Chapter 171 Sue Boeing!
In the VIP lounge of Jianchuan Airport, Xu Cang, Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling gathered on one side to rest, while the other people on the plane sat on the other side.
Because the incident with 9951N happened so quickly, from takeoff to landing it was only twenty minutes, so the Jianchuan Regulatory Bureau did not have time to send anyone over.
Although this incident seemed extremely thrilling, miraculously, no one was injured after evacuating from the plane, so there was no need to go to the hospital.
With such a big incident happening, someone will definitely come from the Regulatory Bureau, followed by the Southwest Administration, and then maybe someone from the General Administration.
For Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling, the arrival of the bureau was always a bit stressful. However, for Xu Cang, he was already a frequent visitor of the bureau, so he was very familiar with it and did not feel any pressure at all.
Of course, compared to the investigation pressure brought by the bureau, Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling still felt frightened when they recalled what happened on the plane afterwards.
In fact, from takeoff to tail strike, then to the tail explosion and finally to the first landing, during this period of time, although the situation was quite critical, it was generally controllable.
However, what many pilots experience in the short three or four minutes between the first touchdown and go-around and the second landing is something they will never encounter in their lifetime.
First, the plane pitched up and got stuck in a very high attitude position, but Xu Cang saved the plane by turning at a large angle and flying upside down. But it was far from over, as the presence of FOD on the runway and the planes on the A taxiway ahead were factors that could destroy the entire plane at any time.
However, Xu Cang seemed to be a prophet and was always at the forefront of all actions.
Opposite Mo Shangyun, Xu Cang poured himself a cup of hot tea. His fingertips kept tapping the wall of the cup, as if he was testing the water.
However, Mo Shangyun's eyes were sharp, and he clearly saw that Xu Cang's right hand, which was placed on the table, was trembling slightly.
"Xu Cang, is your hand okay?" Mo Shangyun asked with concern.
He could see that Xu Cang was a weak scholar, but the operation on the plane was not only very energy-consuming, but also a great test of physical strength. It was really difficult for Xu Cang to do those operations with his physique.
Xu Cang noticed that Mo Shangyun was looking at his hand, and he shyly withdrew his right hand and placed it on his knee, with a hint of shame: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, instructor. I can't stand the artificial recovery hand after flying for a while."
I am in my twenties, which is the peak of my mental and physical strength, but I really don't have much strength in my hands. It is really not something to brag about.
Just after Xu Cang placed his hands on his knees, he could feel the muscles in his hands cramping unconsciously, which was a sign of exhaustion.
"It's easy to train physical strength, but it's hard to train skills. You have nothing to make me laugh at." Mo Shangyun said seriously: "Are we just staying here? Why don't we go to the base?"
Xu Cang rolled his eyes and said, "There are too many people over there who annoy me, so I'd better not go. Anyway, the Supervisory Bureau won't ask too many questions, so we should be able to leave soon."
Mo Shangyun was puzzled: "How do you know that the regulatory agency won't ask a lot of questions?"
Xu Cang grabbed a handful of nuts and looked very relaxed: "How could they ask so many questions about things they don't understand?"
"No..." Mo Shangyun reacted for a moment, but immediately understood what Xu Cang meant, and said with emotion: "Yeah, how could they understand something like flying a 737 upside down?"
Just like the previous 747S2 switch, Xu Cang used mental calculation to fly the plane back blindly. This miraculous method was beyond the comprehension of most of the bureau personnel, so the investigation of the S2 switch incident was very perfunctory, and the speed of ending the investigation was beyond everyone's imagination.
If we infer this, this incident is likely to be the same. The bold operation of flying the 737 upside down is probably the hard part to understand, and this investigation is not easy to do.
However, speaking of the inverted 737, Mo Shangyun suddenly remembered something: "Xu Cang, you just said on the plane that someone had done this maneuver. But since I got off the plane, I have been thinking about it and never thought there was such a precedent. To be honest, if someone really succeeded in flying a 737 inverted, it should be regarded as a research case and it is impossible for it to remain unknown."
Mo Shangyun is not the kind of old teacher who stops learning at an old age. He is still keen to learn about domestic and foreign civil aviation news. Cases like the inverted 737, whether successful or not, must be recorded in the history of civil aviation. Moreover, according to Xu Cang's meaning, the man succeeded, how could this not be known?
Upon hearing this, Tan Heling, also pricked up his ears. In fact, he was also thinking about this matter, but considering that he didn't seem to have played any positive role on the plane just now, he was quite tactful and kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything.
