in another ten years, domestic civil aviation would develop to a level comparable to that of developed countries.
However, everything happened so suddenly, and the glory of civil aviation came to an abrupt end beyond anyone's expectations. Just as it rose so quickly, its fall was even more unstoppable.
Xu Cang wants to save everything. He still has 20 years to integrate the entire civil aviation market and use collective strength to resist the cold winter that is almost destroying civil aviation.
Seeing Xu Cang didn't say anything, Di Qingquan could only smile awkwardly and didn't ask any more questions. He had only been with Xu Cang for a short time, but he had a rough understanding of Xu Cang's personality. If Xu Cang didn't want to talk, it would be useless to ask him.
"This time I asked you to come to Hanjing, in addition to going to the Civil Aviation General Hospital for a checkup, you also want to collect your reward."
Speaking of this, Xu Cang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked eagerly: "How much?"
"This number!" Di Qingquan raised a finger: "What do you think?"
Xu Cang frowned: "One thousand?"
"You..." Di Qingquan was speechless. Xu Cang was really brave enough to guess: "One hundred! One thousand! Your appetite is really big."
Hearing that there were only 100, Xu Cang immediately lost interest: "Oh, I was given 100 just for hanging my head on my belt. It's really a hard life."
"Forget it!" Di Qingquan turned serious. "As for the quota for setting up an airline, I can only say that we can discuss it, but I don't think it will be easy. This involves all principles."
Xu Cang didn't seem to be very surprised, he just shrugged and said: "It's okay, it's not that time yet, I will apply for it myself later. When the time comes, you can just go with the flow."
"You apply by yourself, how do you apply as an individual?" Di Qingquan initially thought Xu Cang was wrong, because the authority does not accept individual applications for the establishment of an airline. But after seeing Xu Cang's expression, he felt that Xu Cang was not joking, which made Di Qingquan even more confused.
To be honest, he really couldn't see through Xu Cang. He was only in his twenties, but he was so unfathomable that even Di Qingquan, an old man who was more than twice his age, couldn't figure it out.
Xu Cang did not answer Di Qingquan, but looked in another direction and raised his finger: "Someone is coming."
"Hmm?" Di Qingquan looked in the direction Xu Cang pointed, and saw a field car parked not far away. There was no obvious airline logo on the body of the car, and he didn't know if it was the airport's own VIP car.
At this moment, the door of the inner field car opened, and a young man in a pilot's uniform came out and walked towards them.
It was the first time that Xu Cang had seen this type of pilot uniform. The color of their armbands was not the common yellow or gold, but silver, and their ties were black, which looked cool.
The young man came closer and first glanced at Di Qingquan for a while, as if he recognized Di Qingquan's appearance, and immediately ran over enthusiastically: "Master Di!"
Di Qingquan squinted his eyes to look at the man, and soon recognized him. He greeted him with a smile: "Little Deng!"
It turned out that the person who came was Deng Wenjia, the captain on duty of Shandong Airlines 5112, the previous plane that Xu Cang had taken.
Deng Wenjia trotted over, and Di Qingquan introduced her to Xu Cang with a smile: "This is Xiao Deng, Deng Wenjia, the official representative of Shandong Airlines!"
Xu Cang hurriedly greeted: "Hello, teacher!"
Deng Wenjia hummed, and did not say much to Xu Cang. He just asked Di Qingquan: "Chief Engineer, are you waiting for the car? Where are you going?"
"Yes, waiting for the car from the bureau. We have to go to the bureau first, what about you?"
"I just left the stage, and I have to pass the 36th here later." Deng Wenjia pointed to his infield car and said, "Chief Engineer, you guys should go to the old airport, right? If so, we're on the way, and our Shandong Airlines hotel is right at the old airport. How about we go together?"
Hanjing Airport is a new airport, which has not been in operation for long. As a result, many airlines or government offices are still located at the old airport. For example, Shandong Airlines' overnight hotel is located in a hotel near the old airport, which has not been changed yet.
