Chapter 395: Dead loop!
In 2001, an extremely large solar flare exploded in the northwest of the sun, forming a violent solar storm.
In his previous life, Xu Cang was still wasting his time by playing badly and didn't care about the solar storm at all.
However, not caring is one thing, and knowing it is another.
At this time in the previous life, Xu Cang's social status still kept him out of the news. But even so, Xu Cang could still vaguely remember the solar storm in 2001, because it caused casualties.
It is said that at an astronomical monitoring station in the polar region, the instruments and equipment there malfunctioned due to the solar storm, which then caused an electric current leak and electrocuted one of the staff members.
Generally speaking, the earth is protected by the ozone layer, and solar storms have little impact on the surface under the protection of the ozone layer. However, in polar regions, because the ozone layer is relatively thin, the impact of solar storms is greater.
The aurora is famous for its common appearance in polar regions.
However, this violent solar storm was so intense that it directly formed auroras in mid-latitudes. The "ionizing radiation zone" mentioned by the controller just now should be this.
After all, the ozone layer is not evenly distributed. It is thinner in some places, and the solar storms that leak out from there are stronger, which has a greater impact on aircraft.
Solar storms are extremely ionizing and can damage electronic products in an instant.
Earlier, Xu Cang's phone suddenly emitted sparks and ignited spontaneously, which was the ionization effect of the solar storm. And the man with the gun suddenly fell to the ground, which was probably because he had a microelectronic device such as a pacemaker.
For example, pacemakers are designed with strong anti-interference features because they are more affected. However, no matter how anti-interference they are, they cannot withstand the strength of solar storms.
This solar storm is like a weapon-grade EMP, and all electronic equipment will be destroyed.
From the results, the solar storm seemed to have saved Xu Cang's life, but in fact, it also destroyed the electronic system of the plane. If this was a Boeing plane, no matter what, it would still have mechanical manual control, but this was an Airbus plane, which had fly-by-wire control. If the electronic system was completely destroyed, wouldn't the plane be nothing but scrap metal?
Under the impact of the solar storm, the electronic systems of flight WN3102 were like those that had suffered an EMP attack, and all power was cut off at once.
After figuring everything out, Xu Cang was not so scared anymore.
Solar storms are extremely harmful to electronic equipment, but they are basically harmless to the human body. If it is just a problem on the plane, then at least it is easier to solve than dealing with that burly man.
Moreover, judging from the reactions of the captain and the flight attendant just now, they were most likely just paid to cooperate, rather than being the mastermind of the incident. This was undoubtedly good news. If the rest of the group rushed forward, it would be very stressful for Xu Cang.
Even with the aurora outside projecting in, people in the cabin could still only see things at a very close distance.
It stands to reason that after the power system was destroyed, the aircraft could still rely on batteries to keep some key equipment running. However, the emergency lights inside the airport were all off, which was undoubtedly a bad sign.
"The battery is broken too." Xu Cang put down his gun. He ignored the captain and the co-pilot and turned to Xia Shuyue: "Shuyue, help me take care of the wound."
Xia Shuyue had received bandaging training during the flight attendant training. To be more precise, Xu Cang had also learned it as a pilot. However, that course was mainly for flight attendants, and Xu Cang had always been a bystander, and he didn't understand any of the various messy bandaging methods.
Xia Shuyue was very close to Xu Cang, and even though the light was poor, he could still roughly tell where Xu Cang was.
Walking closer, Xu Cang handed the pistol to Xia Shuyue: "Take it."
Xia Shuyue took it, and without saying anything, she held the gun barrel and used the sharp corner of the gun handle to hit the white man in the face. This scared Xu Cang. Although Xia Shuyue looked quiet, she was really ruthless when she got angry.
"No, no, no, keep him, he will be useful later, don't smash him to death all at once." Xu Cang hurriedly stopped him.
"What if he doesn't behave himself later?" Xia Shuyue was obviously worried.
"He should have a pacemaker installed. The solar storm just now destroyed the pacemaker, and the damage to the device injured his heart muscle. He is lucky to be alive now. He is useless now. Just keep a little attention on him." Xu Cang pointed to a luggage rack in the front cabin: "There is an emergency medical kit in there. You still remember the bandaging techniques in the emergency survival training, right? Did you listen carefully?"
In the emergency survival training, in addition to bandaging techniques for various parts of the body, it also includes various common first aid methods such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Given Xia Shuyue's personality, I don't think she would slack off in class like Xu Cang.
