"Crazy, crazy, a complete lunatic."
The roar of the Bombardier representative, full of arrogant anger and confusion, echoed in the control room of the tower at Munich Airport.
Around him, in addition to some necessary tower staff, there were also some bystanders, including Airbus COO Ronnie Covein.
Xu Cang's conversation with the Bombardier representative was through the loudspeaker, and Ronnie heard the entire conversation between the two. Even Ronnie Covein had to marvel at Xu Cang's completely different way of thinking from ordinary people and his great courage that went beyond common sense.
The manor airport located in the center of the cyclone is surrounded by a circle of extremely strong air currents, which makes it impossible to pass through. The only way is to send down divine soldiers from the sky and dive directly from the top of the cyclone.
However, for fixed-wing aircraft, diving is a technical job, at least it is not just about pushing the stick forward recklessly.
Moreover, even if Xu Cang solved the operational problem of the fixed-wing aircraft diving, the speed of the aircraft would definitely increase uncontrollably during the dive. This is the basic rule of energy conversion, and no one can suppress it. Perhaps Xu Cang could limit the final speed of the aircraft through some means, but the final speed would definitely be very, very high.
From Xu Cang's words, we can learn that his idea is to control the final speed at around 450 knots. That is the minimum result after Xu Cang's estimation, but it is still out of reach for most passenger planes.
"Four hundred and fifty!" Ronnie opened his mouth and looked at the extremely angry and even somewhat out-of-control Bombardier representative. He had no intention of canceling the meeting. If it were him, he would definitely have the same reaction. Four hundred and fifty, this was too crazy.
The Bombardier representative grabbed his hair and paced back and forth in the tower control room, appearing extremely anxious.
For the CS300 aircraft, the maximum speed flight test conducted by Bombardier is 380 knots, which is a continuous overspeed test. For the instantaneous overspeed flight test, the maximum speed is 400 knots.
If they wanted to conduct flight tests at higher speeds, not only Bombardier's technical department but also the test pilots refused. They believed that it was meaningless to test the aircraft's maximum speed, because such extreme conditions would never be encountered in actual flights, and if the speed was increased for testing, the aircraft would have a high probability of disintegrating in the air.
Test pilots conducting tests can accept a certain amount of risk, but it is difficult for them to accept the "suicidal behavior" of disintegrating with one foot in the air, especially for commercial test pilots.
Of course, there is a risk of disintegration in the air at speeds exceeding 400 knots, which is the result of theoretical calculations given by the technical department. At least, Bombardier does not know whether the aircraft body strength can still hold up at the actual speed of 450 knots.
"AVIC said yes..." Next to the Bombardier representative, his assistant said silently, as if he was reminding, and also a little bit like comforting.
However, this made the Bombardier representative even more angry: "He is taking a risk with our aircraft. No, he is gambling."
If the plane cannot withstand the high speed and disintegrates in the air, most of the consequences and losses will be borne by Bombardier. However, if the plane can withstand it, the publicity effect it brings will be unparalleled. Because according to the Bombardier representative, even Airbus and Boeing will not conduct overspeed tests at the maximum speed of more than 100 knots. If Xu Cang succeeds this time, it will be a real, unshakable and undeniable manifestation of industrial capabilities. AVIC will probably have a chance to emerge as a dark horse.
Regarding the strength of aircraft materials, the requirements given by aircraft manufacturers are the lower limit, but the upper limit comes from the providers of aircraft equipment.
Therefore, as long as Xu Cang succeeds, the spotlight will definitely be on AVIC rather than Bombardier, the aircraft manufacturer. Because no aircraft manufacturer will reserve the structural strength of the aircraft to exceed Vmo by 100 knots, so this is not a problem of safety margin, but the strong material of AVIC itself.
Originally, Bombardier wanted a fuselage with a strength of 60 points, with a safety margin of 80 points, but AVIC directly gave it a fuselage with a strength of 100 points.
In this case, if the final performance of the fuselage strength is 100 points, then the glory will basically only go to AVIC.
It is precisely because of this understanding that the Bombardier representative was so angry.