In fact, Di Qingquan didn't want to trouble Deng Wenjia. However, seeing Xu Cang curled up, he was afraid that Xu Cang would get cold again in the rain, so he simply agreed: "Okay, thank you. I'll call the bureau and ask them to tell the driver who picked us up, so that he won't worry if he can't pick us up."
"Let's go!" Deng Wenjia pulled Di Qingquan towards their car. "Let's make the call in the car. It's drafty here and it's not comfortable to stand."
"Yes!" Di Qingquan nodded, turned around and waved to Xu Cang: "Xu Cang, follow me, we won't wait any longer."
Xu Cang didn't care which car he took. He said "oh" and trotted to catch up with Di Qingquan and Deng Wenjia.
Deng Wenjia didn't pay much attention to Xu Cang at first, but after Di Qingquan called Xu Cang's name, his steps paused for a moment, but he quickly recovered and asked inconspicuously: "Chief Engineer, this little brother hasn't been introduced yet!"
"Ah? Him!" Di Qingquan pointed casually behind him: "Xu Cang, from Blue Sky Airlines, the second mate! He just came with me to the bureau for some business this time."
"Xu Cang!" Deng Wenjia nodded as if unintentionally, turned around and asked Xu Cang with a smile: "Some time ago, I heard that your company had an incident called 9811. The pilot who flew the plane back was really amazing. Did you know about it, little brother?"
"I did hear something about it." Xu Cang shrank his neck, afraid that the rain would hit his clothes, and answered Deng Wenjia casually: "That person is not that powerful, he is just lucky and has someone to help him."
Deng Wenjia smiled and said, "Is it the flight attendant in the cockpit?"
"Ah? Oh, that's right!" Originally, Xu Cang was referring to the fact that Qin Xin ordered his private plane to enter the runway and turned on all the lights to guide him at the critical moment. However, since Deng Wenjia had misunderstood, Xu Cang was too lazy to explain and just accepted it.
Di Qingquan certainly knew that Xu Cang was the one who accomplished the 9811 feat, but seeing that Xu Cang seemed unwilling to admit it, he helped Xu Cang and patted Deng Wenjia on the shoulder: "Oh, everyone said that he landed from a blind flight, how could it be so mysterious? Didn't they say it was just good luck?"
"Really?" Deng Wenjia looked at Xu Cang deeply and just smiled: "If so, then you are really lucky."
"That's right!" Di Qingquan echoed.
The three of them got on the car one after another. Di Qingquan and Deng Wenjia sat together, while Xu Cang sat alone in the single seat near the door, feeling relaxed and comfortable.
After getting in the car, Di Qingquan first called the bureau to explain that he was leaving the scene with the Shandong Airlines crew.
As soon as the call ended, Deng Wenjia began to ask Xu Cang in a seemingly casual manner: "Brother Xu Cang, your Blue Sky Airlines has been in a turbulent time recently. How is the company doing?"
Xu Cang could tell that Deng Wenjia wasn't the type to chat casually, but he didn't take it too seriously and immediately replied politely, "A lot of things have happened in our company recently, but fortunately, everything is running smoothly and nothing serious has happened."
Speaking of the affairs between the airlines, Di Qingquan became interested: "Xu Cang, let's not talk about other things. Just talking about the airlines, your Blue Sky Airlines is really not as good as Shandong Airlines. Your Blue Sky Airlines has been established for many years, but now it has only 55 aircrafts, and its profitability is average. But Shandong Airlines has only been established for more than a year, and the fleet size has reached 41. Now I heard that it has begun to make profits. The gap is not a little bit."
When this was mentioned, even the cabin crew and co-pilot in the back straightened their backs unconsciously, all of them feeling proud of the development of their own airline.
"Chief Designer, to be precise, thirteen aircraft have been ordered and will arrive in the next three years," Deng Wenjia corrected with a smile.
"Oh, I am still ignorant!" Di Qingquan laughed: "Yes, this development is really too fast."
Xu Cang didn't care about the so-called fleet size, but the profitability of Shandong Airlines was too exaggerated. Generally speaking, a large amount of money needs to be invested in the early stage of establishing an airline, and it is often at a premium. For example, new airlines are usually very generous when poaching people, and the salaries offered are also very generous. This results in the airline's accounts not looking good in the first few years of its establishment. It will take at least three to five years to barely break even, and this is based on the premise that everything is developing normally.
