The Weisshorn in the Alps is hailed by many climbers as the most beautiful peak in the Alps because its shape is extremely similar to the Alpamaio, which is known as the most beautiful peak in the world.
On the mountainside of Weiss Peak, at an altitude of 1,930 meters, there is a world-famous natural ski resort. After simple artificial protection, there are more than 200 ski trails here, and not far from the ski resort is the only high-end resort in the area.
The estate is not very large and is a membership-based property with its own exclusive ski spot.
The manor building occupies the only large platform nearby. From a distance, it looks like it is embedded in the mountain, which makes it seem particularly unreal.
However, the main body of the original manor has been covered by heavy snow, and only some scattered buildings can be seen.
Less than 200 meters away from the manor, there is a runway less than 2,000 meters long, and there is a simple control tower in between. Under such weather conditions, there would be no aircraft taking off or landing, but at this time, in addition to a controller, there were two people standing in the tower, namely, Rolls-Royce President Alandy Dickens and British Airways President Asyris Stuart.
The control room of the tower, which was supposed to be kept at 23 degrees , was like an ice cellar. Both Alandi and Asiris were wearing thick down jackets, but their shivering bodies showed that they were suffering from extreme cold.
Alandi was a well-groomed man, who looked to be in his forties. But now he looked shabby, with messy hair and a growing beard.
"We were told when the plane took off from Munich. According to the time, they should have arrived by now. Why haven't they come yet?" Alandi looked up at the sky, but apart from the suffocating feeling of oppression in the foggy sky, he could not feel anything else.
People outside said that a plane loaded with supplies would arrive around this time, but now the time has passed and there is no sign of the plane.
"How can such a thing be accurate?" British Airways President Asiris had a full beard and a very strong body. Even his relatively loose down jacket was filled to the brim. "But I also know the pilot who is coming."
"Xu Cang? I know him." A thin layer of frost formed on Alandi's lips, and his face was strangely pale, which was a precursor to hypothermia: "We have cooperation with him. He is very powerful. Maybe he is our only hope."
"He refused before, but now he agreed, so I think he should be confident." Asiris looked up at the sky while speaking: "Our company's flight 531 had an accident not long ago. The wing of the Boeing 777 was broken, but he still landed. From a technical point of view, if he can't do it, then perhaps no one can."
"But the conditions he proposed..."
"It's still acceptable, isn't it? One tenth of the assets gives enough time for turnover." Asiris said, his voice gradually lowered, and he glanced at the controller not far ahead: "If the plane lands later, those manor employees..."
"It's okay. Among the supplies they prepared are some self-defense... things. We don't have to worry about those people using force."
Aisiris' eyes brightened: "You are very considerate."
"The problem now is not these, but whether Xu Cang can land the plane." Alandi's expression became more and more worried: "In fact, compared with technical or meteorological reasons, I am more worried about other things."
Aisiris was stunned: "What?"
"That's it..." Alandi's expression was cold, even colder than the ice and snow outside: "It seems that some people don't want us to go back."
Asiris shuddered and immediately understood what Alandi was worried about.
Whether they are wealthy or high-ranking executives, if they cannot come back, it means a huge inheritance and vacant positions. At this time, family affection or friendship may not be able to withstand the test.
"You mean...some people will do something?" Asiris was like an angry lion: "They dare!"
Finally, Asiris couldn't control his voice, which scared the controller in front.
It's not that Asiris can't control his emotions, but he realizes that this is not just groundless worry, but will really happen, and the probability is not small.
"What if... it is?" Alandi looked a little nervous. After all, this was a direct issue concerning his life.
Asiris' body kept shaking, and he didn't know if it was because of the cold or something else.
Suddenly, some ripples appeared in the sticky and layered sky. The controller was the first to notice this and stood up immediately: "Here it comes!"
The conversation between Aisiris and Alandi was interrupted, and both of them looked up in the direction the controller was looking, but they could not see anything except the gloomy sky.
"Can it be seen on the radar?" Alandi walked behind the controller and asked.
"We don't have air traffic control radar." The controller looked around anxiously. He clearly saw some movement in the sky just now.
Asiris was already anxious and panicked, especially after a certain possibility was exposed. His instinct for survival became even more urgent. He looked at the instruments in front of the controller. Not to mention the radar, there was nothing else except some simple communication equipment. "Can't you install an air traffic control radar?"
Moreover, the worst thing is that the radio used for ground-air communication can no longer be used due to the heavy snow not long ago. Now this tower can only give some light signals or flag signals, and look far from a height, and can do nothing else.
This annoyed Asiris. If there was an air traffic control radar, wouldn't it be clear where the plane was now? As for being so scared in the tower now?
