In the courtyard of Erhai Base, Yi Feng had finished the conversation about the ARJ21 lease. However, compared to the ARJ21 lease, Yi Feng was more moved by what Qin Xin revealed about Xu Cang's future plans during the conversation.
Yi Feng sat on the edge of the flower bed, not saying anything, not doing anything, like a sculpture. Suddenly, Yi Feng's cell phone rang, he took out his phone and took a look, it was his secretary calling.
Yi Feng thought to himself that he should have told his secretary not to disturb him before, so why did he still call? Did something big happen?
Soon, Yi Feng answered the phone, and the secretary's voice came from the other end: "Boss Yi, the General Administration suddenly asked us to retrieve all the files on the July 23 incident and send them to the General Administration. The Flight Department asked if we should delay it?"
"The July 23 incident?" Yi Feng was stunned for a moment: "Are you talking about the previous single volcanic ash event?"
The secretary confirmed: "Yes, that's it."
About three years ago, a 737 of NUS Air encountered volcanic ash. However, it only passed the edge of the volcanic ash area. However, just passing the edge caused the vibration value of the No. 2 engine of the 737 to exceed the limit.
As a result, the captain on duty made an incorrect judgment and took some inappropriate actions, causing the engine, which originally only had high vibration values, to be severely damaged.
Once an aircraft engine is seriously damaged, it is basically the same as being scrapped. In civil aviation regulations, such single-engine conditions caused by human error are all classified as serious accident signs without exception, which is only slightly lower than flight accidents.
Originally, the volcanic ash was not thick at the time, but the presence of volcanic ash fragments caused temporary friction between the low-pressure fan and the outer wall, which led to the high vibration value.
In this case, the throttle of the No. 2 engine can be automatically slowed down. However, the captain made a mistake when doing the checklist. When selecting a step, he chose the blade de-icing procedure.
Many flights occur under icing conditions, and in some cases ice will adhere to the fan blades. At this time, due to uneven force, the fan blades will rub against the outer wall during rotation, resulting in high vibration values.
For this situation, the pilot has his own set of handling procedures. Instead of reducing the throttle, he should push it up to increase the fan speed, and eventually throw out the ice attached to the fan blades. This will eliminate the problem of high engine vibration values ​​from the root.
However, the captain of the National Airlines was confused when doing the checklist, which clearly stated that the fan de-icing procedure must be verified before ice accumulation conditions can be carried out. As a result, the captain directly ignored this description, resulting in the direct destruction of an engine.
Since this incident happened on July 23, it has always been called the July 23 incident in Guoda Airlines. However, this incident has always been a stain on Guoda Airlines. Now that it has been dug up by the General Administration, the flight department of Guoda Airlines is quite vigilant and has consulted Yi Feng.
Although the Civil Aviation Administration of China is the domestic rule maker, as the old saying goes, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. Not to mention going against the will of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, but if necessary, it is not difficult to delay for two days.
" Why does the General Administration want the July 23 file? Are they going to use it as a negative example?" Yi Feng snorted, obviously dissatisfied with the Civil Aviation Administration's behavior of digging up old issues.
If the Civil Aviation Administration of China is really looking into old matters, he can't just hand the file over to them as it is; he has to modify it a bit.
Other airlines don't have the courage to do this, but Aoda Airlines is not one that can be manipulated by anyone, so it is normal for it to use some tricks.
However, the reason given by the secretary made Yi Feng feel incredible.
"To be precise, the information I received was not from the General Administration, but from the CAA, who wanted our July 23 incident files."
"CAA, British Aviation Authority?" Yi Feng was stunned for a moment: "Why do they want our accident files? Could it be that the British Air Accident Investigation Bureau AAIB asked CAA to come forward to ask for it? They want our files and then compile negative examples?"
Anyway, for Yi Feng, the July 23 incident was a family scandal that could not be made public, let alone spread to the UK. In Yi Feng's mind, the files of the July 23 incident should be kept in the archives of the group headquarters.
"It seems that a British Airways plane encountered volcanic ash near the Jakarta area and now they don't know what to do. British Airways is at a loss and has tried desperately to apply for help through the British Aviation Authority to civil aviation authorities around the world that have experienced volcanic ash."
"Is that so!" Yi Feng understood now.
It is indeed quite rare for aircraft to encounter volcanic ash, and there are no reference cases. Moreover, as long as it is not an incident in one's own country, one can basically only know some general processes, and it is impossible to see how aircraft from other countries deal with volcanic ash when they encounter it.
It can be seen that British Airways is indeed anxious, and has directly applied to the civil aviation authorities around the world through official channels for detailed files on volcanic ash incidents. Only in these files can it be stated what problems the crew encountered when encountering volcanic ash and how to deal with it.
British Airways hopes to find a solution through this method.
However, this is obviously a stupid method and its efficiency is really not high.
Yi Feng thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, let the flight department give out the files. By the way, are you saying that the plane encountered volcanic ash in Jakarta?"
"Yes, Mr. Yi!"
"Jakarta?" Yi Feng thought for a moment: "What's the flight number?"
"British Airways 1009." The secretary didn't expect Yi Feng to ask so many details, and began to wonder: "Boss Yi, is there any problem?"
Yi Feng did not answer, but looked up at Qin Xin who was walking out of the building, and asked casually: "Miss Qin, you said Xu Cang was transferring from Jakarta to the UK, what was the flight number?"
"1009, right?"
Yi Feng was startled, his expression suddenly changed: "1009? British Airways 1009!?"
…
At this moment, thousands of miles away in the office of the director of the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration in South Korea, CFM executive Lee Hyuk-jae was sitting leisurely on the sofa enjoying the good tea brewed by the director of SRAA.
Opposite him, not only was there the director of SRAA, but there was also a middle-aged man in a suit and tie next to him. This man was none other than the president of Asiana Airlines, Park Seok-won.
Lee Hyuk Jae slowly placed the teacup on the middle coffee table and leaned back on the sofa, looking very comfortable. His eyes stayed on the SRAA director for only a moment, and soon moved to Park Seok Won.
