"Do you mean you want to perform the no-radius turn operation that you demonstrated at Qitai Airport again?" After listening to Xu Cang's introduction of the situation, Bi Lin quickly realized Xu Cang's idea.
In fact, as a witness to the shocking operation at Qitai Airport, Bi Lin understood Xu Cang's thoughts better than anyone else.
"Yes... but not completely." Xu Cang pondered for a moment and organized his words a little: "The airflow from the wind outlet in the valley near Qitai Airport is relatively stable, and it is easy to control the aircraft in a relatively critical state. However, the airflow in the Alps this time is not only stronger than the strong wind at the mountain pass of Qitai Airport, but also quite unstable. It is impossible to maintain a state of post-stall angle of attack."
"Then what do you mean?" Bi Lin was a little confused. "Or do you want to complete the approach with a high speed indication and low ground speed in a very strong headwind?"
"That's about it." Xu Cang paused and said, "Mr. Bi, do you think this is feasible?"
Bi Lin was obviously silent for a while, and he seemed to be seriously considering the feasibility of this plan: "Can you guarantee that the airflow will be completely parallel to the runway? According to what you said, in order to achieve the condition of ultra-low ground speed, the headwind must be close to 100 knots. As long as the wind direction is slightly at an angle to the runway direction, the crosswind component generated will be incomparably large. The aircraft can withstand a stronger headwind, but it is difficult to withstand a larger crosswind."
Xu Cang seemed to have thought it through: "The core of the local cyclone is a wedge-shaped tornado, which is more than one kilometer long and has an EF rating of four. According to the cloud map, the center of the tornado will briefly pass over the Manor Airport in the near future, which will cause the air flow over the Manor to be completely parallel to the runway. After friction and obstruction from the terrain, the wind speed will be reduced to about two hundred kilometers per hour. I think this is a relatively appropriate value."
Unlike the commonly used Beaufort scale, tornadoes are usually measured using the Enhanced Fujita scale, which has a scale of 0 to 5. So far, no EF6 tornado has ever been found.
According to common experience, the EF rating of a tornado is related to its shape. For example, the EF rating of a chimney tornado or a rope tornado is slightly lower, usually not exceeding level 4.
However, the EF level of a wedge-shaped tornado is usually higher, basically reaching EF4-5.
Of course, there is also a type of twin tornado, the level, intensity, and impact range of this type of tornado are uncertain.
According to satellite cloud images, the width of the tornado in the core of this Alpine cyclone has not yet reached its maximum value, and its EF intensity should be between level four and five, with a predicted wind speed of three hundred kilometers per hour.
However, there are many gullies in the mountains, and the airflow will be reduced a lot when blocked by the mountains. Ultimately, the wind speed in this field should only be fixed at 200 kilometers per hour, which is more in line with Xu Cang's requirements.
If the tornado is strong enough to reach EF5 or above, the wind speed is usually more than 350 kilometers per hour. Such wind speed is too high for the approaching aircraft even after passing through the terrain. In some extreme cases, the aircraft cannot form a positive ground speed in such a strong headwind in the landing configuration, which is obviously not feasible.
But if the wind speed is too low, it will not be able to significantly reduce the aircraft's ground speed.
The final wind speed of 200 kilometers per hour was just right. One point more would be too much, and one point less would be too little. Perhaps this was the only way God was slightly partial to Xu Cang.
"EF4 is a little bit bigger, but the mountainous terrain is rugged and blocked by the terrain, so the wind speed in this area should be relatively appropriate." Bi Lin still agreed with the calculation.
Xu Cang is a man who is very good at flying, not to mention other fields. He will take all factors into consideration, and all Bi Lin has to do is to find out the gaps and make up for them.
But the obvious fact is that there seems to be no need to change Xu Cang's plan.
"If you want to reduce your ground speed to a very low level with a strong headwind, what is your expected ground speed?"
Xu Cang said without hesitation: "Within fifty knots, this will be a safer value. I will choose the landing configuration based on the actual wind speed. The airflow in this field is too chaotic. If all the flaps are extended, the aircraft may not be able to maintain its position. Moreover, I cannot guarantee that the terrain will reduce the wind speed to two hundred kilometers per hour. If necessary, I will use the flaps restrictively."
"Yes, releasing the flaps too much will reduce the aircraft's ability to resist gusts. Partially using the flaps is indeed a good choice." Bi Lin thought for a moment: "Also, my suggestion is not to lower the landing gear too early to increase the stability of the aircraft."
"Huh? Why?" Xu Cang was stunned. In his plan, he really had the idea of ​​lowering the landing gear earlier.
Since the landing gear will play a role in stabilizing the aircraft's yaw after being lowered, just like a vertical tail, Xu Cang plans to lower the landing gear in advance if there is really too much airflow.