But as soon as Mo Shangyun mentioned the 737 flying inverted, Tan Heling's curiosity was aroused. He wanted to hear which immortal figure had accomplished the unprecedented feat of making the 737 fly inverted.
However, this question stumped Xu Cang. He couldn't say that the pilot who performed the inverted 737 maneuver was probably still nursing, right?
Mo Shangyun was very careful. He could see that Xu Cang was in trouble. He raised his eyebrows and coughed softly: "Xu Cang, you are not making this up, are you?"
Xu Cang's face became more and more gloomy. He took advantage of the situation and laughed: "Teacher, you see it but don't say it!"
When Tan Heling heard this, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched several times. He really wanted to punch Xu Cang twice. It seemed that Xu Cang was really relying on recklessness to gamble.
However, Mo Shangyun, who had seen a lot of ups and downs, looked at Xu Cang deeply.
Xu Cang was frightened by Mo Shangyun's gaze, and smacked his lips guiltily: "Teacher, what's with that look in your eyes? It's scary."
Mo Shangyun took a sip of tea with a half-smile and said without saying anything.
While Xu Cang was speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps at the door and an old voice walked in hurriedly. Xu Cang looked at the door and saw that it was Si Weimin, chairman of Muhua Airlines.
As soon as Si Weimin came into the lounge, he immediately spotted Si Linglong sitting in the corner. He hurried over and hugged her, almost crying.
It can be seen that Si Weimin treats this granddaughter as a treasure. However, Xu Cang is in trouble now. After asking a few questions and finding that his granddaughter was not injured, Si Weimin, who was relieved, turned his attention directly to Xu Cang on the other side.
Leaning on a crutch, Si Weimin quickly walked to Xu Cang, raised the crutch and hit Xu Cang hard on the back, causing Xu Cang to jump up from his seat like a monkey.
"Grandpa, your granddaughter is sitting there peacefully, why are you hitting me? Ouch." Xu Cang ran away while shouting, but he didn't dare to fight back. This guy is old, if he fights back and something goes wrong, won't those people from Muhua Airlines fight him to death?
Although Si Weimin is old, he is very nimble and chases Xu Cang so hard that he jumps up and down.
"How dare you say that? My Linglong almost lost her life when she went out with you. How dare you shirk responsibility?" Si Weimin yelled, "I'm going to break your arms and legs today."
Xu Cang was chasing Si Weimin in the lounge. Finally, he got so angry that he shouted at Si Linglong who was watching the show, "Si Linglong, are you just going to watch like this?"
Si Linglong covered her mouth and chuckled, but still stepped forward and grabbed the angry Si Weimin.
Seeing that Si Weimin had finally rested, Xu Cang covered his chest and held onto the table while panting heavily: "Old man, I tell you, it's because the place here is small that I can't move freely. If we were outside in an open area, I would disappear in a flash. You can't catch me!"
Now, Si Weimin finally realized that Xu Cang's words were even harder than his flying skills. He just sneered and said, "I say, little kid, you are competing with an old man like me who is over 80 years old. It's not glorious to win."
Xu Cang felt that he had lost all his face. He was almost driven to lose his soul by being chased by such an old man. He wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Indeed, even if Ferrari wins a race against a wheelchair, it will not bring honor, on the contrary it is a very embarrassing thing.
"I've been...lagging behind in exercise lately." Xu Cang was still trying to make up for himself.
"Come on, stop talking. Be careful not to suffocate." Seeing Xu Cang in such a state of embarrassment, Si Weimin was so angry that he laughed. He pulled Si Linglong over and patted his granddaughter's hand: "Linglong, let's not have this son-in-law. He may not be as strong as you."
After hearing this, Xu Cang almost fainted from anger.
Si Linglong stomped her feet fiercely: "Grandpa, let me make it clear to you. I have nothing to do with him. I just want to find a place where I can realize my own value. Can you please stop thinking about it?"
"Muhua, you can't realize your value at the National University, so why are you going to realize your value with him?" Si Weimin sneered, "I heard that the conditions at his Erhai base are very harsh. Can you bear it?"
"How do you know if you don't try?" Si Linglong said firmly.
Si Weimin was immediately overwhelmed: "Linglong, he only has one plane, and now it can't fly. If you continue to follow him, where can you realize your value?"
It can be seen that Si Weimin has conducted a serious investigation on Xu Cang and has almost figured out all of Xu Cang's details. 1566 is the only plane in the Xu Cang Air Base. This plane can't fly now. Doesn't that mean Xu Cang's air base will have to close down?
However, just as Si Weimin finished speaking, he turned around and found Xu Cang approaching him without him noticing. He looked at Si Weimin innocently and said, "Grandpa, since you know how pitiful I am, can you tell me about renting the plane?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know what you are talking about!" Si Weimin snorted coldly.