"Does Ryan Valette know that things have developed like this?" Airbus COO Ronnie looked at the Bombardier representative with a hint of joking.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with the Bombardier representative's reaction. He just found it very interesting that Xu Cang was coercing Bombardier.
Ryan Valette is the president of Bombardier C Series Aircraft Co., Ltd.
The Bombardier representative trembled, feeling angry and annoyed. Now it was really an embarrassing situation that the glorious glory went to AVIC, and the shameful failure was attributed to Bombardier.
He didn't say anything in rebuttal, but he just didn't want to bother with Ronnie Coveyne.
However, Ronnie was not angry, but said slowly: "I don't know what agreement you reached with Xu Cang. But if this matter was planned by Xu Cang in advance, then it is obvious that you are no match for him at all."
The Bombardier representative's expression lightened up a bit, his emotions gradually calmed down, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Seeing the change in the expression of the Bombardier representative, Ronnie tightened his clothes and leaned back in his chair leisurely, looking very relaxed.
…
In the cockpit, Richard was in shock after hearing Xu Cang's thoughts. The way this fixed-wing aircraft dived reminded him of something else that happened more than 20 years ago.
"You keep an eye on the plane. I'll go to the back to check on the cargo." Xu Cang unfastened his seat belt while instructing Richard, "Contact control. We need to ascend to FL330 and fly around the top of the cyclone."
Richard actually felt that Xu Cang's behavior was simply too bold: "Xu Cang, according to what you said, after entering the central area, the engines should be turned off. You can't keep both engines turned off, right?"
"It's okay. The vacuum-like area should be funnel-shaped. The air content increases as you go down, so the environment conditions for engine operation will not be missing all the time." Xu Cang just took off his seat belt and said, "Indeed, we can't approach with both engines turned off, so we have to try to reignite the engines in the appropriate area."
"You want to start the engine in the air?" Richard frowned. "Can the flameout protection of the PW6000 sustain flight in low-air conditions?"
Today's aircraft engines compress the air they inhale, and do so in stages. It is for this reason that aircraft engines are divided into low-pressure and high-pressure systems. If the outside air content is relatively low, the high-pressure system's compressor will compress it in stages to almost reach a sufficient pressure.
Moreover, many aircraft engines have flameout protection, whether it is the latest model PW6000 or the most popular CFM56 in the civil aviation field.
When certain conditions are met, the aircraft engine will continuously ignite the combustion chamber to prevent it from flameout. This is flameout protection.
However, Xu Cang did not have much confidence in the effectiveness of this flameout protection.
"The compressor effect of the PW6000 is not that strong, and the air supply of the engine will be insufficient. I tend to think that the flameout protection will not work." Xu Cang said: "How about you take a look at the content of engine re-ignition in advance?"
In the CS300 aircraft, the in-flight start of the engine is referred to as an engine re-ignition, in Airbus parlance.
"I'm very familiar with the CS300 manual, so I don't need to read it." Richard shook his head. " If the PW6000's air supply requirements are not met, causing the engine to shut down, then according to what you mean, the aircraft must be at a relatively low altitude to obtain a relatively sufficient air supply, and it takes time for the PW6000 to restart..."
Xu Cang understood Richard's roundabout question: "Yes, you understand it well. We only have one chance to restart."
Richard was startled, then gritted his teeth and said, “You are really straightforward.”
Starting from 30,000 feet, they planned to level off below 10,000 feet. You should know that the altitude of the Manor Airport is more than 6,000 feet. If the plane descends too low, it will be inconvenient to approach. In other words, they have to dive more than 20,000 feet.
Richard had never done a dive, but he could imagine that the descent rate would be at least more than 6,000 feet per minute. In this case, it would only take the plane more than three minutes from the start of the dive to leveling off. This was not enough time.
You know, a standard PW6000 start cycle takes more than two minutes. That is to say, during the dive, they only have one chance to complete the start.
If they still haven't started below 10,000 feet, their situation will be more dangerous.
Xu Cang mentioned that the air content at low altitudes would be higher, so in other words, the airflow at low altitudes would also start to become fierce. Even if it was not as strong as the extremely terrifying airflow at the periphery, but without the support of the engine, once the aircraft entered the turbulent area, it would be difficult to control.