"But..." The controller really didn't know how to answer this question: "Many branch airports don't have air traffic control radar..."
A complete set of air traffic control radar system is very expensive, and only large-scale airports can use it. Smaller airports can only perform procedural control and cannot use air traffic control radar at all. Not to mention a pocket airport like Manor Airport, it is even considered good to have a control tower here. Some airports of the same level do not even have a control tower.
For airports without a control tower, aircraft will fly along the standard approach procedure and then periodically report their positions on the corresponding frequencies to alert other aircraft to avoid them.
In fact, considering the size of Manor Airport, this form of spontaneous approach or departure is the most cost-effective. After all, the air traffic here is not high.
Therefore, having a control tower here is already a luxury. It is really wishful thinking for Asiris to even want to install an air traffic control radar system.
"What should we do now? We don't have radar, and neither does the radio..."
Asiris was just about to teach the controller a lesson when Alandi suddenly noticed a vortex in the dead silent sky, and then a white dot emerged from it.
“Here it comes!”
Asiris was stunned and didn't bother to argue with the controller. Instead, he stared at the sky for a long time.
Soon, the white spot gradually enlarged and revealed the shape of an airplane.
"It's really here!" Aisiris' eyes were red with excitement, and he quickly patted the controller on the back: "Look for the light, look for the light, where is the light?"
The radio equipment in the tower is now completely out of service. It's not that there are no maintenance personnel here, but there is a lack of heating and insulation measures. Not long ago, a mechanic who tried to repair the radio was frostbitten, and no one has come since then.
Given the current external environment, you can only stay outside for fifteen to twenty minutes at most. If you stay outside for more than that, there is a very high risk of frostbite.
Since the radio can no longer be relied upon, we need to find an alternative solution. Light signals and flag signals are the more common alternative solutions. The backup measure at this airport is lights, and that is what Asiris is looking for.
"Here, here!" The controller hurriedly took out a hand lamp from a cabinet. This hand lamp was quite large, and the diameter of the lamp was much longer than an adult's palm.
The controller blew away the dust on the lantern. This was a first since the lantern was purchased and had never been used.
"Can you use it?" asked Asiris.
The controller blushed and said, "Just give them a green light, and I forgot about the rest."
A steady green light is a signal that it is okay to land, and it is one of the few light signals that controllers can now remember.
The controller searched the hand lamp for a while and confirmed the switch: "We're leaving now?"
"Let's go!" Asiris tightened his hat and said to Alandi, "I'll go out with him, you just stay here."
“Pay attention to the time!”
Aisiris nodded: "Fifteen minutes is enough!"
Judging from the visual distance, if there is no accident, the plane will definitely land within fifteen minutes. If not, then there must be an accident.
The controller took the coat off the hanger and wrapped it around himself. He was wrapped up like a dumpling, but still couldn't resist the cold outside. He looked at his watch, confirmed his departure time, and reached for his flashlight: "Let's go?"
Asiris wiped his face and said, "Let's go!"
After that, he opened another small door in the control room. This door was not the entrance to the tower, but the tower and the small platform next to it. There was also an open-air platform about 1.5 meters wide outside the tower, where they would give light signals to Xu Cang's plane.
As the small door opened, fierce cold wind rushed in. Aisiris, who was near the door, was the first to be hit and was blown unsteadily.
Asiris was a strong man, but he was almost blown down without any preparation. This shows how strong the wind was.
Alandi's face was solemn. He noticed this detail and couldn't help but worry about the plane in the sky. He was different from the simple administrative staff of Asiris. Alandi had some professional knowledge of flying. The wind speed in this field definitely exceeded the wind speed limit of the CS300 aircraft, and it was not exceeded by a little bit.
In such a situation, landing the plane, especially on a runway covered with thick ice and snow, is extremely challenging for the pilot's skills.
"Xu Cang, everything depends on you."
Asiris subconsciously covered his hat, and the exposed skin on his face felt like it was being scraped by a knife. However, Asiris did not react much. Instead, he turned around, gestured to the controller, and then lowered his head and walked outside.
The controller's clothes were not as warm as Asiris's, and he felt a bone-chilling chill when the strong wind blew. But seeing Asiris go out, he didn't care and rushed out to catch up with Asiris.
As soon as the controller came out, he felt the cold wind penetrate through the gaps in his clothes, driving away the little warmth he had. He wiped the snot running from his nose and frantically began to look for the switch on the lantern, but suddenly he noticed that there was something strange about Asiris standing in front of him.
"Mr. Stuart, what's the problem?"
Stuart is Ashiris's last name, his full name is Ashiris Stuart.