"President Park, I didn't expect that your Asiana Airlines has such a good relationship with the Seoul Administration." Lee Hyuk-jae said with a hint of meaning, and there was an inexplicable smile on his face.
Park Seok-won showed no emotion at all in response to this kind of teasing with ulterior motives. As the leader of South Korea's second largest airline, Park Seok-won has very good composure.
Park Seok-won nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Li, you are such a busybody. You didn't even inform me when you came back, and you didn't even reply to my invitation. So I can only invite you here through Director Jin."
"The president of Asiana Airlines is so close to the director of the Seoul Regional Administration. Don't they know how to avoid suspicion?" Lee Hyuk-jae said with a smile, turning his gaze back to the director.
The director of the Seoul Regional Administration ignored Lee Hyuk-jae's gaze and laughed, "Mr. Lee, we are all family. There is no need to be sarcastic when talking to each other."
Lee Hyuk Jae clicked his tongue and finally shrugged: "Okay! Now that you're here, tell me what's the matter that's so urgent?"
Upon hearing what Lee Hyuk-jae said, Park Seok-won straightened his back and looked at him with a focused gaze. "Mr. Lee, it is rumored that Boeing has already planned the next generation of narrow-body aircraft, and even decided on the engine, which is the LEAP series engine that you are about to launch. Is this news true?"
Lee Hyuk Jae frowned and said, "President Park, it is quite rude to ask such a question, you know that?"
Park Seok-won was not annoyed either. His smile became even brighter. He snapped his fingers and said, "Mr. Li has been working hard for CFM for many years. It's not easy for him to go home this time. I naturally prepared some small gifts for Mr. Li to let him feel the taste of his hometown. After the conversation, Mr. Li will receive my small gift when he returns."
Lee Hyuk Jae lowered his eyes slightly: "As expected, the people from my hometown are so warm and welcoming!"
"Of course!" Park Seok-won said with a smile, "Deputy Li returned to his country for vacation and came to visit. I am very grateful! This small gift is just a token of my appreciation."
Lee Hyuk Jae let out a long sigh and did not discuss the gift anymore. He believed that an old hand like Park Seok Won would definitely know everything about gift giving.
"Boeing does have plans for the next generation of narrow-body aircraft, and it's not just a conceptual plan, but has already entered into substantial progress," Lee Hyuk-jae said casually.
Park Seok-won, who had been calm and composed all along, trembled slightly in his right hand holding the teacup, and the tea almost spilled out.
"Sure enough, there is no groundless news in the world. Then the rumor about Airbus's next-generation narrow-body aircraft plan is also true?" Park Seok-won asked anxiously.
It is rumored that Airbus' next-generation narrow-body aircraft will also use CFM's LEAP series engines, so Lee Hyukjae must know about it.
Lee Hyuk Jae raised his eyebrows: "President Park, you are paying for one meal and eating two meals. Isn't this not good?"
Park Seok-won was stunned for a moment, and the muscles on his cheeks tightened slightly, but he quickly suppressed his inner emotions and put on a smiling face: "Mr. Li, I am sorry for being rude. Let's talk about Boeing."
Lee Hyuk Jae hummed, "What do you want to know?"
"Mr. Li, can you give us the exact progress of Boeing's next-generation narrow-body aircraft?" Park Seok-won asked anxiously, "This is very critical and is related to our fleet upgrade plan."
Aircraft upgrades are a problem that every airline has to face. However, how to upgrade aircraft is a huge science. If the aircraft upgrade plan is not well done, it is easy to buy a lot of new aircraft, but soon after the new model is released, the aircraft will be outdated as soon as you buy it.
New aircraft models have initial dividends, whether in publicity or in actual route operation. People are always curious about new things, and if you use a new aircraft for flights with similar prices and schedules, you will be more competitive than other airlines.
Moreover, aircraft upgrades involve huge capital investment. If you want to maximize the use of the upgrade funds, the upgrade plan for the new aircraft must be as perfect as possible. However, due to the aircraft production capacity, buying an aircraft is not like buying cabbage. If you go there, you can get it at that time.
Generally speaking, it is common for several years to pass between placing an order and the arrival of an aircraft, which means that several years of lead time need to be considered when formulating aircraft upgrade plans.
Moreover, aircraft manufacturers are secretive about the launch of new models due to commercial confidentiality, which further increases the difficulty for airlines in upgrading their aircraft.
There have been too many examples in the history of civil aviation where companies have gone from prosperity to decline, or even fallen into bankruptcy, due to wrong decisions in aircraft model upgrades.
Asiana Airlines is very eager because they are the challenger, and above them is Korean Air, which has been the No. 1 airline in China for 20 to 30 years. Korean Air is a large company with a lot of business, and there is room for them to make up for some mistakes, but Asiana Airlines is the one they are chasing the most. If they make a major decision-making mistake, they will be left behind by Korean Air forever and lose the qualification to compete.
Therefore, when it comes to upgrading its own aircraft, Asiana Airlines wants to be foolproof, especially with regard to narrow-body aircraft. As long as they know the exact progress of Boeing on the next generation of narrow-body aircraft, they can adjust their own aircraft upgrade plan according to the progress of Boeing's project, so that the deviation can be controlled within a very small range.
Asiana Airlines does not have enough people in Boeing headquarters to know the progress of Boeing's next-generation narrow-body aircraft project. Fortunately, Boeing and CFM have a very close cooperative relationship. Boeing's next-generation narrow-body aircraft uses CFM's LEAP engine, which makes the relationship between the two even closer.
Since it was impossible to obtain relevant information directly from Boeing headquarters, they tried to approach from the side and use CFM as a breakthrough point. It just so happened that CFM's senior executive Lee Hyuk-jae was a Korean, which made things even more convenient.
"Detailed project progress?" Lee Hyuk Jae looked troubled: "I'm afraid this is not going to be easy."
The director of the Seoul Regional Administration Bureau interrupted, "Lee, is it just the progress of the project that is so troublesome? President Park is quite sincere this time."
President Park immediately agreed: "CEO Lee, you have to believe in the credibility of Asiana Airlines."
