Pre-flight preparations for Erhai-Tianjin flight 9113 in the flight preparation room.
During this period, although they could not move to the new base building for the time being, Qin Xin still thoughtfully asked someone to renovate the courtyard of the temporary base, so that at least it would not appear that they were having a hard time.
Today's flight preparation room is arranged in a separate room. Of course, that is a room in the literal sense, not like the huge room in the Blue Sky Airlines flight preparation room that can accommodate twelve tables.
There are only two tables in the preparation room, one for flight crews and one for cabin crews. It seems to be well allocated, but in fact, if two flight groups come in at the same time, the room will not be enough.
However, there are relatively few flights of Spring Airlines at present, and the times for pre-flight preparations are staggered, so there is no need to worry about the embarrassing situation of two sets of passengers squeezing into one room for the time being.
However, when the twenty ARJ21s from Guoda Airlines arrive, this room will definitely not be enough. If nothing unexpected happens, Guoda Airlines will not only send the aircraft, but also the crews, and Spring Airlines will usher in a period of explosive growth in personnel.
According to Qin Xin's idea, she would find a way to free up another room to be used as a preparation room. However, the rooms in this base courtyard were already quite tight, and there was no specific plan for how to adjust them.
In the preparation room, Xu Cang was boredly looking at the release documents. In the corner of the room was a long table with three people sitting on it, namely the flight doctor, the dispatcher and the document document.
Thanks to the generosity of Muhua Airlines, Spring Airlines finally organized a decent team. However, compared with regular airlines, these configurations still seem shabby.
There was nothing special about the Jinmen Airport. It was a normal plain airport with a single runway. Xu Cang just glanced at it, threw the clearance information aside, and began to doze off.
Sure enough, when it’s time to go to work, it’s like taking sleeping pills.
At another table, the crew was still having a lively meeting. There were more of them, so they needed to assign tasks in advance, so it was more troublesome than the flight. And in this crew, Xia Shuyue was among them.
Xu Cang hadn't seen Xia Shuyue for a while. Now that he saw her again, Xia Shuyue was no longer the newcomer in the industry, and had a more stable temperament.
However, Xu Cang found that Xia Shuyue kept looking at him, which made Xu Cang feel a little embarrassed.
He was already feeling sleepy, and after reading the information and finishing his work, Lu Jinghua was outside making a phone call. Xu Cang felt even more lonely, so he simply lay down on the table, still thinking about the issue of introducing aircraft.
If you really have money, you can rent a plane from a foreign aircraft leasing company or buy it directly. The problem is that the company's finances are tight now, and we would like to split one dollar into two dollars. It would definitely be better to buy it cheaper .
However, he has already taken advantage of both Boeing and Muhua, so he may not be able to make money from them anymore.
"I should have known that I would have been more ruthless." Xu Cang sighed sadly, thinking that he was indeed too kind.
Of course, if the domestic routes in the province develop well in the future, it is probably worth considering spending some money to rent an airplane abroad. After all, if you buy an airplane, firstly, the initial capital investment is large, and secondly, you need to wait for the delivery, which cannot solve the urgent problem.
Xu Cang rested his chin on the table, his arms hanging down, and his body twisted left and right like a caterpillar along with the swivel chair. He looked visibly bored.
Just then, Lu Jinghua, who had been outside on the phone for a long time, finally came in with a smile on his face, and no one knew what he was so happy about.
Lu Jinghua put his phone aside, sat down, and said to Xu Cang mysteriously, "After we get in, I'll go to the freight building to pick up something. It's a good thing."
"You have things in the cargo building? How did you get there?" Xu Cang was a little surprised.
"Oh, the things my friend sent me from abroad just arrived at the freight building after entering the customs at Tianjin. Since our transit time is long, there is no need to send it from Tianjin to Erhai Lake. During the transit time, I will go and get it myself." Lu Jinghua explained.
Xu Cang laughed and said, "What is that?"