Moreover, below 10,000 feet, you are already deep in the Alps. The average altitude of the Alps is more than 3,000 meters, which is exactly 10,000 feet. If you can't control the plane below 10,000 feet, there is a risk of crashing into the mountain at any time.
It is not just a question of the strength of the fuselage structure in a dive, but also the timing of restarting the engine must be accurately grasped. If you start too early, it is easy to fail because the altitude is not low enough, which means you lose this only chance. If you start too late, the aircraft is too low and it is very easy to hit the mountain, which is really a big difficulty.
Richard felt that there were death spots everywhere, and if he was not careful, he would die.
"If we don't seize the right opportunity to start..." Richard asked with a guilty conscience: "Xu Cang, what should you do?"
Xu Cang stood up at this moment: "As long as it doesn't disintegrate in the air, everything can be solved."
Richard was startled. He could sense the incomparable confidence in Xu Cang's words. This was not bravado, but Xu Cang really believed it.
"Are you serious?"
Xu Cang pulled his chair back: "I said, for me now, there are only questions of possibility, not technical questions."
The implication is that the plane disintegrating in mid-air is an objective problem, and no one has the ability to turn around, which is impossible. The series of problems caused by missing the opportunity to start the engine are technical problems, because theoretically, the huge speed generated by the dive can give the plane a lot of room for maneuver.
However, without the power support of the engine, the aircraft's ability to resist turbulence is very weak, and it is difficult to control the aircraft solely by the pilot's operation.
However, being difficult does not mean being impossible, at least that’s what Xu Cang thinks.
"Maybe if we wait for a while, mid-air disintegration will just be a technical problem for you," Richard said with emotion.
In the past, many people thought that a broken wing was not a technical problem, but an objective problem that would lead to certain death. But Xu Cang has proved with ironclad facts that a broken wing is still a technical problem.
Xu Cang was slightly stunned, knowing that this was a compliment from Richard, he stepped out of his seat: "I don't think so."
"Should be..." Richard's mouth twitched: "Forget it, you go and check the goods. I will contact the control and make my intentions known."
As long as you are in a non-restricted fly zone, any flight intention needs to be reported to the controller, regardless of whether there are any aircraft around.
The reason why Xu Cang wanted to check the cargo's fixing was mainly because the plane would be performing a dive operation soon. If some of the cargo in the cabin was not fixed properly and broke free and hit the cockpit, the consequences would be disastrous.
Moreover, there is another issue involved, which is the center of gravity of the aircraft.
When arranging cargo in the cabin, the placement of the cargo is carefully calculated by Lufthansa's loading department. Once the cabin cargo is unfastened, in a dive, a large amount of cargo will gather in front of the aircraft cabin, causing the center of gravity to move forward significantly.
The center of gravity range of the aircraft is limited, and it varies slightly depending on the aircraft layout. However, if the center of gravity exceeds the limit, it is very likely to affect the control of the aircraft. In the most extreme case, Xu Cang may not be able to pull the aircraft up, that is, after the center of gravity exceeds the limit, the aircraft's pitch operation may be controlled.
In a dive, the plane's descent rate is too high. If it pulls up a little later, it would be the difference between life and death. Xu Cang doesn't want to die because of the plane's center of gravity problem.
"You tell me, no need to tell me, just pull it up." Xu Cang gave an order, then walked out while holding the cabin wall with one hand.
Although they are now outside the cyclone, the road is still very bumpy, so Xu Cang needs to be careful when checking the securing status of the cargo.
After Xu Cang left, Richard immediately devoted some of his energy to calling the control: "Munich control, requesting to climb to FL330, heading 170."
Anyway, he was the only plane in the area, so Richard didn't even bother to say his call sign.
"B1437, confirm the ascent to FL330?" Obviously, the regional control could not quite understand what Richard meant.
However, Richard didn't have the time to explain to the regional control about the crazy operation they would soon be performing. He just needed to get the regional control's permission.
"Is the upper limit of the no-fly zone still 30,000 feet?"
Munich Regulation: "The upper limit remains unchanged."