"First of all, the accurate information about the progress of Boeing's next-generation project involves commercial secrets. I don't even know some of them, so how can I provide them to you?" Lee Hyuk Jae said seriously, "Also, such a troublesome matter is all on me alone..."
President Park was stunned for a moment, then he understood: "Understood, understood. From now on, Asiana Airlines will choose GE's CF6 engine as the optional power for its 747 and 330."
Lee Hyuk Jae raised his eyebrows. He did not expect Park Seok Won to react so quickly. He only needed to give him some pointers and he would understand. This kind of disclosure of commercial secrets is not a glorious thing. Therefore, Lee Hyuk Jae cannot eat alone. He has to let CFM get involved, so he has to give benefits to the entire CFM. GM is the major shareholder of CFM and the dominant party. Giving benefits to GM is equivalent to giving benefits to CFM.
"I'm really surprised by President Park's sincerity." Lee Hyuk Jae was already quite satisfied: "Don't worry, I will meet President Park's request in the best possible way. And, as an extra bonus, I can tell President Park that Boeing's next generation narrow-body aircraft will be more economical than the Boeing 737NG series."
Hearing this, Park Seok-won was excited: "Then I'll trouble Representative Lee. I heard that the LEAP engine will be larger than the CFM56. I wonder if Boeing will redesign the fuselage of the aircraft?"
As we all know, Boeing aircrafts are short-legged, and there are many historical reasons for this. When assembling the CFM56 engine, it was already quite difficult. How could the larger LEAP engine still fit in?
"It's okay, this matter will be resolved." Lee Hyukjae just replied indifferently.
"Haha, I'm just curious, don't mind it, Mr. Li." Park Seok-won said with a smile, "Today's conversation is very pleasant. If Mr. Li doesn't mind, I will take you to some interesting places and let you feel the changes in your hometown."
For such a wealthy person, the interesting places must be quite interesting, and Lee Hyukjae naturally knows some inside information.
However, Lee Hyuk Jae waved his hand and said, "President Park, I heard that your Asiana Airlines wants to change the co-operator in CAAC?"
Park Seok-won didn't expect Lee Hyuk-jae to mention this, but it wasn't a secret and had been widely circulated, so he simply said, "We previously jointly operated routes between the two countries with Muhua Airlines. However, since a supervisor named Ma Cheng from the strategic department of Muhua Airlines came in, the business has become difficult to do. Ma Cheng is too powerful. He is very ruthless in doing business. You really can't mess with him. So, we plan to change our partners."
"Does President Park have any ideal replacements?"
Perhaps because the purpose of the conversation had just been achieved, Park Seok-won was in a good mood and spoke quite directly: "Not at the moment. Among the three major airlines there, Tiandong Airlines has always cooperated with Korean Air, and Guoda Airlines is capable and does not need our cooperation. From this point of view, it is estimated that they will look for a slightly smaller airline. We are still in the process of selecting and have not yet made a final decision. Representative Li, I didn't expect you to be interested in such a small matter?"
"It's okay, just asking." Lee Hyuk Jae slowly stood up: "Okay, we've finished talking, let's go! Director Kim, do you want to come with us?"
"Director Kim has made great contributions in this conversation, so he must be included." President Park said with a smile.
Hearing this, Director Jin smiled a smile that all men understand, and patted President Park on the back: "I'll tell you something, and then we'll go."
After saying that, Director Jin also stood up and was about to call his assistant in to give him some instructions. However, the assistant walked in before Director Jin called him.
"Hmm?" Director Jin was a little surprised, but he didn't think much about it. He said to his assistant, "You came at the right time. I have something to tell you."
"Director, the headquarters just called."
"What's wrong?"
The assistant glanced at Park Seok-won who was beside the director: "British Airways Flight 1009 encountered volcanic ash in the Jakarta area and now seems unable to land. British Airways applied for incident files through CAA to airlines that have encountered volcanic ash in recent years. A few years ago, Asiana Airlines encountered volcanic ash in the air and sea in Northern Europe..."
"Oh, that incident!" Park Seok-won suddenly remembered it. About two years ago, Asiana Airlines encountered the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland while operating a route to Northern Europe. The crew handled the situation properly at the time and did not cause any dangerous consequences. Later, the Korean Civil Aviation Administration also commended Asiana Airlines.
Park Seok-won waved his hand and said, "Since it is the General Administration's request, I will ask someone below to deliver the file. Okay, is there anything else?"
The assistant nodded: "It's okay."
When Director Kim saw that the president of Asiana Airlines had personally inquired about it, he knew there was no problem at all. He immediately explained some small matters to his assistant, then left the office building with Lee Hyuk Jae and Park Seok Won and went on a carefree trip.
…
Just when Lee Hyuk Jae was enjoying himself comfortably, a huge object, a 747-400 aircraft, was hovering at a very low altitude over the waters of Jakarta.
Not long ago, the crew who had decided to make an emergency landing at sea accidentally discovered a tiny crack in the corner of the right front windshield just before entering the water. Xu Cang immediately gave up the emergency landing at sea.
After taking off, the plane maintained an altitude of 3,000 feet. At this altitude, the concentration of volcanic ash is relatively low. At least from a visual point of view, not much St. Elmo's Fire can be seen.
Moreover, since it is over the sea, there are no obstacles below. Even if the area below cannot be seen and the aircraft is at a super low altitude, there is no need to worry about terrain obstacles.
Due to the rapid decrease in the concentration of volcanic ash, there were no further problems with the No. 1 and No. 3 engines during the subsequent circling process. Even the flight management computer on Xu Cang's right side returned to normal and the navigation signal reappeared.
However, the successive good news did not make the three people in the cockpit happy at all. Now most of the problems were not with the aircraft itself, but external factors that prevented them from landing.
"Our company is already trying to find a solution. We should have news soon, right?" At this point, even the elderly and experienced captain in charge felt that there was no way out.
Not long ago, after the flight was circling, the three people in the cockpit discussed for a while and found that they really had no solution. In order to save the situation, the captain sent a request for help to the British Airways headquarters through Jakarta Control.