"I remember." Xia Shuyue stepped forward and touched Xu Cang's left arm, and what she touched was sticky blood. The bullet just now directly shot through Xu Cang's left shoulder, and the amount of bleeding was very large. However, the only thing to be thankful for was that the artery was not injured.
If the aorta was injured, Xu Cang would probably be in shock by now.
Xia Shuyue was very anxious. Although she had only flown Boeing planes, she had received training on the Airbus 320. She could locate the emergency medical kit based on her memory alone.
Every plane is equipped with an emergency medical kit. This is not a question of whether the airline wants to have one or not, but a regulatory requirement. If it is not available, it cannot be released. Xu Cang could only remember the approximate location, and it was Xia Shuyue who found it in the dark.
"Fortunately, the emergency medical kits in the southwest of the United States are located in common areas, otherwise it would be difficult to find them."
In theory, there is a common way to place emergency medical kits. However, airlines may have their own habits. Besides, the regulations of CAAC and FAA are slightly different. If the emergency medical kits in Southwest America are located in a different place, it will be difficult to find them in such a dark environment.
The emergency medical kit contains bandages, as well as some other equipment and medicines.
Some flight attendants can use it, while others must have a medical license. However, Xu Cang only needs a bandage now, and there are no other doubts.
"How do you feel now?"
Xia Shuyue used a very standard spiral bandage method to treat the wound. Her movements were very standard and coherent. During the bandaging process, she kept talking to Xu Cang, fearing that Xu Cang would faint.
Although Xu Cang was dizzy due to waves of pain in his left shoulder, and because of the huge amount of blood loss, he was physiologically cold rather than environmentally cold. At the same time, although the side effects of blood loss did not cause shock, it inevitably made Xu Cang begin to react slowly, which was undoubtedly not good news.
"Fortunately, the pistol bullet went straight through my left shoulder."
Xu Cang was helped by Xia Shuyue to sit on the chair. The waves of dizziness made Xu Cang feel very uncomfortable. He didn't know if he could hold on any longer.
However, among all the misfortunes, the only thing to be thankful for is that the bullet directly penetrated the left shoulder instead of staying in the body. Sometimes, it is not a good thing for a bullet to be too penetrating, because it can only form a small hole in the body, and unless it hits a critical organ, the killing effect is limited.
What is truly terrifying is that the bullet flips over after entering the body, thereby expanding the killing area exponentially. This is the most difficult thing.
Even though Xu Cang is bleeding a lot now, as long as it is handled well, the impact in the future will not be that great.
"You should talk less." Xia Shuyue bandaged the wound very carefully, fearing that she would hurt Xu Cang. She also wanted the bandage to be fixed tightly enough, otherwise it would not be able to stop the bleeding. "The cockpit door is closed."
Xu Cang raised his heavy eyelids. Just now, without Xu Cang's threat, the captain had slipped back into the cockpit and closed the cabin door.
"It's okay, they will come out." Xu Cang's voice was a little weak: "Shuyue, can you smell something strange? Like something is burnt?"
"Burning smell?" Xia Shuyue moved her nose, but all that filled her nose was the smell of blood and some residual smell of gunpowder.
"I can smell it!" At this time, Richard came over and said, "Xu Cang, did you mention the solar storm just now?"
"Yes, I saw the news this morning." Xu Cang frowned, and beads of sweat kept dripping down. These were all cold sweat. The strong pain made Xu Cang's muscles tense all the time, which would keep him in a state of high mental tension, and he would be extremely tired after a long time.
"If it's a solar storm, then the power system on the plane will be in danger. And it's possible that the power system will suddenly be overloaded under the impact of the solar storm, and then the lines may overheat?" Richard was worried. The situation was very complicated now. Although Richard was very worried about Xu Cang, this already involved everyone on the plane.
Generally speaking, an aircraft's electrical system has a backup.
Regardless, the electrical system is an extremely important part of the aircraft system. In almost all environments, although considering many extreme conditions, it is rare for the electrical system to completely fail.
Not to mention that the power system has its own backup. Even if the main power system is cut off, there is theoretically still battery power to ensure the operation of key equipment.
However, the power of the solar storm was so strong that it seemed to have destroyed the battery system, which fundamentally destroyed the power system. Even Richard had never encountered such a thorough situation.
Airbus is far more dependent on the power system than Boeing, so under the same special circumstances of power outage, the impact on Airbus aircraft is much greater.
Moreover, it seems that these days it is far more than just a power outage.
At the moment when the solar storm hits, due to the severe ionization, the power system in the aircraft may first experience severe overload and then disconnect due to excessive overload, just like when Xu Cang's mobile phone suddenly overloaded and sparks came out.