I saw Asiris raised his hand and pointed to the distance, with a hint of doubt in his words: "Where are they flying to?"
"What?" The controller was startled. He looked up and found that the plane that represented hope was not heading towards the airport at all. "How... could this happen?"
…
The cockpit of the B1437 aircraft was in an extremely unstable state due to the violent shaking of the aircraft itself. Even the sound of the conversation between Xu Cang and Richard could not stop shaking.
"I asked you to hold the stick, but I didn't tell you to do it so roughly." Richard roared. The load the plane was originally bearing was very heavy, and Xu Cang went straight to the point in one step, almost holding the side stick to the end.
Such rough operation caused the aircraft to produce extremely high-frequency vibrations, mixed with the sound of metal tearing. The load brought by this operation on the fuselage is unimaginable, and it is possible that the fuselage will break in two on the spot.
"Now that we've done it, let's do it in one step!" Due to the violent vibrations in the cockpit, Xu Cang almost couldn't hold the side stick. He knew what he was doing, and it was because of this clarity that Xu Cang made up his mind at the last moment.
"Hold on, hold on!" Xu Cang shouted in his heart. This was the only thing he could do now.
Suddenly, there was a creaking sound around the cockpit. As Xu Cang had experienced the British Airways Flight 531 incident, he was very familiar with this sound.
Richard also realized what was wrong and shouted, "Let some go, let some go!"
"I can't release it. Pay attention to N2. Pay attention to N2. Adjust the thrust." Xu Cang shouted.
"Damn it, you are really gambling with your life!" It was indeed Richard who suggested the idea of ​​​​leading the club, but Richard could not accept such a rough leading of the club.
However, the effect of Xu Cang's rough operation was also extremely obvious. The speed of the aircraft plummeted like water from a floodgate. In just a few seconds, the speed was less than 400 knots.
But in those few seconds, Richard felt like he was dancing on the edge of a knife.
As the plane's speed dropped , the N2, which had been silent until then, finally began to increase. Richard was the first to notice this and immediately shouted excitedly, "It's moving, it's moving, the N2 is moving!"
As soon as there is movement at the beginning, the subsequent engine start-up is done in one go, and then N1 begins to respond and starts to rise slowly.
Previously, Xu Cang asked Richard to pay attention to N2 and adjust the thrust. Richard remembered this sentence and waited quietly for the right time to adjust N1.
The engine has not started yet. You need to wait until the engine stabilizes before you can start moving the thrust handle.
However, Richard soon noticed a problem, that is, they did not seem to be flying towards the airport: "Xu Cang, there is something wrong with our approach direction, wrong, wrong!"
According to the predetermined plan, they should have flown towards Runway 09, which meant they should have been flying due east, but now their flight direction was southeast, with an angle of more than 40 degrees.
Xu Cang was still holding the pole at this moment. He only felt that the blood in the upper body was being drained away, and his calves felt like balloons that were about to burst, and they were swollen and extremely uncomfortable.
However, when he heard Richard's voice, he paid some attention to look outside, and sure enough, he saw that the approach direction of the plane and the actual five-side formed a very obvious angle.
However, when he wanted to correct it, he suddenly found that black edges began to appear around his vision. Those black edges seemed to come alive and spread towards the middle. Xu Cang's visible field of vision became smaller and smaller, and finally only a tiny circle was left. He could hardly see where the airport was.
"Richard, I can't see, I can't see!" Xu Cang yelled, grabbing Richard's left wrist with his right hand, full of horror.
"What?" Richard's first reaction was not that there was something wrong with Xu Cang's eyes, but that there was a problem with the visibility outside. However, when he looked outside again, he could clearly see the airport.
However, Richard reacted quickly and immediately realized the problem: "Black... Black Vision!?"
Richard was from the Air Force and flew fighter jets, so he had a deeper understanding of black vision. This was more likely to occur on aircraft with strong maneuverability, and rarely on civilian airliners.
Xu Cang's pull on the pole just now was too strong, which not only caused a strong G-force load on the fuselage, but also on the people inside.
It was because of Xu Cang's hitting of the pole that the blood in his upper body was forced to flow to his lower limbs, causing ischemia in his brain and temporary hypoxia of the optic nerve, thus affecting his vision.
"No, he hasn't received any anti-gravity training!" Richard's face changed drastically. He had received relevant training when he was young, and he exercised regularly after retiring. His physical fitness was still good, so the feeling was much milder than Xu Cang's.
"Xu Cang, you are blind, take control, take control!"
Fortunately, the G value has almost returned to normal. As long as it is given some time, Xu Cang's black vision will improve on its own. However, unfortunately, they don't have this time now.