There was no satellite phone on the plane, so Jakarta Control had to act as an intermediary. Of course, even if there was a satellite phone, it probably wouldn't work because of the volcanic clouds that contained a lot of static electricity. The signal they used to contact Jakarta Control via VHF was very poor.
"What can we do? The road is blocked!" The second captain said bitterly. Even though he didn't want to admit it, the current situation was so frustrating.
There were two captains and Xu Cang here, but they just couldn't do anything. Could it really be that just because there were more people, there would be a way to solve this problem?
As he spoke, the second captain looked at the crack in the lower corner of the right front windshield. The crack was very small, only the length of a finger joint. The light in the cockpit had been dimmed for some time, so it was reasonable to ignore it.
However, just such a small crack directly cut off their only way out. The second captain was so angry!
Xu Cang rubbed his temple, his eyes always wandering on the remaining three engines. The current external situation is indeed okay, but the low concentration of volcanic ash does not mean that there is no ash. If it continues like this, there will still be problems.
However, after going through so many things, Xu Cang felt helpless for the first time. The area affected by the volcanic ash this time was too large, and it was still expanding.
Originally, they were considering whether they could maintain this ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming flight, then fly out of the volcanic ash area and land at an airport outside the area, such as Sydney on the east coast of Australia.
The 747 is designed with a very large power margin, so it is definitely feasible to fly to Sydney with three engines.
As a result, after communicating this idea with Jakarta control, Jakarta control contacted the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and the response they received was that volcanic ash had begun to affect the Sydney area, and the extent was increasing.
If Xu Cang and his crew changed their flight to Sydney, once they arrived in Sydney, Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport would become like Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport. What would be the point?
The volcanic ash spread so quickly that according to estimates, the only way to completely outrun the volcanic ash is to fly east and land at Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii.
However, the flight time is more than six hours, which means that the plane has to fly continuously for six hours in a low concentration of volcanic ash, which is simply impossible.
Xu Cang estimated that no matter how low the concentration of volcanic ash was, enough volcanic ash would accumulate in the aircraft's engine within two hours at most, and problems would occur afterwards.
Just like the No. 1 and No. 3 engines, which had surged before and are still barely usable now, have actually begun to show signs of failure. Their engine vibration values ​​are significantly higher than those of the No. 2 engine, which is in slightly better condition.
At this speed, exceeding the vibration standards for Engines 1 and 3 is an imminent problem.
The second captain became angrier and angrier, and started cursing on the spot: "The Indonesian Meteorological Bureau and the Seismological Bureau are simply a bunch of rubbish. They didn't even give us any information when Mount Kelud erupted."
They had thought about a problem before. It was outrageous that British Airways had no information about the eruption of a giant volcano.
After checking with Jakarta Air Traffic Control, they found out that they didn't even get the relevant information. In other words, it wasn't that British Airways didn't care about the matter, but that they didn't know about it at all.
Originally, large-scale natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions should be warned by the Earthquake Bureau or the disaster management department. In the aviation field, the Meteorological Bureau calculates the areas that may be affected and then communicates the results to the civil aviation department, which then discusses and decides how to respond.
The scope of possible impact should be informed to airline dispatch and air traffic control departments so that airlines can make their own decisions to cancel or change flights, and air traffic control can guide aircraft to avoid affected areas as early as possible when directing.
However, the airline and air traffic control received no warning at all, and Flight 1009 was allowed to enter the eruption of a giant volcano.
No matter from which angle you analyze it, this matter is simply unimaginable.
Most of the previous volcanic ash incidents were caused by planes accidentally entering the volcano due to low-level eruptions and insufficient attention. However, a volcanic eruption of the magnitude of Kelud should have been noticed long ago. In other words, the Indonesian Seismological Bureau or Disaster Management Department did know about the volcanic eruption, but for some reason, they simply forgot to inform the aviation authorities.
The second captain was almost going crazy over this stupid and low-level mistake.
It was the mistake of that group of people, but in the end you have to pay the price with your own life!
"Stop yelling!" The captain in charge was getting more and more annoyed. He said to Xu Cang, "How about we fly east?"
"Fly to Honolulu? More than six hours? Can this broken plane last for six hours?" The second pilot shouted, obviously a little emotionally broken.
Sometimes death is not that scary. What is scary is the torment of waiting for death.
Xu Cang didn't say anything, but his attitude was clear. Flying east to Honolulu was simply impossible.
Just when the atmosphere in the cockpit was like a powder keg about to explode, the call signal in the front cabin suddenly sounded. The three people in the cockpit didn't want to deal with it at first, but the call signal kept ringing.
The already upset captain finally couldn't stand it anymore, so he switched the transmitter to the cabin talk and said into the microphone: "You'd better have a good reason."
The flight attendant could sense the anger in the captain's words. Perhaps he felt guilty, so he waited for a few seconds before saying weakly, "Captain, the first-class passengers want to know the current situation."
"Then tell him that the plane encountered some weather conditions and is still dealing with them." The captain thought for a moment and added, "Isn't it Mr. Leo?"
If it was that Airbus executive, given that he seemed to have been with Xu Cang before, he seemed to be able to reveal a little bit.
"Not one, Captain!" The flight attendant said worriedly, "Almost all of them! Many first-class passengers are very emotional right now, and they want an explanation."
"All?" The captain in charge was stunned for a moment, then silent for a moment: "I'll be right out."
After the call ended, the second captain quickly said, "You want to go out, what a joke, if they want to make a scene, then let them make a scene."
Since there was an external loudspeaker in the cockpit, the second pilot and Xu Cang could both hear the conversation between the pilot in charge and the chief flight attendant.
"The people in first class are different. If the plane lands, it will be difficult to deal with these people causing trouble later. I'd better go out for a while." The captain in charge has already started to unbuckle his seat belt: "Xu Cang, I'll leave the plane to you for now."
There is no way. Those who can sit in first class on intercontinental flights are basically either rich or noble. If everyone confessed together, then there would be no problem. But if they survived by chance, the combined power of these people would be quite great.