"I've already told you it's a good thing. I'll open your eyes when the time comes." Lu Jinghua seemed a little excited, which aroused Xu Cang's interest as well.
Lu Jinghua didn't brag about the item sent from abroad, but concentrated on reading the information. Although the flight route to Tianjin was unremarkable, it was the first flight after all, so it still had to be given some respect.
This time, both the flight crew and the cabin crew came early, so there was still some time left for Lu Jinghua to finish reading the release documents. The cabin crew was still coordinating, and Lu Jinghua was not in a hurry. He threw the release documents aside and talked about the matter of Guoda Airlines delivering 20 ARJ21s to him in the future.
"Have the 20 ARJ21s for Guoda Airlines been finalized?" Lu Jinghua leaned back in his chair, looking very relaxed.
Xu Cang hummed: "Yeah, what's wrong?"
"But I think the apron here at Erhai Airport is not big enough. There are four jet bridge positions and four remote parking positions, which makes eight in total. Our company has more than 20 ARJ21s, and also some 737s. No matter how you look at it, it's not enough, right?" Lu Jinghua's expression was still serious. This was indeed a problem that needed to be solved urgently.
Erhai Airport is too small to support the needs of an airline's base airport. However, one of the important reasons is that Spring Airlines has developed too fast.
The original plan was to have only three 737s, a fleet of this size that could definitely be accommodated by Erhai Airport. But Xu Cang got a full 20 ARJ21s from Guoda Airlines at once, which was almost a leap forward.
Although ARJ21 is smaller than 737, it does not mean that one parking space can be split and used for two ARJ21s. Lu Jinghua is of course also surprised by the rapid expansion of the fleet size, but with the expansion of the fleet size, other aspects should also be matched.
Xu Cang seemed to have a plan in mind. After Lu Jinghua asked the question, he quickly answered: "I have thought about this. First of all, Erhai Airport must be expanded. Not only the runway, but also the apron and terminal building must be upgraded. Otherwise, the scale of the airport will restrict our development."
"I heard from Miss Qin that you are interested in investing in Jinghong Airport and even thinking about privatizing it. So, you want to use the same method on Erhai Lake?"
Xu Cang shook his head: "No, Erhai Airport is very valuable, but not as valuable as Jinghong Airport. The future of Jinghong Airport must be firmly in the hands of Spring Airlines, so no matter what difficulties there are, as long as there is an opportunity, we must privatize Jinghong Airport. However, there is no need for Erhai Airport. We can adopt cooperative means and strive for priority appropriately. There is no need to do extreme things."
"Since you think so highly of Jinghong, why didn't you set up your base in Jinghong from the beginning, but came to Erhai Lake, which is first-class?"
Xu Cang clicked his tongue and said, "Going to Jinghong? You've also seen that Jinghong Airport doesn't even have a flight procedure right now, how can we get there? Jinghong Airport is a precious jade that needs to be nurtured, do you understand?"
"Okay, okay, okay, it all depends on your words." Lu Jinghua waved his hand: "What else do you have to say about the parking space?"
Xu Cang rolled his eyes. "Our company is short of funds right now, and it is impossible for us to support Erhai Airport as we did Jinghong Airport. Therefore, the expansion of Erhai Airport will probably have to be done slowly. Therefore, we have to place some aircraft at outstations. Apart from anything else, most ARJ21s will probably still be placed at Jianchuan Airport. In the future, the center point of the provincial routes will also be in Jianchuan, and placing aircraft at Jianchuan Airport will save the need for additional dispatch."
"However, if we park the planes at Jianchuan Airport, we will need to build a branch base at Erhai Lake. There are still many planes. It will be difficult to manage without a branch base, right?" Lu Jinghua said helplessly, "It would be better to set up the company at Jianchuan Airport."
"Anyway, you just don't like the location of Erhai Lake?" Xu Cang snorted, "However, Erhai Lake is indeed a bit small. When the company grows bigger, this place can't be used to house the company's headquarters. We really have to relocate."