However, unexpectedly, Bi Lin directly denied Xu Cang's idea.
"Xu Cang, you haven't flown enough. Perhaps you haven't encountered this kind of extreme snowy weather, so your understanding is insufficient." Bi Lin paused and said, "I have flown in the Northeast before. At that time, the heavy snowy weather was minus 34 degrees Celsius, which is certainly not as good as the current situation in the Alps. However, that day I was too high and couldn't land, so I lowered the landing gear early to increase the descent rate."
Xu Cang frowned. Releasing the landing gear in advance to increase the descent rate was a very normal operation, but from what Bi Lin said, he was afraid that something big might happen later.
"I was only three or four minutes early, but those three or four minutes almost cost me my life." Even after so many years, Bi Lin still feels scared every time he thinks of the past: "There was nothing unusual in front, but as soon as the plane touched down, the taxiing direction was immediately out of control. No matter how I controlled it, the plane still ran off the runway. At that time, due to the impact, the engine caught fire directly. Fortunately, I ran fast, and the plane exploded just after running a dozen or twenty meters."
Bi Lin calmed down a bit and said, "After investigation, it was found that the snow and water accumulated on the landing gear and froze the landing gear shaft. My right landing gear wheel did not turn after landing and was always locked. Later, I looked at the right landing gear wheel and found that the tire in contact with the ground had been worn away and the wheel hub was exposed. Xu Cang, this is the only flight accident I have ever had in my life."
"Xu Cang, you have to remember. Ice accumulation is always a taboo in flying, and you must be on guard against it." At the end, Bi Lin gave Xu Cang some special instructions.
Xu Cang listened to this and remained silent for a long time. He had indeed not encountered too much rain and snow, let alone such an exaggerated ice accumulation. The snow and water could actually freeze the landing gear wheels directly after freezing. Xu Cang had never thought about this kind of thing.
This is experience, the most valuable experience.
"Mr. Bi, I understand." Xu Cang said from the bottom of his heart: "Thank you."
The situation in the Alps is definitely worse than what Bi Lin experienced in the Northeast. Bi Lin had lowered the landing gear a little early and almost died on the spot. If Xu Cang had followed the plan, he would have died without a burial place.
You know, Xu Cang planned to lower the landing gear after entering the cyclone area. This was not three or four minutes in advance, but probably nearly ten minutes in advance. According to the conditions in the Alps, I'm afraid all the landing gear wheels would be frozen to death.
The snow depth at the Manor Airport already seriously exceeds the limit. If the plane were to slip when touching the ground, wouldn't that be a complete death?
Just based on this suggestion, Xu Cang felt that the call to Mr. Bi was well worth it.
No, it can't be said that this is worthwhile, it should be said that it saves lives.
"Also, I suggest only releasing the flaps halfway." Bi Lin said, "The existence of flaps can stabilize the aircraft. However, it is not necessary to release all flaps. This is not about resisting gusts, or not entirely. If, as you said, a headwind parallel to the runway can be formed at the airport at a certain point in time, then the aircraft configuration and approach speed are not very important. The headwind is enough to limit the ground speed to a level that satisfies you."
"Then the amount of flaps to use should not be based on the approach speed gear selection, but should be used to deal with turbulence and some emergencies. You and I both know that, like landing gear, the existence of flaps will also increase the stability of the aircraft to a certain extent. This is understandable in a turbulent environment. However, no matter how stable the aircraft is, once the airflow changes suddenly, the aircraft will still experience a huge amount of state changes in that environment. At this time, the stability of the aircraft is not a favorable factor, because it will inhibit the pilot's stress response operation in a short period of time."
"Therefore, I think releasing half of the flaps is a good choice, rather than positioning the flaps to correct the ground speed." Bi Lin coughed lightly: "Xu Cang, your skills are already flawless, and any technical problems are not a problem for you. What you lack is just some experience accumulated over time. For ordinary people, in such windy and turbulent weather, the more stable the aircraft is, the better. However, for you, compared to the stability of the aircraft, you should believe in your own technical level more. You should use your ability to see through the opportunity to correct the impact of turbulence on the aircraft. We always correct the aircraft with a fraction of a second. If the aircraft is too stable, it will be a bad thing."
In fact, this is a bit like the thinking of a fighter jet.
The stability and maneuverability of an aircraft are always a pair of pros and cons. Bi Lin's meaning is very simple. Ordinary people do not have such strong control ability, so they naturally tend to be more stable in order to make fewer corrections to the aircraft.
But for someone like Xu Cang, whose skills have reached perfection, he cannot suppress the maneuverability of the aircraft too much, because this means playing to one's weaknesses and avoiding one's strengths, which is naturally undesirable.