Therefore, even for that tiny possibility, the captain in charge still felt that he had to go out.
The second captain sneered, "What a possibility! I think there's a one in a billion chance that you won't survive."
Although he was complaining, the second captain still stood up and made way for the captain in charge.
The captain in charge sighed. He did not refute the second captain's words, which was considered as his agreement.
Sure enough, waiting to die is not a good experience.
The responsible captain left the cockpit, and the second captain wanted to close the door, but Xu Cang raised his hand and said, "Don't close it."
The second captain was stunned for a moment, but did not say anything. He did not lock the cockpit, but left a gap.
When the captain in charge came out, he found that many first-class passengers had already stood up. Several of them, who looked well-dressed and of extraordinary bearing, had gathered at the entrance of the front cabin workroom with an aggressive look.
When they saw the captain in charge coming out, these people rushed over immediately, and even the male flight attendant's attempt to stop them was of no avail.
The captain in charge was quite calm and composed when he saw so many important people rushing over.
"Everyone, if you really want to know the true condition of the plane, I can tell you." The captain in charge came up and said, "But please exercise restraint."
These people were quite well-mannered. When they heard the captain say this, they all nodded.
In fact, not to mention those people in the first class cabin, even the flight attendant next to them pricked up her ears and listened attentively, as she was also eager to know the current situation.
The captain took a deep breath. There was still a pungent smell of sulfur in the air, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness in his heart.
He raised his head slightly, facing the first-class dignitaries, and began: "Everyone, we are in trouble..."
About five minutes later, the captain briefly explained the current situation. During these five minutes, no one spoke, but just listened quietly, and then everyone could feel how low the atmosphere around them had dropped as the captain confessed bit by bit.
Finally, after saying the last word, the captain in charge fell silent, and the entire first class cabin and the front cabin workroom also became quiet.
"Everyone, this is the situation. I didn't want to tell you before. Firstly, the situation is urgent, and secondly, I didn't want you to share the burden of this news with us." Finally, the captain in charge broke the silence and spoke from the heart.
However, such words from the heart are more penetrating.
After a brief joke, someone suddenly said, "Is emergency landing at sea still not feasible?"
"As I said just now, the outer and inner layers of the right front windshield are cracked, and its strength cannot withstand the impact of water entry during an emergency landing at sea." The captain in charge said: "It is almost certain that the right front windshield will definitely break if an emergency landing is made at sea!"
"So what?" This question suddenly popped up in the crowd.
The captain in charge didn't know who said it, but he still patiently explained: "If the windshield is broken, seawater will flow back into the cockpit."
"Yes, the cockpit has a sealed door. Even if seawater backflows, it is mostly limited to the cockpit. We are not affected." At this time, a white-haired old man pushed through the crowd and walked out, facing the captain in charge: "Is there anything wrong with what I said?"
Many people present actually understood what the old man meant, but they did not stop him and chose to remain silent, silently wanting the captain to accept it all.
"Sir, I don't think you understand what I mean." The captain had a bitter expression on his face: "I mean, we...will die!"
"I know!" However, this sentence had no weight in the old man's eyes: "Isn't this what you should do? This is your obligation!"
"But, we..."
The old man interrupted the captain before he finished speaking: "You just said that there is no other way now. So instead of everyone on the plane dying together, why don't you fulfill your responsibilities and obligations and make an emergency landing at sea! That way, at least the people behind you still have a chance to survive."
"Yes, isn't this the responsibility of you pilots?"
"There is no other good solution now, so wouldn't it be better to let as many people as possible survive?"
"Yes! If we can survive, we will give your family enough compensation. Everyone here has such financial resources, you should know that."
For a moment, voices rose and fell in the first-class cabin, most of them hoping that the crew could sacrifice themselves to make an emergency landing at sea and give them a chance of survival.
Although even ants try to survive, this kind of scene is so glaring when it happens in a civilized society.
The responsible captain was not short of money, at least compared to ordinary people, his life was very comfortable. But this was based on the premise that he could continue to work. If he died, the quality of life of his wife and son would drop rapidly.
Although intellectually it felt like this might be the path to maximize benefits, the captain still felt mixed emotions after seeing with his own eyes how cold human nature could be.
"Bullshit!" The second captain suddenly pushed open the cockpit door. He was so excited that he didn't even switch the language. He still spoke in Chinese with an accent: "I just want to take you guys to death with me."
In fact, even if many people did not understand what the second pilot was saying, they could probably guess what it meant just by looking at his face which turned red due to excitement.
The second captain had an idea in his mind just now. If there was really no other way, he might as well make an emergency landing at sea, which would also save his reputation.
But doing it voluntarily and being forced to do it by others are two completely different concepts.
"What about Xu Cang? I remember he successfully made an emergency landing at sea once. Wasn't there any way for him to avoid the problem of a broken windshield?" At this time, Leo, who had been silent in the back, asked the question, and he asked in Chinese.
After this was said, many people did not react because they did not understand Chinese. Instead, the old man at the front turned around and looked at Leo, and actually replied in fluent Chinese: "Are you saying that the young man who entered the cockpit in front successfully made an emergency landing at sea?"
The old man saw Xu Cang go to the front cabin workshop and never came out again. There was no doubt that he must have entered the cockpit. Maybe the plane had a problem before and the young man went in to help. He should also be a pilot.
After the old man finished speaking, he switched languages ​​and communicated with Leo in a language that no one present could understand, but Leo was able to answer fluently.
In fact, the two spoke Scottish Gaelic, a very ancient Celtic language, which is a relatively rare language.
The two of them talked back and forth for a long time, and finally the old man sighed: "It seems that there is an extraordinary young man in the cockpit."
After that, the old man shouted towards the cockpit in Chinese: "Young man, I am willing to buy this life with one tenth of my wealth, is that okay?"
No one in the first-class cabin understood Gaelic, but some people could still understand Chinese. Although some people could not see the situation clearly, it did not stop them from speaking nonsense and making various demands.
However, a young man's calm voice came from the cockpit: "If you die, what's the point of keeping nine-tenths of your wealth?"