"Then why don't you just do it in one go?"
"How can we achieve it in one step? There are seven base companies in Jianchuan alone. Is there any land left in the airport work area? All the land has been occupied by others. If we squeeze in, we will be attacked by everyone." Xu Cang said: "We don't need to build a branch base at Jianchuan Airport. It will only be an ordinary overnight stop, so as to avoid the base airlines in Jianchuan from having any wild thoughts."
"Overnight point, count it as overnight?" Lu Jinghua was somewhat shocked by Xu Cang's approach: "Then the workload for the dispatch and planning office will be too heavy."
"We can't help it. We don't have the extra money to build a branch base in Jianchuan, and we do have to consider the possibility of causing resentment among local airlines in Jianchuan, so for now we can only position Jianchuan Airport as an overnight stop. The workload of the dispatch and planning office is indeed quite large, so the remuneration for these two positions must be set at the highest point in the industry, and we must find people with sufficient experience."
Lu Jinghua understood Xu Cang's meaning, but this involved another question: "You are worried about arousing the vigilance of Jianchuan's local aviation, so you don't even build a branch base in Jianchuan. Is it going to be like this in the future, and never officially march into Jianchuan?"
"I've said that the territory of Jianchuan has been divided up. If you try to squeeze in, you'll be very abrupt and easily become a target. But if you replace an existing local airline, the power structure won't be broken, and the reaction of other airlines won't be very intense."
Lu Jinghua was startled, then asked in surprise: "You want to replace him? Who?"
Lu Jinghua had already reacted by the end and deliberately lowered his voice: "Blue Sky Airlines, your target is Blue Sky Airlines? That shouldn't be the case. Although Blue Sky Airlines has slowed down in recent years and internal problems have accumulated, there are no major problems. How can you swallow Blue Sky Airlines?"
Lu Jinghua has been the general manager of the flight department of Blue Sky Airlines for a long time and knows the internal situation of Blue Sky Airlines very well. It is true that Blue Sky Airlines has many problems and its development in recent times has not been satisfactory, so the company's top management is a bit desperate. However, thanks to the period of rapid growth that Blue Sky Airlines experienced a long time ago, it still has some foundation. If you want to swallow Blue Sky Airlines, you will easily end up eating too much.
"Yes, Blue Sky Airlines has many problems, but which airline doesn't have problems? So, it needs a fuse, a fuse that is fatal enough to detonate the accumulated problems. Then, our chance will come."
"Where would such an opportunity come from?"
"In fact, the previous joint operation of 747 by Blue Sky Airlines and Muhua Airlines was a good opportunity. However, it involves the S2 switch issue, and I can't just sit there and do nothing." Xu Cang laughed: "However, it seems that Blue Sky Airlines has not learned any lessons from the previous 747 incident. Moreover, it is digging a bigger hole for itself, and we can see the clues as early as tomorrow or the end of the year."
"At the end of next year?" Lu Jinghua thought hard, searching for information about what would happen at the end of next year. Not long after, Lu Jinghua thought of a possibility: "You mean... A380?"
…
Time flies. Just as expected, there is nothing worth noting on the Erhai-Tianjin route, and the plane landed smoothly at Jinmen Airport.
After the plane landed and the passengers got off, Lu Jinghua began to rummage through his flight box, just like a hamster looking through its stored food for the winter.
Xu Cang had already finished preparing for the return trip. He lowered the backrest of his chair to the lowest position and lay down. Seeing Lu Jinghua busy, he asked, "What are you doing? Are you looking for something?"
"Reflective vest, I need to walk a distance from the apron below. Oh, I was wearing it when I took off from Erhai Lake and did the plane inspection, how come I can't find it?" While speaking, Lu Jinghua wished he could stick his head into the flight box.