No matter what, in the black vision condition, Xu Cang's vision was greatly limited and he couldn't control it at all, so he could only hand it over to Richard.
Xu Cang had roughly guessed his situation, and after Richard's confirmation, he was basically certain of it.
The prognosis for blackout is very good. As long as it is not too serious, there will be basically no sequelae. But the problem is that he can’t see now. What should he do with the plane?
"Richard, can you get down?" Xu Cang had no choice but to put down the side stick. To act stubbornly at this time would be courting death.
Richard's head was covered with sweat: "I'll try, I'll try!"
As soon as Richard took over the controls, he could feel the pressure Xu Cang had just put on the controls. They were actually in the inner circle of the cyclone, and the airflow was slightly more stable than that in the outer circle of the cyclone, but even in this situation, Richard still felt extremely stressed out in the controls.
The only good news was that the two engines started as expected. With power support, the plane was no longer like a lonely leaf in the wind like before.
"What's the distance now?"
Richard had originally consumed a lot of energy from operating the ship. At Xu Cang's urging, he spared some energy to check the instrument: "Eight nautical miles, and eight more nautical miles."
"Correct the direction, lower the landing gear, lower the landing gear!" Xu Cang shouted immediately: "Lower the landing gear, and you will be able to control it better."
"But the speed indicator is still very high!" Richard shouted, "The landing gear can't be lowered."
The speed for lowering the landing gear of CS300 is 270 knots, but after deceleration, the aircraft still has an indicated speed of more than 340 knots. In this case, the impact of airflow will prevent the landing gear from being released.
" What's the true speed?"
"One hundred and eighty!"
"Then step on the accelerator and slow down, slow down, slow down!"
Richard was sweating profusely: "I pulled the throttle to the limit, I can't control the plane!"
Richard could not always ensure that the plane kept no angle with the final line in the turbulence. Although Xu Cang calculated very well that the wind direction was very positive at the moment, the wind was too strong, and any slight angle would mean a huge drift, which would in turn aggravate the generation of drift, creating a vicious cycle.
If you can maintain a relatively large throttle, the aircraft will have sufficient energy, or what is called "powerful", and it will be more comfortable to operate.
However, if you reduce the throttle to the minimum, the deceleration will be very fast, but the aircraft will be soft and powerless, and the control feedback will be much weaker.
For Richard, this is his limit. If you make it more difficult, he will not be able to hold on any longer.
Therefore, many things are different in theory and practice. Using a strong headwind to create a big uncle and a low ground speed approach condition seem to be feasible, but in fact, even the stability of the five-side approach cannot be controlled.
“Damn it!”
Xu Cang could only see a small circle in his field of vision. The quality of his vision was very low and blurry, as if he was shrouded in a layer of fog. He was basically like a blind person.
Richard looked at the airspeed that was stabilizing on the edge of the maximum speed and the DME value that was rapidly decreasing. If this continued, they would be dead.
Eight nautical miles is actually a very short distance at a speed of more than 300 knots, and he had no time to hesitate.
So Richard gritted his teeth, reduced the throttle to the minimum, and started to increase the pitch attitude.
However, he did not pull the stick as roughly as Xu Cang. Now they were in the approach phase. According to the height-to-distance ratio, they had to maintain a relatively stable descent trajectory, even if it was a relatively low descent rate.
However, at this power setting, it is enough to slow down the aircraft.
Soon, when the speed of the plane dropped below 300 knots, Richard lowered the landing gear handle without waiting. With the sound of the landing gear being released, the plane first lifted its head slightly, and then the speed continued to decrease like mercury.
Moreover, just as Xu Cang said, after the landing gear was lowered, the plane was indeed slightly more stable in yaw. However, even so, Richard was still maneuvering on thin ice.
"Yes, yes, Xu Cang, I think I can fall down!"
As the altitude decreased, the wind force weakened due to the influence of the terrain. Richard stopped .
Previously, both flaps were damaged, so they needed to land without flaps this time, so the indicated speed would appear to be relatively high. However, judging from the ground speed, the plane's ground speed was less than 70 knots, which was obviously in line with Xu Cang's expectations. Such a ground speed could keep the landing distance within a very small value.
At an altitude of 300 feet, Richard seemed to have gained more confidence. Having survived the initial difficulties, the plane was now becoming more stable.
"Land immediately!" Richard reminded Xu Cang.
At an altitude of two hundred feet, Richard could already see the entire runway. Even though it was covered with heavy snow, the lighting poles on the final approach could still indicate the center line of the runway.
Victory is at hand!
However, just as Richard was about to land, something strange happened and the nose of the plane fell down uncontrollably.
"Oh no, it's stalled?"