The old man laughed and said, "It seems that you don't know who I am, and you don't know how much one-tenth of my wealth is!"
Between the words of the old man, a long sigh came from the cockpit, which contained a lot of unwillingness.
However, before Xu Cang could reply, Jakarta Control's words came from the cockpit loudspeaker: "British Airways 1009!"
The captain in charge and the second captain shuddered, and without caring to say anything, they both rushed into the cockpit. As the cockpit door slammed shut, the first-class passengers who had gathered around looked at each other in bewilderment.
We have been wanting an explanation before, but now that we know, to be honest, we don’t know what to do.
No one knew why or who started it, but everyone started going back to their seats, silently, and no one spoke.
The old man stared at the closed cockpit door in a daze, and only turned around slowly after everyone around him left. However, this time he turned around and happened to face Leo.
Then, in Gaelic, which no one could understand, Leo said with emotion: "You shouldn't talk like that!"
"Are you saying that the money I gave you is not enough?" the old man asked.
Leo was helpless: "I mean he's not someone who values ​​money the most."
"That only shows that the benefits are not big enough." The old man walked slowly and said to Leo as he passed by him, "Leo, there is no one in this world who doesn't like money."
At this moment, in the cockpit, the responsible captain and the second captain quickly sat down, and the controller's voice came from the loudspeaker: "1009, your company wants to pass you. I will receive their audio signal, and you can talk freely."
After saying that, there was no response from the crew, and there was silence for a moment. Then a man's deep voice came over: "Jonathan, how are you doing now?"
Jonathan was the name of the captain in charge. He was obviously stunned because this man actually spoke in Chinese.
Earlier, they informed the British Airways headquarters of the news that Xu Cang was in the cockpit. I don't know if it was because of this reason, but the person from the British Airways headquarters actually spoke Chinese fluently without any accent.
"The situation is fine now. May I ask if the headquarters has come up with any solutions?" Since the headquarters also used Chinese, the captain naturally followed suit. At the same time, he asked, "Is this Richard?"
"It's me! We contacted Changi International Airport, but there are some administrative issues involved. It may take some extra time to get Changi International Airport up and running again. However, according to the information we have received, the blind landing system at Changi Airport has also been damaged. Even if Changi Airport is opened, you may not be able to land at Changi Airport." Richard said.
"It doesn't matter. Changi International Airport has never been an option for us anyway." said the captain in charge dejectedly.
“Although we cannot pin our hopes on Changi International Airport, there is still a possibility that you may land in Jakarta.”
"Impossible!" The second captain almost instinctively denied this statement, but he changed his mind and thought that it was already this time, and the British Airways headquarters would not play a joke on him, so he said with a glimmer of hope: "Impossible blind landing there, the air clearance environment on the fifth side of Sukarno-Hatta Airport is extremely complex. How can we fly without signal guidance?"
“Illuminated landing is indeed not possible, but the GLS system can be used.” Richard said: “GLS approach is being verified at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.”
"GLS? What is this?" Not only the pilot in charge, but also the second pilot had never heard of this term. The second pilot even asked, "Is this a new instrument landing system?"
"You mean the satellite landing system?" At this moment, Xu Cang, who had been silent all this time, interrupted and said, "You mean there is a VDB broadcast at Sukarno-Hatta Airport?"
"You actually know about the satellite landing system? And you know about very high frequency data link broadcasting?" Richard was obviously very surprised by Xu Cang's knowledge, because this was a very advanced technology in this era, even more advanced than the PBN technology mentioned earlier. After all, PBN technology has begun to operate in certain areas, but the satellite landing system has not even been tested and is still in the verification stage.
"Rather than why I know, does Sukarno-Hatta Airport have the ground equipment requirements?" Xu Cang narrowed his eyes and asked, "To be precise, I want to know if there is a ground augmentation system there."
The other party was silent for a few seconds after hearing Xu Cang's question, and then he exclaimed in amazement: "You are Xu Cang, I have heard of you! I didn't expect that a place like CAAC could produce a talent like you. Don't worry, Sukarno-Hatta Airport is the verification site for the satellite landing system in South Asia, and there are complete ground equipment there."
"What about the FAS data block? Is it stored in the aircraft's navigation database, or is it broadcast by the airport's VDB radio?"
"Only a very small portion of the FAS data blocks are stored in the aircraft's navigation database, and this aircraft is no exception. The virtual localizer and glide slope for the final approach segment will be sent to you by the VDB radio." Richard continued, "Although the information of your aircraft is here, I want to verify on-site whether it meets the airborne equipment requirements of the satellite landing system."
"No need!" Xu Cang said directly: "Is the satellite landing system at the airport Category 1, Category 2, or Category 3?"
"Xu Cang, this concerns your life and death, I feel it is necessary to verify it."
"What are you verifying? The flight management computer system is Honeywell and meets Release 1A standards. The MMR receiver is Rockwell GLU-925, part number 822-1821-430, and can switch modes. The GPS antenna meets RCTA DO-228 standards, code 822-2031-001. The radio management panel, part number C12848DA01, allows GLS to be implemented. The electronic instrument system EFIS meets S7 standards. The flight warning computer FWC meets H2F3 standards. The central fault data interface unit CFDIU meets 9B standards. Now there are no problems. What level of GLS do you think the Soekarno-Hatta Airport is?"
After Xu Cang finished speaking, he felt the surroundings were extremely quiet. He tilted his head to look at the responsible captain, who was looking at him with a look of astonishment.
"What are you looking at?"
The captain in charge was shocked: "Xu Cang, where did you see it? How did you know?"
He could understand every word Xu Cang said, but when they were put together, he couldn't understand it at all. It was as if Xu Cang was a person of a completely different realm from them, and in front of him, he was just a student who had just learned to fly.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Richard was equally surprised on the other side of the communication: "Xu Cang, if you can survive, I will come to find you."
Xu Cang frowned: "This is not what I want to hear."
"Okay! The satellite landing system at Soekarno-Hatta Airport is only of Category I. To be precise, there are no Category II or Category III satellite landing systems in the world right now, and they haven't even been verified."