"Oh, don't look for it, use mine first." Xu Cang took out a reflective vest from his box and threw it on the central control console: "Hey, are you going to the cargo building? Go ahead. I'll watch over here, and remember to return the vest to me when you come back."
"Tsk!" Lu Jinghua flicked his tongue and searched again, but still couldn't find it, so he gave up and tidied up his clothes that were wrinkled from searching just now. Lu Jinghua was very conscious of managing his own image.
Picking up Xu Cang's reflective vest, Lu Jinghua pulled the chair away and stood up to leave: "I'll return it to you when I'm done. If there's anything you need to sign, just sign it yourself. If you're really unsure, call me."
"Well, go ahead!"
As soon as Xu Cang finished speaking, the figure of the chief flight attendant appeared from the cockpit door .
The flight attendant smiled and asked, "Captain, we still have a lot of time to stop over. We are going to go shopping at the airport duty-free shop. Do you want to join us?"
It is normal for a place like Tianjin to have a duty-free shop in the airport, and the crew likes to take this opportunity to go shopping in the duty-free shop. Lu Jinghua is also accustomed to it. It is a routine operation for flight attendants to go to the duty-free shop to buy cosmetics and so on. He is very open-minded and waved his hand: "Go ahead, just pay attention to the time and don't delay your work."
"Got it." The chief flight attendant quickly gestured to the flight attendants behind him, indicating that the captain agreed, and then a silver bell-like laughter rang out in the cabin.
It is said that beauty is a feast to the eyes, and most of the flight attendants are good-looking, so this scene is very pleasing to the eyes.
"Take a mission letter with you, in case you are not allowed to come in at the boarding gate." Xu Cang took out a mission letter and handed it to the flight attendant, then pointed to the exit of the jet bridge: "If no one opens the door for you, call me and I will call someone on the on-site frequency."
The flight attendant smiled and said, "Okay!"
As he spoke, Xu Cang saw Xia Shuyue behind him through the crowd, and waved at her with a smile, signaling her to come over. At the same time, he glared at Lu Jinghua, signaling him to get out.
Lu Jinghua was very tactful and immediately grabbed the reflective vest and ran out.
When Xia Shuyue came in, Xu Cang looked behind her. After the other flight attendants left, Xu Cang asked, "Are you going out with the chief flight attendant later?"
Xia Shuyue nodded: "Our whole group is going. Brother, aren't you going?"
"I'm not going. The captain has something to do, and the plane can't be empty, so I'll stay in the cockpit." Xu Cang smiled and said, "Have you decided what to buy at the duty-free shop later? Cosmetics? Girls should mostly buy these."
"As for me, I don't have anything to buy. I already have everything."
Xu Cang raised his eyebrows and said, "Really?"
Xia Shuyue's eyes were evasive: "Really?"
"Shuyue, do you think I brought you to Erhai Lake to make you suffer?" Xu Cang took out a bank card from his wallet and stuffed it into Xia Shuyue's hand: "The password is 181233, just use it with confidence. The whole team will go there, everyone is buying things, if you don't buy anything, you will be looked down upon. In addition, take the initiative and buy something for the chief steward. This chief steward is the most experienced chief steward in our company now, and she may very well be the first steward inspector in our company in the future. If you have a good relationship with her, it will be easier for you to be promoted to chief steward in the future. I don't know much about the situation on your side of the stewards, but I think it is more about personal relationships than our flying. Pay attention to building good relationships at ordinary times, it will do you no harm."
Of course, this doesn't mean that there is no human relationship in flying. It's just that flying is a technical job after all, and technology is the first and decisive factor.
The position of flight attendant certainly has a lot of technical content, but it is ultimately more service-oriented, so there is a lot of subjectivity in the assessment, so human relationships naturally account for a larger proportion.
Moreover, compared to the captain's authority, if the chief steward wants to deliberately embarrass a flight attendant, the means are much more ruthless. Xia Shuyue is introverted, and Xu Cang doesn't want her to be isolated by the flight attendant group, which is not good for her future career or even life.