"However, Xu Cang, you have never flown in such severe and violent weather conditions. If you are not careful, you will die. To be honest, I don't recommend you to go." Bi Lin was very sincere: "Whether in civil aviation or in the entire history of flight, it is extremely rare to survive in such an environment. You have to understand that the problem you face is not just the landing distance, you may not even be able to get close to the center of the cyclone."
Xu Cang just smiled and said, "Mr. Bi, there are some things you don't know yet. You are right about one thing. Any technical problem is not a problem for me now."
"Really?" Bi Lin didn't say anything else, but suddenly changed the subject: "Xu Cang, regarding what happened to Old Man Si before, I hope you don't blame him."
When this matter was mentioned, Xu Cang's expression did not change much: "That was the old man's wish, I naturally won't blame him."
"Xu Cang, Gong Yue from Xianchi Branch is not a bad person. He is from the northwest, and he wants to be independent so that he can contribute to the development of the northwest." Bi Lin said: "Before, Muhua headquarters mostly restricted Xianchi Branch . On the one hand, it extracted a large amount of profits from it, and on the other hand, it did not allow it to develop freely. This caused Gong Yue to have a deeper grudge."
Xu Cang raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he heard Gong Yue analyzed from the heart. If Bi Lin was right, this suggestion would play a decisive role in handling the Xianchi branch.
"I see. I already have some ideas." Xu Cang said, "Thank you, Mr. Bi, for reminding me."
"It's all as I should." Bi Lin paused and said, "If you have made up your mind, I will not stop you. I wish you good luck."
Xu Cang hummed: "Mr. Bi, I'm hanging up now."
As the call was hung up, the dark room fell into darkness again. Xu Cang just sat there quietly, not speaking or moving, as if he had merged into the darkness.
Thousands of miles away, in the office of the director of the Hanjing Flight Test Institute, the sun was shining gently outside, without the bleak feeling of Munich.
However, compared to the atmosphere outside, the atmosphere in the office was extremely solemn.
A video was playing on the TV in the corner of the office. If Xu Cang were here, he would definitely find that this video was the video of him landing at Munich Airport on British Airways Flight 531.
At that time, the European Civil Aviation Conference was being held near the airport. A large number of media personnel brought professional video equipment and captured a clear video of Xu Cang landing.
However, this video has not been made public yet, but it has already fallen into Bi Lin's hands, which shows how powerful Bi Lin is.
The professional equipment shot the video very well, and even before the plane landed, the camera pulled back to capture all the details of the plane landing. In the picture, you can clearly see that the right wing of the British Airways Boeing 777 is mostly broken, but the plane landed on the runway in an incredible state.
"How did he do it?" Beside Bi Lin, Chen Gang, the chief of the Flight Test Institute, was puzzled. "In other words, how did he stabilize the plane before approaching? If the wing was broken, the plane should have lost control in an instant."
"Perhaps he switched the functions of the elevator and rudder to control the aircraft in a more unconventional way." Bi Lin sighed, "I said before that he has not yet reached his peak, but I really didn't expect his peak altitude to be so high."
Chief Chen Gang's face was not looking good: "Dean, this kind of talent should be summoned to the Flight Test Institute immediately. This is where he can realize his value. I have read the news about the Alpine Mountains. It has now been set as a no-fly zone by EASA. Let him go there in case something goes wrong!"
"You don't understand." Bi Lin shook his head: "He has reached the perfect state. It is said that one can see the nature of the mind and see God. When he looks directly into his inner heart, he will find that he himself is God."
Chief Chen Gang's breath caught in his throat: "Dean, how does he compare to you?"
"Before this incident , he was not as good as me. After this incident, I am much worse than him." Bi Lin felt a little complicated: "There really are people in this world who have honed their skills to such a flawless level. It's a pity, it's a pity."
Chief Chen Gang's mind was slightly moved. He had always regarded Bi Lin as the goal of his life. If Bi Lin evaluated Xu Cang in this way, then he didn't even need to be jealous.
"Xiao Chen, you will have to take care of the Flight Test Institute's affairs in a while." Bi Lin suddenly said.
This sentence immediately changed Chen Gang's expression: "Dean, after Mr. Si passed away, Director Li no longer came to question me. Perhaps this matter is not as serious as we imagined."
"Impossible. I took the initiative to hand over Northwest China to Xu Cang, which was a big taboo. Resigning should be my end." Bi Lin sighed, "It's okay. I'm old too. The future belongs to you. Xiao Chen, you are quite steady. I feel relieved to hand over the Flight Test Institute to you. By the way, don't mention forcibly summoning Xu Cang to the institute in the future . He has his own way. It's up to him to decide how to go."