Xu Cang smiled and said, "Of course you should rent the plane to us as soon as possible. We really don't have any planes, so we are relying on the plane you rented. Didn't we agree on that before?"
"We've agreed that there are still procedures to follow. I can't just hand it over to you tomorrow."
"We have to make decisions in an emergency. If you keep an eye on it yourself, the procedures will definitely be completed quickly." Xu Cang was still persuading him: "As for the bureau, I will give the matter a heads up."
Si Weimin glanced at Xu Cang from head to toe and asked, "Can you still maintain good relations with the bureau?"
Aircraft leasing must be registered with the authority. Si Weimin can take care of the procedures on Muhua Airlines' side, but he may not be able to take care of the procedures on the authority's side.
However, Si Weimin soon figured it out: "Oh, it must be your deputy director's master, that is indeed useful."
Shortening the registration process for aircraft leasing as soon as possible is not considered a violation of discipline, and asking my master for a favor is not a big deal.
"Yes, that's right. So as long as the old man is willing, we can get things done quickly."
At this moment, Si Linglong began to shake Si Weimin's arm, and finally Si Weimin was very helpless: "Girl, if you keep shaking like this, your hand will be shaken off. Oh, okay, okay, I will personally inquire about it later and help you get things done as quickly as possible. However, I have to tell you in advance that you can take care of the bureau yourself, and I will not interfere."
Xu Cang hurriedly said, "I know, I know. I won't bother you with the bureau anymore."
At this moment, a person came in from the door. Xu Cang took a quick look and found that it was an acquaintance. It was the Director of Aviation Safety of Jianchuan Regulatory Bureau. Xu Cang remembered that he had the same surname as himself.
As soon as Director Xu came in, he saw Xu Cang and Si Weimin. He recognized Si Weimin and greeted him first: "Why are you here, old man?"
Si Weimin pointed at Xu Cang and said, "You are here to look for him, I won't bother you any more."
After saying that, Si Weimin took Si Linglong somewhere else, leaving only Director Xu and Xu Cang.
"It's said that the chairman of Muhua Airlines has a weird temper. It seems that what they say is true." Director Xu looked at Xu Cang, and then saw Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling who were still sitting not far away, and smiled and said, "Are you three the crew?"
"No, to be precise, they are the crew and I am the passenger." Xu Cang corrected: "It's just that I took the lead this time."
Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling, who were not far away, did not recognize Director Xu's identity at first, but when they saw him talking to Xu Cang, they became cautious and soon noticed the work badge hanging on Director Xu's chest. They reacted immediately and prepared to come over to talk.
However, Director Xu raised his hand to stop the two of them: "You guys sit over there. Xu Cang and I have something to talk about alone."
Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling didn't understand what was going on, but they still followed Director Xu's instructions and returned to their original positions.
Director Xu glanced at Mo Shangyun and Tan Heling, then quickly retracted his gaze, looking a little embarrassed: "Xu Cang, you really know how to give us a difficult problem. How do you think we should investigate the inverted 737?"
"Just do it the way it should be." Xu Cang smiled and said, "Of course, it's similar to the last time when 747S2 was turned on and off, that's the best."
Director Xu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Are you just perfunctory like last time?"
Xu Cang's eyes lit up: "Is it okay?"
Xu Cang was not worried about the investigation, but he was annoyed that the investigation was too complicated and would waste a lot of his time. He had a lot of things to do now, so where would he find the time to cooperate with the bureau's investigation all day long?
Director Xu restrained his smile, neither agreeing nor refusing. Of course, in many cases, not expressing an opinion is equivalent to expressing an opinion.
Seeing this, Xu Cang knew the truth of quitting while he was ahead, and quickly changed the subject, asking, "Director Xu, I just want to ask you something."
As Xu Cang spoke, he pulled Director Hang'an to a corner, looking mysterious.
This aroused the interest of the Aviation Safety Director: "What's going on? It's so mysterious."
"Director, this is what I am planning to do. I plan to register an airline company myself, and the location is in Erhai Lake. However, I remember that there is no regulatory bureau in Erhai Lake. Does the regulatory bureau in Jianchuan need to conduct the preliminary review?" Xu Cang asked, "Also, what materials are needed to register an airline company?"
Xu Cang was good at technology, but he didn't know much about setting up an airline. Now that he had caught a professional, he should ask him some questions.