Xia Shuyue grabbed Xu Cang's bank card, feeling a little at a loss, and her eyes suddenly turned red.
However, Xu Cang pointed in the direction of the covered bridge and said, "Go ahead. Everyone in your group has left."
Xia Shuyue turned around and found that the cabin was empty.
"Brother, do you need to buy anything?" Xia Shuyue didn't say anything to refuse. If she said anything else, it would be hypocritical: "I can bring it for you."
Xu Cang thought for a moment and said, "Please bring me some eye cream!"
Xia Shuyue's eyes fell on Xu Cang's eyes: "Brother, you can't use it, right?"
"I don't have any use for it." Xu Cang laughed, "But I know a little crybaby, I plan to give it to her."
Xia Shuyue was stunned for a moment, then she understood what Xu Cang meant, and her face turned slightly red.
"Go ahead, I'll take a nap."
After saying that, Xu Cang no longer cared about Xia Shuyue, but lay down on the chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Xia Shuyue looked at Xu Cang who was taking a nap, hesitated for a moment, put the bank card in his pocket, left the cockpit, and quickly chased after the others.
After Xia Shuyue left, Xu Cang slowly opened his eyes and looked through the windshield to see Xia Shuyue reunited with most people on the corridor bridge before he closed his eyes again with relief.
However, Xu Cang was just beginning to feel a little sleepy when he heard footsteps getting closer and closer until they finally reached his side.
Xu Cang opened his eyes and turned his head to find that it was the ground cargo loader, with a list in his hand.
"Hello, here is a dangerous goods notification form that I need you to sign."
"Dangerous goods notification?" Xu Cang remembered that Spring Airlines was qualified to transport dangerous goods, so he didn't think too much about it. He took the form and signed it while asking, "What dangerous goods?"
In fact, this form should be signed by the captain, but Xu Cang didn't care much about it and just signed it himself.
The loader immediately responded, "Toluene diisocyanate! We have checked the packaging and the seals are intact."
"Toluene diisocyanate?" Xu Cang stopped signing suddenly and asked with a frown, "Isn't this thing toxic? Does it comply with the regulations for the transportation of dangerous goods?"
The loader nodded quickly: "Yes, we have confirmed the regulations."
"It complies with the regulations! OK then." After saying that, Xu Cang returned the signed form to the loader. The loader pulled out a copy of the receipt from the notice and handed the other one back to Xu Cang.
"Two copies!" said the loader. "The stuff has been loaded. I'm leaving now."
Xu Cang hummed, stuffed the notice into his file bag, and went back to sleep. However, although Xu Cang seemed to be sleeping again, there was always a thought lingering in his mind.
Why did he seem to have heard of toluene diisocyanate somewhere before?
…
Richard, chairman of the World Federation of Air Line Pilots Association, the British Aviation Authority, walked slowly in the corridor. He heard that the ICAO had completed the decoding work on the flight data recorder of Flight 1009, so he came here to broaden his horizons and see how big the gap was between the glide path calculated by Xu Cangxin and the actual standard path.
Moreover, given the bet Xu Cang made with the British Aviation Authority, Richard's interest was even higher.
However, before reaching the office of the commissioner in charge of this matter, when passing by the lounge, Richard suddenly felt an atmosphere as heavy as a quagmire. He casually turned his head to look in the direction of the hall, but saw a large group of people gathered in the middle of the hall, most of whom had their backs to him.
These people seemed to be attracted by something and were distributed in a fan shape, with almost everyone's attention focused on the center of the fan.
"Hmm?" Richard's mind moved, and he couldn't help feeling a little curious, so he temporarily gave up the idea of ​​going to the office and turned into the lounge.
As the sound of Richard's footsteps spread into the crowd, some people on the periphery turned their heads, and after seeing Richard, they actually separated to both sides like waves, finally revealing the center that carried everyone's attention.