Chen Gang's heart trembled, and he lowered his head: "I understand, Dean."
…
In Munich, Germany, time passed in a flash. When the first rays of sunlight in the early morning fell on the earth, the heartbeat that broke the silence suddenly sounded, and Xu Cang, who had been sitting upright in the room, let out a breath: "Finally... it's started!"
Due to some unexpected circumstances, the difficulty of this rescue flight was much higher than planned. Xu Cang gave the task of the final inspection of the aircraft to Richard, and he adjusted himself to cope with this flight in the best condition.
Xu Cang changed into a clean set of clothes that Richard had specially prepared for him.
It was an extremely slim-fitting Italian suit, more like a dress than a pilot's uniform.
When he left the room and appeared in the hotel lobby, most of the relatives of the rich had already dispersed, but almost no relatives of the manor employees had left. In fact, in the past two hours, more relatives had come from afar.
Facing the cool morning light, Xu Cang walked out of the hotel lobby and looked at the relatives of the employees who had been waiting on the slope for a long time. These people had never left, and some of them even had dew on their hair and eyelashes because they stood for too long.
Xu Cang did not speak, but faced the gazes of these people and slowly walked towards the car that Richard had prepared for him. This car would take him directly to the inner field apron of Munich Airport.
Next to the car, Richard also changed into a pilot's uniform. Although he was a bit old, he was tall and well-proportioned, and when he stood there, he looked quite gentlemanly.
Richard raised his hand and greeted Xu Cang with a smile.
Xu Cang nodded and wanted to get in the car. But at this moment, the first voice sounded in this quiet and sad morning. It was a woman's voice: "Mr. Xu Cang, can we wait here?"
Xu Cang didn't look at who said it, because it didn't make sense. He just paused for a moment, and Richard beside him also cast his eyes at him.
"Wait." Xu Cang lowered his head and entered the car. His voice echoed around him: "What you want... will come."
As the car started, it quickly disappeared from everyone's sight, but none of them left.
Xu Cang told them to wait, so they should wait.
When Xu Cang appeared at the airport, the CS300 had been towed to a remote parking position. There were only some maintenance and ground service personnel around, as well as a large de-icing and anti-icing fluid spraying vehicle.
The aircraft position here is very close to the runway head, but Munich Airport in Germany does not have a dedicated de-icing position at the runway head, so the only option is to spray de-icing fluid here.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of the anti-icing fluid as much as possible, the vehicle will not be shut down for de-icing, but will be de-iced at a slow speed.
After Xu Cang got off the car, he walked around the plane for inspection. He trusted Richard enough and didn't pay too much attention to the condition of the plane. Just as he walked around and was about to get on the plane, he seemed to think of something and looked at the de-icing truck not far away.
"What's wrong?" Richard noticed Xu Cang's strangeness and looked in the direction of Xu Cang's gaze: "Is it the de-icing truck? What's the problem?"
Xu Cang didn't say much, but walked straight to the de-icing truck. Richard followed him without knowing why.
As he got closer, the operator of the de-icing truck got out of the truck and saw Xu Cang: "Excuse me, what can I do for you?"
The man had a heavy accent, but Xu Cang could still vaguely understand him.
Xu Cang pointed at the de-icing truck and asked, "What type of anti-icing fluid is it?"
The operator did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Richard first, and then said, "It's SAE Type 4."
"SAE Type 4?" Xu Cang showed a thoughtful look.
Richard came over and said, "Xu Cang, this is the Type 4 anti-icing fluid that was just transferred from outside . We didn't have it here before. What's wrong? Is there any problem?"
Xu Cang pursed his lips, glanced at the operator, and suddenly said, "Release some."
The operator was startled: "What?"
"I mean release some anti-icing fluid." Xu Cang repeated.
"This..." The operator was stunned: "Our regulations only allow spraying on the aircraft body, not spraying anti-icing fluid on the ground."
Richard had never thought that Xu Cang would ask the operator to release some anti-icing fluid on the spot. However, after the initial shock, Richard somewhat understood Xu Cang's concerns: "Xu Cang, are you worried that there is a problem with the anti-icing fluid? No way, this kind of thing can't happen."
However, Xu Cang didn't care about Richard at all and said again: "It doesn't need to be much, just release a little bit."
A strange look flashed across the operator's face. "Sir, we really don't have any regulations on spraying anti-icing fluid here. If I do this, I will be punished."
At this moment, Richard seemed to have tasted something, and he did not stop Xu Cang anymore.
"We will compensate you for the losses you suffered as a result of your punishment." Xu Cang pointed to a drainage hole not far away and said, "Direct it there, release it."
The operator became more and more confused: "This... this... is not good!"
However, Xu Cang suddenly shouted: "What are you hesitating about? Let him out!"