"Good!" This was good news for Richard. Because the scope of the no-fly zone was determined by the scope of the cyclone, the top height of the no-fly zone had not developed, which meant that the cyclone had not developed upwards, which meant that the cyclone had entered its mature stage and would most likely not develop further. However, the bad news was that this stage was the peak of its intensity.
Richard groaned for a moment and said, "We need to cross the cyclone area from an altitude of 33,000 feet and reach the center of the cyclone."
"And then?" The Munich area controller suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Richard was a little displeased. Is the regional control so curious?
Perhaps realizing that he had said too much, Munich Area Control immediately changed the tone: "B1437, you can ascend to FL330, heading 170, approved."
"Thank you." Richard responded casually, and then freed one hand to adjust a new altitude on the mode control panel, but suddenly remembered that the altitude display was abnormal. He looked at the boost panel and hesitated for a moment.
Because the airflow in the cyclone area is too strong, they must first gain altitude before they can fly to heading 170, otherwise the plane will repeat the same mistake as before.
Not long after, with the sound of footsteps, Xu Cang returned to the cockpit. He looked at the instrument and asked, "The application was rejected?"
"No." Richard shook his head: "Xu Cang, the speedometer is fine, but if the altimeter doesn't work, I need to deal with it a little bit."
As he spoke, Richard pointed to the boost panel.
Xu Cang was stunned. He didn't expect that great minds think alike. Previously, when the altimeter was unavailable, Xu Cang had also tried active decompression, using the cabin altimeter to replace the barometric altimeter.
This operation is irreversible, and Xu Cang was just patrolling the cabin. It is impossible for Richard to actively release the pressure before Xu Cang comes back. In addition, this approach also requires Xu Cang's permission. Perhaps Xu Cang has some other opinions.
"Do you want to relieve stress?" Xu Cang asked casually as he sat back in his chair.
Richard was stunned for a moment: "You know?"
"Of course I know. I did it once." Xu Cang sat down and fastened his seat belt.
"Have you done it?" Richard looked at Xu Cang deeply. He remembered that Xu Cang had proposed to reduce the ground speed under strong headwind and he had practiced it himself. Now he has even done active pressure release. Is there anything else that Xu Cang has not used?
Richard hesitated for a moment: "Is it feasible?"
Xu Cang nodded: "It worked for me that time, but it wasn't a CS300 aircraft, the model is different... the principle should be similar."
"The working principle of the CS300's cockpit altimeter follows the mainstream, and there is nothing original about it. Since it works, I am relieved. I haven't used it in actual flight yet." Richard looked at Xu Cang: "Then put on the oxygen mask first?"
"No need!" Xu Cang shook his head: "The light is good now, the visual conditions are good, and oxygen is precious. Let's cross visually."
"Is oxygen precious?" Richard didn't quite understand what Xu Cang meant. "The plane's oxygen system is more than enough for us to use. There's no need to save it."
The oxygen system in the cockpit is not the same as the oxygen system used by cabin passengers. The oxygen system in the cockpit can support power much longer than that in the cabin. At least there is no need to use it sparingly. Xu Cang's statement does not make sense.
However, Richard soon realized Xu Cang's intention: "Are you going to leave it to the people in the manor?"
"If there is an emergency over there and someone needs oxygen, the oxygen on the plane may be able to save their lives." Xu Cang slightly adjusted the seat: "It's okay, we are close enough to the cyclone now, and we can roughly judge the altitude by visual observation. We will spiral up first, and then fly to the center."
In the air, due to the lack of reference objects, especially when the distance is relatively far, it feels like you are higher than the clouds, but in fact you will not know that you are lower than the clouds until the plane flies closer. This kind of visual error is very common. However, if the visual conditions are good and the distance is close enough, this error will not be outrageous.
Richard looked at the black cloud cyclone that was like a mountain, hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed with Xu Cang's opinion.
"Let me talk to the control." Xu Cang pressed the start button: "B1437, there is a problem with our altimeter. We are now circling and ascending in place, visually crossing over the cyclone area, and the altitude range is between 30,000 and 40,000 feet."