In fact, Xu Cang already had the answer in his heart. According to historical development, it would take about ten years for the second and third types of satellite landing systems to be available. That would be the real value of the satellite landing system.
"What about the channel number? We don't have a chart. Can control guide us?"
Richard was already familiar with Xu Cang's terrifying amount of knowledge, and he reacted calmly to Xu Cang's professional question about the satellite landing system channel number: "There is no relevant procedure for Sukarno-Hatta Airport at the moment. There will be controllers to guide you to the final approach. The channel number for runway 27 is 22237!"
"22237!" Xu Cang memorized this number. This number was equivalent to the navigation frequency of blind landing: "Okay, we are going to get busy!"
"Do you know the operating procedures of the satellite landing system?" Richard asked.
"Know!"
Richard did not ask Xu Cang if he really knew how to operate the satellite landing system. He just asked solemnly at the end: "Xu Cang, is a Class I signal enough for you to land? The visual standard at Sukarno-Hatta Airport is almost zero now."
Xu Cang took a long breath and said in a strong voice: "Enough!"
"Okay!" Richard returned excitedly and directly transferred the audio signal back to the regional control in Jakarta.
Xu Cang tilted his head and glanced at the captain in charge. The captain was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood: "Jakarta, we have decided to go to Soekarno-Hatta Airport now. Please guide us with the radar now, and request to maintain the altitude at 3,000 feet."
"Hmm? The blind landing system at Soekarno-Hatta Airport has a problem. Are you still going there?"
"We will apply for satellite landing, please inform the airport to pay attention to reception!"
"Satellite landing system?" Obviously from the tone, even the regional control didn't understand it very well. However, he didn't need to understand this matter, so he immediately said: "British Airways 1009, heading 070, maintain altitude, corrected sea pressure 3,000!"
After the captain read it back, Xu Cang immediately began to change the course and said to the captain: "Make a passenger announcement and say we are going to Soekarno-Hatta Airport now."
"Compared to the passenger broadcast, Xu Cang, what exactly is the satellite landing system?" The captain in charge asked the question he had been wanting to ask: "Why have I never heard of it?"
Perhaps because he had heard about the satellite landing system, Xu Cang saw a glimmer of hope and was no longer so depressed. He patiently explained to the captain in charge, "It's just a cutting-edge landing system, guided by GPS signals. During the final approach, the FAS data block is used to define a virtual localizer and glide path. It's actually very similar to blind landing."
"Using GPS signals for guidance?" The second captain suddenly felt a little strange: "Doesn't the GPS signal have errors? Can this achieve sufficient accuracy?"
"So this system requires a ground-based augmentation system to correct the GPS signal."
The second captain was confused for a moment: "What do you mean?"
Xu Cang clicked his tongue. He was not a popular science teacher and was not willing to do such a thing. However, he thought about it and decided to forget it. He casually said, "Since the GPS signal has errors, we should first determine a ground processing station with fixed coordinates, and then compare the coordinates of the ground processing station with the coordinates calculated by GPS. Wouldn't that give us the error value? The computer at the ground processing station will perform a differential correction on this value, and then transmit the corrected accurate data to the aircraft through a very high frequency data link broadcast. In this way, the error of the GPS signal received by the aircraft will be very small. The receiver on the aircraft will solve the signal data transmitted by the ground processing station, and then calculate a virtual localizer and glide path."
"Is that so?" The second captain nodded, not quite understanding, "What about the channel number?"
"Tsk!" Xu Cang was already a little impatient: "The channel number is a five-digit number, which corresponds to a data block of the final approach segment, which means it corresponds to a GLS approach procedure. After selecting a channel number, the onboard subsystem will automatically adjust a VHF frequency to receive the data block of the final approach segment."
The responsible captain and the second captain looked at each other, and they could see a trace of doubt in each other's eyes. It was obvious that they still didn't quite understand. However, seeing Xu Cang's expression, it was not good to ask any more questions. Anyway, they just had to follow Xu Cang's instructions.
So, the captain in charge went to make the passenger announcement, while Xu Cang began to prepare the plane.
In fact, the operation of the satellite landing system is very similar to blind landing, except that the navigation frequency is changed to the channel number, and the rest of the changes are not significant.
In fact, Xu Cang only participated in the second-class verification of the satellite landing system once in his later life. However, that experience was enough for Xu Cang to remember the operating procedures of the satellite landing system.
When preparing for the approach, the main frequency on the navigation panel must be the GLS channel number, but on the backup frequency, Xu Cang hesitated and jumped out of the VOR frequency of Sukarno-Hatta Airport.
About ten minutes later, the regional controller in Jakarta suddenly called out: "British Airways 1009, the airport has reported that the satellite landing system is an unapproved approach technology and they do not agree to accept you."
"You..." The captain in charge was shocked: "We are in an emergency state now, and they are unwilling to accept us?"
"That's what the airport told me. They also suggested you choose an alternate airport."
Xu Cang frowned, how could such a thing happen at the last minute. However, according to the time, even a satellite landing system of the first class has not been approved at this point in time. Sukarno-Hatta Airport is actually not wrong.
The captain thought for a moment and immediately said, "Can you help us connect to our company's audio signal?"
"Sure, no problem!"
Soon, after a burst of noise, the captain in charge felt that the connection was complete and said impatiently, "Richard, the airport said that the satellite landing system has not been approved and they will not accept us."
"It's okay. I will ask ICAO to grant temporary authorization for the satellite landing system."
"What about DGCA?" Xu Cang asked quickly: "If the airport wants to be able to run the relevant procedures, it needs a second authorization from the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority."
The ICAO's authorization of the satellite landing system indicates that the operation of the system is compliant, while the secondary authorization of the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority indicates that the operation of the system in Indonesia is compliant. Both are indispensable.
"Don't worry, we will communicate well with the Indonesian side. All authorization issues will be resolved before you arrive at the terminal area of ​​Soekarno-Hatta Airport."
After that, the signal from the British Airways headquarters was disconnected. However, judging from the tone of voice, there should be no problem. If they were not absolutely sure at this time, they would definitely not speak like this.