He was a very tall man in a suit, but his back was still facing Richard. However, from his back, it was clear that his body was shaking continuously.
Richard recognized the man's figure. It was Rick, the commissioner in charge of the investigation of Flight 1009 who had made a bet with Xu Cang at the Sahidya Hotel in Jakarta.
A vague thought suddenly arose in Richard's mind, but he did not delve into it. Instead, he took a step forward and gently patted Rick on the shoulder: "Rick?"
After hearing Richard's voice, Rick slowly turned around, holding a stack of documents in his hands. Richard could see densely packed numbers on them.
That's the decoded file of the flight data!
However, Rick, who had been confident and proud in his previous confrontation with Xu Cang, now had a look of extreme fear on his face. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were trembling, as if something was stuck in his throat blocking his ability to speak.
"Rick, you..." Richard and Rick are also good friends in life. It is because of this relationship that Richard knows that the British Aviation Authority intends to use Xu Cang to kill the prestige of CAAC.
Admittedly, Rick did not gain any advantage in his previous confrontation with Xu Cang, but after all, it was the CAAC people who came forward to protect Xu Cang, so he could not be said to be at a disadvantage.
However, at this moment, Rick seemed to have seen something that frightened him greatly, and Richard had never seen Rick have such an intense emotional reaction.
Soon, his eyes moved to the decoded file in Rick's hand, and he turned to the other CAA staff: "What is this file?"
A young man next to him said, "The ICAO just faxed over the decoded file of flight data for Flight 1009."
In fact, Richard already had some guesses in his mind, but when it was confirmed that it was indeed the thing, he was still shocked. The source of everything was this document.
"Rick, what's wrong with this document? What did you see on it?" Richard shouted.
As Richard called out, Rick's emotions gradually calmed down, but his body was still shaking. He grabbed Richard's shoulders and raised his eyes, meeting Richard's puzzled gaze.
A sound like yellow sand came out of Rick's throat...
Richard's pupils suddenly contracted, and Rick's trembling syllables echoed in his ears: "Richard, in that file, I saw... God!"
…
In Qin Xin's office in the courtyard of Erhai Spring and Summer Aviation Base, she was dealing with Boeing's compensation. Boeing had already provided a compensation plan for the previous 1566 compensation. As long as Qin Xin reviewed and signed the plan, Boeing would start the compensation process.
Previously, the company's internal finance department had conducted a professional review of the compensation plan and found that Boeing was not stingy and was relatively generous in its compensation plan. Therefore, the finance department's opinion was acceptable .
Although this is the professional opinion, Qin Xin still has to personally review it to make the final decision. Of course, under normal circumstances, if there are no major loopholes, Qin Xin is still inclined to accept it.
If she accepted the compensation plan, as she said when she met with Wang Xuan before, she should also start discussing the wet lease agreement with Blue Sky Airlines.
Although Spring Airlines is not large in scale, it has a lot to do.
However, on second thought, for some reason, Xu Cang's shadow suddenly appeared in Qin Xin's mind, and her right eyelid twitched unconsciously without warning.
Qin Xin's mind was in a mess, and her thoughts were scattered far away. She couldn't concentrate at all.
"What's going on?"
Qin Xin was just about to get rid of the distracting thoughts in her mind when suddenly, the door of her office was roughly pushed open and her secretary came in.
The secretary's expression was extremely solemn, and the atmosphere in the office became a little grim.
The distracting thoughts that had just been suppressed started to stir up trouble again. Qin Xin could no longer care about her work. As if she had sensed something, she was the first to ask, her tone full of nervousness and fear: "What's wrong?"
The secretary let out a breath, but the sound of her breath was full of ups and downs, showing that she was completely nervous and could not suppress her emotions: "Miss, flight 9114...something happened!"
Qin Xin was startled, and a pain surged in her heart: "9114? Isn't that Xu Cang's first flight back from Tianjin?"