Thirty thousand feet is the top of the cyclone , and the plane must be higher than this altitude. Forty thousand feet is roughly equivalent to the ceiling of the plane. Of course, it is actually higher, but this time there is a lot of cargo, so the ceiling is basically 40,000 feet.
It is based on this consideration that Xu Cang gave his own height range of activities.
"Okay! B1437, end the hovering report."
"End the circling report!"
Xu Cang replied, tilting his head to look at the cyclone: ​​"Step up."
Richard nodded, stepped on the throttle, and raised the aircraft to a five-degree attitude, ensuring a reasonable thrust value and attitude for cruising climb.
For Xu Cang and Richard, height and speed are just auxiliary parameters, they have too many ways to prove their status. Therefore, Xu Cang did not pay too much attention to Richard's operation, he believed that with Richard's ability, these things can still be done well.
Under the influence of the huge thrust of the two PW6000s, the plane began to climb rapidly. Xu Cang's face looked a little solemn. No matter what, there were some things that he could not control. Even if Lin Ming risked his life to ensure that the fuselage structure of the CS300 aircraft could withstand a high speed of 450 knots, in history, it was difficult for large civil airliners to fly at this speed.
There were a few times when it entered a spiral and continued to accelerate, eventually disintegrating due to excessive speed, which was quite stressful for Xu Cang.
Unlike a broken wing, there is absolutely no solution to the mid-air disintegration of an airplane.
I don't know if he was in a trance or what, but after a few minutes, Richard suddenly said, "Is it almost done?"
Xu Cang finally came to his senses and glanced at the cyclone cloud not far away. He then used the cloud as a reference to estimate the plane's ascent rate: "Can't go up anymore?"
"Yes, it feels like the rate of increase is less than 500."
"Well, it's OK. Let's switch to the heading." Xu Cang gave Richard instructions, glanced at the heading 170 that Richard had preset on the mode control panel, and immediately reported to the controller: "B1437, the altitude is fine now, switch to heading 170?"
"Received, heading 170 agreed."
"OK."
Xu Cang casually responded, "Let's go."
Richard hummed and turned the plane to heading 170. Even though the static pressure port and pitot tube were not usable, the localizer was still usable, which did not affect the heading control.
Obviously, the plane's altitude at this moment should be far higher than the expected 33,000 feet, and it might be close to 40,000 feet. Perhaps it was because it was too far away from the cyclone, and the airflow was much smoother when flying over it than below.
The plane was not far from the center of the cyclone in horizontal space, and after flying for five or six minutes, it was directly above the cyclone.
Before this, on British Airways Flight 531, at the moment when the number two engine exploded, the glimpse of the center of the cyclone was deeply imprinted in Xu Cang's mind. The shocking scene like a huge whirlpool in the sky might be unforgettable for the rest of his life.
However, the light was not good at that time, and part of it was hidden in the darkness, so the sense of oppression was actually stronger. Now the light is good, and I can see the whole picture of the cyclone. Although I still feel powerless in the face of nature, the shock is not as great as that of British Airways Flight 531.
"Okay!" Xu Cang compared the satellite cloud map and confirmed that his current location was near the manor airport.
Then, Xu Cang quickly turned on and off the weather radar. The previously uploaded satellite cloud image disappeared and was covered by the real-time weather radar echo image.
Richard bared his teeth out of habit, a sign of nervousness: "What now?"
"We are now much higher than 30,000 feet. There is no need to dive from here, and we can't dive from here." Xu Cang looked up at the pressurization panel: "It's time for us to know the accurate altitude information. Let's prepare to release the pressure."
Richard nodded: "Put on the oxygen mask first."
Xu Cang hummed, took a deep breath, calmed down, and then took out the oxygen mask from the box on his left hand. Xu Cang had never used the CS300 oxygen mask before, so he studied it a little, figured out the trick to use it, and put it on his head.
Unlike the oxygen mask of the Boeing 737, the oxygen mask of the CS300 is of the covering type, that is, it comes with windproof glasses, covering the entire face, rather than just covering the mouth and nose like the oxygen mask of the Boeing 737.