If the subsequent development is not good, it will basically be the peak at the beginning, and it will go downhill all the time. It took only more than a year for Shandong Airlines to become profitable from its establishment. This speed can no longer be described as cheating.
In fact, Xu Cang in the later generations had also heard of the name of Shandong Airlines. However, he was focused on technology and was not familiar with the profitability of airlines, nor did he know how Shandong Airlines would develop in the future. However, judging from the current situation, Shandong Airlines was indeed quite exaggerated.
Xu Cang hesitated to speak. He actually wanted to ask Shanhang how it was done. Because he would have to set up his own company in the future, he had to learn from them.
Di Qingquan saw that Xu Cang wanted to ask questions several times, and when he thought about Xu Cang's interest in setting up an airline, he immediately understood what Xu Cang wanted to do.
Therefore, Di Qingquan helped Xu Cang and pretended to be curious. He asked Deng Wenjia, "Xiao Deng, I have always wondered how Shandong Airlines makes money. You are quite capable. Can you tell us about it so that we can learn more? Maybe we can promote it to other companies and learn advanced experience."
Deng Wenjia smiled and said, "We at Shandong Airlines don't have any advanced experience. We only have one principle, which is to give full play to people's subjective initiative."
"This..." Xu Cang finally couldn't help it: "No matter how proactive this person is, he still has to consider objective laws."
Deng Wenjia smiled even more: "It seems that you have never seen the scene of people working together with one mind and one strength. Do you want to see the fighting spirit of civil aviation personnel? Then you can come to Shandong Airlines. I will show you what it means to work hard."
Xu Cang was stunned. He didn't expect Deng Wenjia to poach people right in front of Di Qingquan. This was too unscrupulous. However, it was also possible that Deng Wenjia had a good personal relationship with Di Qingquan, so he didn't care much about these things.
However, deep down, Xu Cang really wanted to see what magic there was in Shanhang that could make a profit at such an incredible speed. This would be of great reference significance to Xu Cang's future career.
To be honest, Xu Cang did know where the future growth point of the aviation industry would be. But this was just a direction, a skeleton, but he had not yet found the soul.
He had a hunch that he could find the so-called soul he wanted in Shanhang.
He would be happy to go to Shanhang to learn from them, but it would be a pity if he joined Shanhang.
Di Qingquan had not expected Deng Wenjia to say that, so he could only smile and smooth things over: "You guys at Shanhang are so short of people right now, are you going to poach anyone you can find?"
Deng Wenjia was about to answer the call when Xu Cang's phone rang. Deng Wenjia stopped talking naturally when she heard that Xu Cang was calling. Xu Cang initially thought that if it was not an important call, he would hang up to avoid disturbing Di Qingquan and Deng Wenjia's chat. But when he looked at the number, it turned out to be Li Rongcheng's.
After hesitating for a while, Xu Cang still answered the call.
Soon, Li Rongcheng's slightly excited voice came from the other side: "Xu Cang, we have solved the problem of low-temperature fuel you mentioned last time. If you hadn't reminded us, we wouldn't have thought that JetA with anticoagulant added would actually partially crystallize."
Xu Cang's heart moved, and he asked in a very casual tone: "How did you solve it?"
"That's it..." Li Rongcheng almost blurted out, but he reacted at the last minute and apologized, "I'm sorry, this involves our business secrets, so it's inconvenient to talk about it."
"Is that so? That's fine." Xu Cang's answer was calm. But he felt a great pity in his heart. Low-temperature fuel was also a very important public relations point. He didn't believe that Boeing would use JetB directly. At least JetB was treated twice to reduce its danger. It was just that this treatment process made Xu Cang very curious.
Hearing this, Xu Cang couldn't help but admire it. Although he didn't like Boeing, it had a solid foundation and had solved the fuel problem so quickly, which was really amazing.
"Anyway, we just need to fulfill our previous agreement." Xu Cang reminded.