"You want to register an airline?" Director Xu was a nice guy, and he answered all of Xu Cang's questions. "It's true that there is no regulatory bureau in Erhai Lake, but we don't accept applications. After you prepare the materials, you need to apply to the Southwest Administration Bureau. After the Southwest Administration Bureau passes the preliminary review, it will be announced for 20 days. As long as there are no problems with the announcement, it will be reported to the General Administration, and the General Administration will complete the final approval."
"It's the regional administration that's doing the preliminary review. I thought it was the local regulatory bureau that was doing the preliminary review." Xu Cang slapped his head, thinking that he had found the right person. Based on the principle of using people to the end, he continued to ask, "Then what about the information? I'll prepare that information."
Director Xu was amused by this: "If you want to set up an airline, you have to do the registration yourself. But I can't remember the details. You can refer to the General Administration's Order No. 39, which contains a list of information for registered airlines. But Xu Cang, airlines have quotas. If you don't get a quota in advance, you won't pass the preliminary review of the regional administration."
"Yes, yes, that must be it." Xu Cang responded casually, secretly memorizing the information of the General Administration's Order No. 39. In fact, he had never heard of what Order No. 138 was. Anyway, he could just ask about it later. It was not a big deal.
"You already have a quota for an airline?" Director Xu was stunned. "I remember that the quota for airlines in the southwest region has been filled this year. I haven't heard of building an airline in Erhai Lake?"
Xu Cang laughed. He was not very willing to say that he had taken up the quota for Muhua Aviation Jianchuan Base: "Well, anyway, I got it."
Director Xu was also a shrewd person. It was better not to ask about such private secrets, so he changed the subject: "Xu Cang, how many planes do you have now?"
"Uh..." Xu Cang looked at the 1566 parked on the apron in the distance with its fuselage tilted, and said with a little embarrassment on his face: "One...one."
"One?" Director Xu clicked his tongue. "If it's just one, then things will be difficult to handle."
Originally Xu Cang thought that Director Xu was just asking casually, but he didn't expect that he would reveal something wrong. He felt nervous and asked, "What do you mean?"
"What are you talking about, Xu Cang? One of the conditions for establishing an airline is to own at least three aircraft. You don't even meet the minimum standard. Even if you have a quota for an airline, it will be difficult for you to do it."
"Ah!" Xu Cang's mind went blank: "There really is such a rule."
Before, he often heard that many companies in foreign countries started with an airplane, so he instinctively thought that an airline could be established with an airplane.
However, it seems that there are differences in the approval procedures for establishing airlines at home and abroad.
"Doesn't the General Administration have the 'Basic Conditions and Procedures for Approving the Establishment of Air Transport Enterprises'? You can just take a look. By the way, this is Order No. 39, which lists all the required qualifications. Take some time to take a look." Director Xu said, "However, I heard that the General Administration seems to be discussing updating the details. However, no matter how it changes, the bottom line of three aircraft will not change."
Xu Cang was silent for a moment: "Can we rent or buy the three planes?"
"Yes, the bureau doesn't care whether it's rented or purchased, as long as there are three." Director Xu nodded: "Xu Cang, I think you should take a good look at the details. I think some of your ideas don't seem to be consistent with reality."
"Yes." Xu Cang agreed very seriously. If it weren't for Director Xu's reminder, it would definitely be a big joke later.
However, although it is a little late to know now, it is better than finding out after everything is ready. If there are three planes, there is still a gap of two.
However, if everything goes well, the 737-900 aircraft promised by Li Rongcheng will arrive in two or three months, and then there will be only one plane left.
Where can I get this plane?
As Xu Cang was thinking, he was a little absorbed in his thoughts. He was awakened by the ringing of his cell phone. He took out his phone and saw that it was Li Rongcheng's number.
"Excuse me, I have to answer a phone call."
Director Xu nodded: "Go ahead, come back after you finish your call, I have some routine questions to ask."
"Okay, no problem." Xu Cang hurried out of the lounge, and when he got outside, he immediately answered the phone.
As soon as the call was connected, Li Rongcheng's voice came from the other end: "Xu Cang, the matter you asked me to inquire about has been solved. You said that there is no problem with the aircraft's control input, but the actual pitch rate of the aircraft is much higher than the manual input, right? I consulted the technical department, and their answer was that there might be some logical errors in the elevator feel centering device. The signal generated by the control wheel was amplified by the elevator feel centering device. Their advice to me is not to fly that plane for the time being. If it is convenient, I can contact the technicians from the Boeing factory in the neighboring country to come and take a look."
Li Rongcheng said so much, and then he felt something was wrong, so he asked, "Xu Cang, are you listening to me?"
"Yes, I'm listening." Xu Cang said calmly: "Anything else, are you done?"
"That's it. Anyway, don't fly that plane for now. It's very dangerous."