This design was something Xu Cang was happy to see, after all, he had experienced a broken windshield. If the oxygen masks of the 737 were the same as those of the CS300, it would at least make it easier for Xu Cang to see.
Without thinking too much, after putting on the oxygen mask, Xu Cang glanced at Richard and found that the other party had already put it on and was just waiting for Xu Cang.
When the CS300 aircraft detects that the pilot has put on an oxygen mask, the communication panel will automatically switch to mask mode, without the need for manual switching like some older 737s.
Feeling the huge breathing sound brought by the oxygen mask, Xu Cang's heartbeat gradually calmed down: "Okay, let's start!"
Richard heard Xu Cang's voice and opened all the outflow exhaust valves manually. In an instant, Xu Cang could hear the sound of violent airflow, which was the sound of the pressurized air inside the cabin being discharged to the outside. As the pressurized air was discharged, the cabin altitude of the aircraft was also rising rapidly.
The CS300's cockpit altimeter is a standard mechanical type. With the outflow valve fully opened, the pointer begins to rotate clockwise, the index increases wildly, and finally stops at about 37,000 feet.
After waiting for the cabin altitude to stabilize, Xu Cang took a look and said, "Circle and descend to an altitude of 31,000 feet."
This was not difficult for Richard. He slightly reduced the throttle and the plane began to descend immediately.
"Control the speed, it's best to keep it close to the stick shake speed."
Richard looked at Xu Cang in surprise and said, "This is not easy to do. I can't see the exact speed. I can only try it out."
Many pilots can judge whether they are about to stall by the feedback from the control surface to the driving system. However, like Airbus, the CS300 uses a fly-by-wire signal, and the actual stick force is simulated, which cannot accurately reflect the control surface buffet caused by an impending stall.
But who is Richard?
He could tell when the plane was about to stall by the uncontrolled drop of the nose.
Of course, this is based on the fact that the airflow is relatively stable at this time. If it is too chaotic, this perception is prone to problems.
Because the throttle was always kept high and Richard was controlling it, the plane's circling and descending speed was not fast. Moreover, the reason why Xu Cang asked Richard to seek the minimum speed was to control the turning radius. Otherwise, if the speed was too high, the turning radius would also become larger. When the plane was close to the cyclone, it would be difficult to control the dive entry point.
Xu Cang and Richard were both very patient and took their time. The worst thing to do at this time is to be impatient.
The reason why Xu Cang did not dive at a high altitude was that the potential energy converted from the altitude difference of 7,000 feet was too large, which was difficult for Xu Cang to handle. Also, there was still some air content in the space at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Even if the engine was turned off manually, if he wanted to dive, he could only push the rod with all his strength.
If this happens, the speed of the plane will be completely out of control.
Xu Cang didn't want to force the plane to dive artificially, but hoped that it would fall naturally, and Xu Cang would be the one who prevented it rather than the one who catalyzed it.
As the plane's altitude dropped, it was already close to the top of the cyclone. As the height difference between the two decreased, the plane began to be affected by the cyclone's turbulence and gradually began to shake.
"Xu Cang, you can't slow down any further. I'm losing control of myself."
Once the plane started to shake, Richard's perception of the changes in the nose's state became inaccurate, and he dared not try to stall again. If he was not careful, he might really stall.
"Okay, this speed is fine." Xu Cang looked up at the cockpit altimeter. The altitude was almost 31,000 feet, so he held the joystick: "Take control."
"Hand over the controls." Richard handed the controls to Xu Cang: "Xu Cang, what should I do next?"
Xu Cang was still controlling the plane to circle and descend, and he divided his energy: "Don't worry about the engine, let it shut down naturally, and wait for my command to re-ignite the engine in the air."
"Anything else?"
"there is none left."
Xu Cang replied and glanced at the cockpit altimeter.
But suddenly, the needle of the cockpit altimeter turned rapidly, and in almost two or three seconds it increased to nearly 40,000 feet.
"Huh?" Richard also saw the changes in the cockpit altimeter: "Is this... broken?"
The plane was clearly descending, so why did the index on the cabin altimeter increase so much all of a sudden?
If the cockpit altimeter is also broken, it will be a little troublesome to get altitude reference later.