Xu Cang used the fuel issue to exchange for Muhua Airlines' aircraft production capacity quota with Boeing, and then used the aircraft production capacity quota to let Muhua Airlines smooth out the relationship with the Southern Bureau in order to open up the Erhai-Yangcheng route. Each link is closely linked and there cannot be any problems.
"That's for sure." Li Rongcheng agreed readily, and then his tone became serious: "Xu Cang, there is one more thing, can you consider it?"
Xu Cang was slightly displeased, but still said, "Tell me what it is first."
"Our company's 777 will undergo an extreme engine vibration test at your country's airport, a real flight test..."
However, Xu Cang didn't even wait for Li Rongcheng to finish and immediately said, "I refuse!"
Just kidding, this kind of test is supposed to break through the limits of passenger aircraft to demonstrate the performance of the aircraft. If it is completed well, it means excellent flight performance. If something goes wrong, who knows what kind of mess it will cause.
If there was no strong necessity, Xu Cang would never participate in such a test with huge risks.
Li Rongcheng didn't expect Xu Cang to refuse so straightforwardly. He was a little at a loss for a moment: "Xu Cang, this test will be mainly completed by the test pilot we selected. You just need to ensure that if there is an unexpected situation during the test, the plane will not crash."
"What's the point of you telling me this?" Xu Cang said immediately: "Hang up!"
"No, no, no, don't hang up!" Li Rongcheng said anxiously: "737NG drawings! As long as you agree and successfully complete the task, we can give you a full set of 737NG drawings!"
Xu Cang, who had always been calm, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes, and finally said something that interested him: "Are you sure?"
"Confirmed! However, we will only stop supplying the original blueprints of the 737NG. We will no longer provide subsequent updates and upgrades. In addition, you must promise not to completely imitate the model to compete with our 737 for at least eight years. As long as you agree to these restrictions, our deal will be done."
Xu Cang was silent. To be honest, from these restrictive conditions, it can be seen that Boeing is still reluctant to produce the drawings of 737NG. It can only be said that the Boeing 777 project put Boeing on the fire, making them very uncomfortable, so they are willing to produce the drawings.
Xu Cang didn't care about the first one, which was that the drawings would not be updated or upgraded later. But he was more concerned about the second one, which was similar to a non-compete agreement.
"If you don't let me copy it, aren't you afraid that I will pass it on to someone else?"
"Mr. Xu, we will sign a formal agreement for this later. I solemnly advise Mr. Xu to act in accordance with the agreement. As long as we want to investigate, and if you have violated the agreement, we will definitely find it out." Li Rongcheng's tone was very serious: "Please don't doubt our ability, Mr. Xu."
"Tsk!" Xu Cang really didn't like Li Rongcheng's attitude, but for the sake of the 737 blueprint, he decided to hold back. Eight years would allow China to fully digest the essence of the 737NG, and during this period, some technical and material issues would need to be overcome, so this condition was acceptable.
In this way, Boeing is confident that it can complete the third iteration of the 737 within eight years or directly launch a new single-aisle narrow-body aircraft. Of course, according to historical developments, the third iteration of the 737 is more likely.
But this so-called third iteration has become the nail in Boeing's coffin.
"Sure!" Xu Cang agreed, but he did not forget to mock Li Rongcheng: "You are so powerful, why do you still need to beg others?"
Li Rongcheng didn't know how to respond to this. After a long while, he said with a little frustration: "This time, the 777 will choose to verify the aircraft's engine and aerodynamic performance at a low-temperature polar airport, a dry and hot desert airport, and an airport in a high-altitude area. We are confident in the first two places, but not the last high-altitude airport."
Li Rongcheng gave Xu Cang the lowdown: "EASA and your CAAC will send people to observe these three tests. If the performance is good, it will pave the way for the commercial use of the 777 in the future."
"So that's how it is, we've got it all in one go!" It seems that these three tests are the last chance for the Boeing 777, and at least it has to pass these three tests to get through EASA. No wonder Boeing is willing to put in a lot of effort this time.