"Who is that person?" Even Xu Cang felt curious. He was able to obtain dual authorization from the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority in a short period of time. Even if this authorization was temporary, it was still quite impressive.
"Richard!" said the captain in charge. "He is our company's senior technical advisor. However, his more important position is the chairman of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association."
"International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association, IFALPA?" Xu Cang asked with a little surprise.
The captain nodded and said, "Yes! The headquarters of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association is in the UK, so he took on a part-time position in our company. I didn't expect this to alarm him."
Xu Cang took a deep breath. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association is a huge organization representing hundreds of thousands of pilots and has enormous influence in the entire world's civil aviation industry.
I didn’t expect that I would be able to speak to the top management of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association today. It really is unpredictable!
Sure enough, Xu Cang's estimation of the power of the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association was correct. About fifteen minutes later, Jakarta Regional Control quickly conveyed the news that the airport agreed to conduct a satellite landing system approach.
In fact, Xu Cang could understand the airport's considerations. The satellite landing system was an unapproved landing system. If Flight 1009 crashed during the approach, the airport that provided and allowed an unauthorized landing system might have to bear some responsibility.
However, if this system is authorized, then even if there is a problem, it will be the crew's problem and will have nothing to do with the airport.
It can only be said that the considerations for Soekarno-Hatta Airport were too cautious.
As the plane approached the airport terminal area, due to terrain reasons, the plane climbed to 5,000 feet. After crossing a mountain, the frequency was switched to the airport tower.
Soon, under the guidance of the airport tower, the aircraft descended again to 3,000 feet, and then intercepted the localizer and glide path with a procedure and deceleration plan that was almost consistent with a blind landing.
The instrument landing display on the PFD on both sides does not display the conventional ILS, but the GLS, and the other differences are not significant. The indication points of the localizer and glide path simulated by the satellite landing system are the same as those of blind landing.
"British Airways 1009, we are unable to measure the runway visual range and vertical visibility at this time. The satellite landing system is still in the verification stage, and the signal may be unstable. If you detect a problem with the signal, please terminate the approach immediately." The tower control said: "British Airways 1009, corrected sea pressure 1013, runway 27 can land, pay attention to signal stability!"
"Runway 27, clear to land, corrected sea pressure 1013!" the captain repeated, and sighed: "The temperature today is really good, 15 degrees, the standard ISA temperature."
Xu Cang did not speak, but kept paying attention to the indication points of the localizer and glide path. Since there was no approach map, of course no one here could provide a legal approach map, but Xu Cang could roughly know that the aircraft was on the appropriate glide path through the calculation of the height-to-range ratio, and this glide path was a standard three-degree glide path angle.
Looking at the stable guidance signal, the captain finally breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that there is no problem. I didn't expect that there is always light at the end of the tunnel!"
It does feel quite strange to hear a foreigner say that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
"Xu Cang, pay attention to your movements when you land."
Xu Cang nodded: "I know, I will simulate the landing method of autonomous driving."
For someone with Xu Cang's skills, he can land in any way he wants. The landing method of autopilot is indeed very different from that of manual control. It will trim forward and backward at about 400 feet, increase the amount of the aircraft's top stick to maintain the correct descent, then level off at a fixed altitude, reduce the throttle at a fixed altitude, and finally maintain the attitude and land smoothly. It is very fixed, but extremely efficient.
The captain in charge didn't say much. He thought that with Xu Cang's skills, simulating the automatic driving landing shouldn't be a difficult task. The only thing he needed to worry about was whether the signal from the satellite landing system could be accurate and stable enough.
The main difference between the first, second and third categories is in accuracy and stability. If the signal fluctuates at a low altitude, it will definitely not be able to land.
At an altitude of two thousand feet, the only thing to be thankful for was that there was almost no wind today, without any bumps or turbulence. Xu Cang did not even need to adjust the attitude of the aircraft. He only needed to maintain a stable movement and then slowly correct some minor deviations.
One thousand five hundred feet in altitude!
Just when everything seemed peaceful, the aircraft's glide path signal suddenly began to vibrate up and down. This was definitely not a problem with Xu Cang's aircraft control, but a signal problem with the landing system.
"Hmm?" The captain glanced down at the CDU, and suddenly an advisory message popped up in the draft column of the CDU - the left GPS failed.
Before the captain in charge could react, the information about the left GPS failure suddenly changed to the right GPS failure.
At this point, the captain in charge was so scared that his scalp almost exploded. This satellite landing system is based on GPS signals. Now that the GPS signal on the plane has failed, how can it fly?
Sure enough, less than a second after the right GPS failure advisory message popped up, the simulated localizer and glide path signals disappeared.
"This..." The captain was stunned for a moment, and immediately prepared to report to the tower. However, just as he raised the microphone on his headset, he saw Xu Cang directly stretched out his left hand and grabbed the microphone on the captain's headset.
"Don't say anything, just continue!" Xu Cang said coldly.
After saying that, Xu Cang directly released the microphone and switched the frequencies of the two navigation panels to the VOR frequency. In an instant, the aircraft's horizontal guidance switched from the satellite landing system to the VOR guidance.
"How can we fly without guidance?" the captain shouted. Then, he suddenly saw Xu Cang's lips opening and closing slightly, as if he was calculating something.
Xu Cang's eyes kept moving back and forth, which made the captain in charge stunned. Soon, the captain in charge found that Xu Cang was not looking at the airspeed indicator or something, but at the ground speed and altitude indicator on the navigation page.
That’s right, Xu Cang is not looking at the indicated airspeed now, but the ground speed.
The second pilot reacted even faster than the pilot in charge, he almost let out a long howl.
He knew what Xu Cang was doing! He was calculating a glide path artificially!
The satellite navigation system also calculates the descent through computers, but now Xu Cang is doing what the computer should do.
Why did he look at the ground speed instead of the indicated airspeed? Because he needed the ground speed to calculate the descent rate in real time. Yes, today is indeed a very good day, no wind, the temperature is very standard, except for the volcanic ash.