"No!" Xu Cang's face was solemn, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the side stick: "It's the surrounding air pressure that is decreasing."
"What?" Richard looked at Xu Cang in confusion, but soon he realized what Xu Cang meant: "We're going in!"
As Richard's voice fell, the plane suddenly stopped turning, even though Xu Cang was still operating the side stick at this time.
Xu Cang's heart trembled: "Here it comes!"
Then, the plane flew forward a short distance due to inertia, and then dived straight down like a deflated ball.
Almost at the same time, Richard felt an indescribable swelling and pain all over his body. His eardrums felt as if they were pierced by needles, and then he began to breathe violently, and he even felt like his eyeballs were going to pop out.
"Here it comes, here it comes, in, vacuum!"
At the center of the huge cyclone, the darkness that seemed to devour everything swallowed the CS300 alive like a giant mouth. Under the traction of the extremely strong airflow on the periphery, the central area formed a vacuum-like environment. Once the plane entered, without the lift generated by the air on the wings, it was like a lump of iron, unable to even glide, and could only fall straight down.
Since there was almost no air flowing over the wing surface, there was naturally no rudder effect, so Xu Cang's control was meaningless. The plane almost flipped sideways into a dive, rushing vertically towards the ground at an angle of nearly 90 degrees.
And in the engine instrument data, the engine speed began to fluctuate continuously, and the exhaust temperature also increased intermittently.
"The plane is going into surge!" Richard shouted.
However, due to the thin air and lack of medium, Xu Cang couldn't hear clearly. However, Richard didn't need to remind him of this kind of thing, as Xu Cang had already discovered the abnormality of the engine.
Unlike what Xu Cang expected, after entering this nearly vacuum environment, the PW6000 did not shut down directly, but surged first. This is because in the thin air, even with the compressor, it still cannot produce continuous high-pressure air, so the intermittent air can easily block the airway, thus causing surge.
However, this also reflects from the side that the performance of PW6000 is really extremely powerful.
Still struggling a bit in a near vacuum environment.
It was a little different from the plan, and Xu Cang couldn't let it surge. Severe surge would damage the engine, and it would be troublesome to restart it later. So Xu Cang didn't hesitate and directly and decisively cut off the engine manually.
"Listen to my command!" Xu Cang suddenly shouted.
The speed of this dive was too fast, so fast that thousands of feet were lost .
However, as the aircraft's altitude rapidly decreased, the surrounding air content began to increase, and the aircraft showed some signs of autonomously rising due to its stability in pitch.
At this time, it was impossible for Xu Cang to really lift the plane, otherwise the plane would soon rush back into the cyclone.
However, the plane's dive tendency was too strong, and it could not be suppressed by raising its head autonomously just by relying on the plane's pitch stability. Xu Cang only needed to push the stick down slightly, not too much.
"The airspeed indicator seems to be working!" At this moment, Richard's roar came to my ears: "Look!"
Xu Cang immediately turned his eyes to the airspeed indicator. Sure enough, the airspeed indicators on both sides were consistent at this time, and both pointed to an airspeed of 387 knots, which was still increasing.
In addition, not only the airspeed indicator, but also the altimeter that was originally reset to zero is increasing in value, and it seems that it is returning to normal.
The plane dived too fast, and the friction of the airflow on the fuselage generated heat, melting the ice that had originally blocked the probe.
Everything seems to be getting better. Now it depends on whether AVIC's fuselage can withstand ultra-high speeds.
The exponential increase in the airspeed indicator was so fast that when Xu Cang glanced at the altimeter, the value had reached 420 knots. At such a high speed, the fuselage of the aircraft began to shake, like porcelain that was about to shatter at any time.
"It's almost done." This thought came to Xu Cang's mind, and he was about to take action.
However, at this moment, the airspeed value, which had originally stabilized, suddenly rose upward like crazy. Before Xu Cang could figure out what was going on, it had reached 440 knots.
Richard, who was standing next to him, also realized that the plane was abnormal and suddenly exclaimed, "No, no, no! It shouldn't be like this, it's too fast , too fast, the plane is falling too fast, something has happened, Xu Cang!"