After understanding the whole story, Xu Cang asked casually, "Why are you testing in our country?"
"We have already selected locations for both the polar airport and the desert airport, but your country has the highest civilian airport in the world, so naturally we have to do it in your country."
Xu Cang's pupils shrank, and he blurted out: "Daocheng! Yading!"
Daocheng Yading Airport, with an altitude of 4,411 meters, is the highest civil airport in the world. (The actual construction of Yading Airport did not start until 2012, and flights were not opened until 2013. The time was changed here for the plot, so don't worry about it.)
Xu Cang's sudden mention of Daocheng Yading Airport made Di Qingquan and Deng Wenjia beside him startled. They didn't know how Xu Cang mentioned Daocheng Yading, an airport with a very high altitude.
"Yes, it is Daocheng Yading Airport." Li Rongcheng admitted it directly. There was really nothing worth hiding about this.
The maximum landing altitude of the 737 is only 8,400 feet, while the altitude of Daocheng Yading Airport is 14,500 feet, far higher than the limit of the 737.
At such a high altitude airport, the engine performance and aerodynamic performance of the aircraft will be seriously weakened. But this is exactly what Boeing expects, they want to let the 777, a wide-body aircraft, land at the world's highest altitude airport to demonstrate the excellent performance of the 777.
"Can you solve the 777's pressurization problem? The landing altitude is 14,500 feet. The cabin altitude warning will sound before we even touch down. We may even have to put on our oxygen masks."
Once the test is about to land at Daocheng Yading Airport, the pressurization system will pressurize the aircraft to the altitude of the destination airport. Doesn't that mean the cabin altitude needs to be adjusted to 14,500 feet?
"It's okay! We will make special modifications to the test aircraft's pressurization logic to meet the test requirements." Li Rongcheng said, "Mr. Xu, are you sure there is no problem here?"
"Yeah." Xu Cang responded: "When does it start?"
"Daocheng Yading is a dual-use airport for both civilian and military use. If it involves the military, we need to go through some procedures, which is estimated to take at least two months."
"Okay!" Xu Cang suddenly thought of a question: "If there are no problems during the testing phase, what about our agreement?"
"The agreement remains the same!" Li Rongcheng said, "As long as the test is completed perfectly, we will fulfill the agreement regardless of whether Mr. Xu has started or not."
Xu Cang was very satisfied and said immediately: " It's a deal !"
"We'll contact you if there's any news later." After saying that, Li Rongcheng hung up the phone.
After Xu Cang put away his phone, Di Qingquan beside him asked curiously, "What's the call? It mentioned 777 and Daocheng Yading?"
"Oh!" Xu Cang smiled and said, "I'm just a friend of mine, an aviation enthusiast."
Di Qingquan would definitely know about this matter later. Xu Cang didn't want to hide it from Di Qingquan, but he didn't want Deng Wenjia and others to know about it.
Di Qingquan didn't ask too much. This was Xu Cang's personal matter, so it was fine. Deng Wenjia saw Xu Cang hung up the phone, and smiled and said to Di Qingquan: "Chief, I'm going to be on my 36th birthday, and I'm very free. After you finish your work at the bureau, can you get together in the evening?"
"This..." Di Qingquan was very interested. He pointed at Xu Cang and said, "This kid can't drink now."
"Then don't drink!" Deng Wenjia said with a smile: "We are all family, we don't have the habit of forcing others to drink. It's up to you whether to drink or not, we just go there to chat."
"That's fine!" Di Qingquan patted Xu Cang's shoulder and said, "Boy, dinner is settled for today."
As long as they didn't drink, Xu Cang didn't mind. He didn't care about alcohol, but he was afraid that others would force him to drink, so he didn't want to attend parties. But Deng Wenjia said it was up to him to drink or not, so it didn't matter.
Xu Cang nodded: "No problem, thank you teacher."
Deng Wenjia waved his hand and said, "Xu Cang, Chief Engineer Di just said that we are in urgent need of people at Shandong Airlines. As long as you are willing to come, we will take care of the formalities, liquidated damages, and even the lawsuit. How do you think?"