Xu Cang laughed and said, "But what if I've already flown?"
"Ah?" Li Rongcheng was startled: "Is there anything wrong?"
Xu Cang laughed even more wantonly: "What's the problem? If there is a problem, I can't answer your call now."
"That's good." Li Rongcheng said: "Xu Cang, I will arrange for Boeing's technicians to come here as soon as possible..."
However, Li Rongcheng was rejected by Xu Cang halfway through his speech: "No, there is no need for that."
"That's not necessary. What do you mean?" Li Rongcheng was a little confused: "Then has the plane been dealt with?"
Xu Cang hissed, "It's about the same. About 60 to 70 percent of it is scrapped. I don't think there's any need to repair it. Take down some useful and valuable parts, and the rest can be sold as scrap metal."
The other party on the phone fell into silence for a long time, and finally Li Rongcheng asked with endless doubts: "Xu Cang, what are you talking about?"
"What the hell am I talking about? I almost confessed just now, it's that broken plane." Xu Cang started to curse: "What kind of shitty Boeing plane do you have? According to your maintenance procedures, you can't find any problems with the elevator centering device. The structural strength of the tail is like paper. A lot of parts will fall off when it touches the ground. Did you assemble this plane?"
Although Xu Cang did not explain in detail, Li Rongcheng seemed to understand something: "Xu Cang, is it that plane that had an accident? Because the elevator felt the centering device?"
Xu Cang didn't want to curse anymore at this time. To be honest, this matter had nothing to do with Li Rongcheng. He just wanted to know one question now.
"Li Rongcheng, for a flight accident like this caused by a defect in your aircraft's components, you Boeing should pay for this kind of loss, right?"
When the 1566 crashed, it was still in the wet lease period of Erhai Base, and the loss was borne by Erhai Base, and had nothing to do with Blue Sky Airlines. If Boeing did not admit it, it would be a huge loss, which Xu Cang could not accept at all.
Li Rongcheng did not answer immediately, but asked a question : "Is it...very serious?"
"I almost died young, tell me how serious it is." Xu Cang said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense to me, Boeing will pay compensation or not."
"If it is finally confirmed that it was really caused by an error in the elevator centering device, and there is no problem with your maintenance procedures, then you should be able to compensate."
Hearing this, Xu Cang suppressed his anger a little: "How much compensation?"
"It's just the loss of the aircraft, which needs to be assessed later."
"What about the mental damages of the people on our plane, the cancellation of subsequent flights due to the scrapping of the plane, and the damage to the image of our company...base? Aren't these considered?" Xu Cang said bitterly, "All this is because of your elevator centering device. There was a problem, and you couldn't find it according to your procedures. Aren't you fully responsible?"
Li Rongcheng was a little helpless: "Xu Cang, let me tell you this, it's not that I am concerned about Boeing, but in the civil aviation industry, an acceptable failure rate is recognized. You can't file an unlimited compensation claim just because of a black swan event. This will not be supported."
The so-called acceptable failure rate is a default rule generated by objective reality. That is, no matter how much safety is guaranteed in terms of technology, it is definitely impossible to achieve 100% safety.
However, as long as the problems are not concentrated and occur in large numbers, the existence of certain individual cases does not mean that the aircraft manufacturer has a huge process problem. Therefore, even if problems occur, its liability for compensation is limited.
As in the previous emergency landing at sea in Qizhou, there was a problem with the CFM56 engine's fuel supply short pipe, and the same problem also existed in engines of the same batch later. This is not an isolated case of a black swan, but a real process defect.
Therefore, Shandong Airlines can make more compensation claims against Airbus.
But Xu Cang's case is different. The elevator centering device is most likely just an isolated case, a very low-probability fault that cannot be eliminated by human power.
In this case, Boeing's compensation should be limited to its aircraft itself, and the resulting extended compensation task is not something Boeing needs to bear.
Although it has not been confirmed yet, from the bottom of his heart, Xu Cang actually thinks that this incident is just an isolated case. But this does not mean that Xu Cang will swallow this breath.
He almost lost his life, so shouldn't he take this opportunity to take advantage of Boeing?
"It is true that individual problems cannot be subject to unlimited compensation liability, but what if there are defects in the handling procedures? Wouldn't that be a universal problem?" Xu Cang said.
Li Rongcheng was stunned: "Xu Cang, what do you mean, there is a flaw in our operating procedures, that's impossible, right?"
"What's impossible?" Xu Cang snorted, "There was a problem with your handling procedures for the tail strike, which directly led to the subsequent deterioration of the special situation. This is your responsibility that you cannot escape!"