Under overload, the most direct possible result is line fire.
However, unlike engine fires and cargo hold fires, the most fatal thing about electronic circuit fires is that there is no way to extinguish the fire. That's right, once the electronic circuit catches fire, there is absolutely no way to extinguish it.
"I don't know. An overload of the power system may not necessarily cause a fire in the circuit, but if it does... the components are unable to adjust automatically and increase the pressure automatically... No, the engine air intake itself is driven by direct current. Without electricity, even the air source cannot be guaranteed." Xu Cang looked around. The light projected from outside did not have a Tyndall effect, which means that tiny particles floating in the air could not be seen visually. This was good news, which meant that at least there was no obvious smoke in the cabin.
Perhaps the burning smell is just the fuzzing of the circuit surface under overload, rather than actual burning.
"If the APU is still usable, it may provide additional power and air. However, at the current altitude, it may not be able to carry both power and air loads at the same time." Xu Cang's mind worked as fast as possible. The current situation was a bit complicated. Richard might not be able to handle it. It seemed that he could only rely on himself: "I wonder what the current altitude is?"
Richard looked at the closed cockpit and said, "I'm afraid they won't come out."
“No…” Xu Cang sat up a little straighter, but the slightest movement would cause the wound to move, causing Xu Cang to grimace: “They’re about to come out.”
Almost in response to Xu Cang's words, the cabin door that had just been closed for a short time sounded with the sound of a spring opening. Then the captain pushed open the cabin door and ran over in a panic. With the help of the faint red light, he came to Xu Cang: "Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu, save us, save us, we don't want to die."
Xu Cang looked away into the cockpit. At this moment, there was no other light source in the cockpit except the red aurora from the outside. He turned his head and looked at the captain: "Did you start the APU?"
"It started, but it didn't work. The APU component was broken and reported an error."
"So, the APU is not working, and you have no other options?" Xu Cang waved to Xia Shuyue: "Help me up."
"Xu Cang!" Xia Shuyue called softly.
"It's okay." Xu Cang comforted.
Xia Shuyue frowned and said nothing more. She helped Xu Cang up, then walked to Xu Cang's right side and let Xu Cang put his right arm around her shoulders.
Xu Cang leaned on Xia Shuyue and walked forward slowly. After taking two steps, Xu Cang tilted his head slightly and put his lips close to Xia Shuyue's ear: "Shuyue, you see those black bags on the luggage rack, they are the parachutes they prepared for themselves. If I can't deal with the problem of the plane, I will let the plane completely depressurize, and you will jump out of the emergency exit with a parachute. These people obviously haven't received any training. Since they dare to use it, it means that the use of this parachute is not complicated, maybe there is a pull rope. Compared with waiting to die with me on the plane, you must have a chance to survive. If possible, let Richard know when you leave."
Xu Cang's voice was very soft, he didn't want others to hear it.
Xia Shuyue turned her head and asked: "Is there any problem on the plane that you can't handle?"
Xu Cang looked up at Xia Shuyue's face and forced a smile: "Thank you for trusting me so much, but please remember my words!"
Xia Shuyue didn't say anything, neither refused nor accepted.
At this moment, the two of them had already reached the cabin door.
Even the relatively spacious aisle of the Airbus could not accommodate two people side by side, so Xu Cangtuo left Xia Shuyue's support, supported himself with one hand on the aisle wall, and walked in slowly.
As soon as you enter, you can see the red aurora like a ribbon covering the sky through the windshield. And this ribbon is not fixed, but seems to be alive, floating in the wind, full of breathtaking beauty.
It’s no wonder that so many people travel to Nordic countries just to see the stunning scenery of the Northern Lights.
However, at this moment, Xu Cang not only saw the aurora, but was even in it.
Not in the high latitudes of Northern Europe or Canada, but in the mid-latitudes of Japan.
"Where is RAT?" Xu Cang had no intention of paying attention to the incredibly beautiful aurora curtain, and asked first.
RAT, or Ram Air Turbine, is Airbus's small ramjet turbine, nicknamed "Little Mouse".
At this time, the captain caught up and said: "The RAT is broken. I see that the CSM/G is not activated. The current situation clearly meets the automatic triggering conditions of the RAT."
The CSM/G mentioned by the captain is a constant speed motor/generator, which is a combination of a hydraulic motor and a generator.
RAT is a device that provides emergency power and hydraulic power to the aircraft under extreme conditions. It mainly supplies pressure to the blue system. It can be released automatically or manually. It will be released automatically when AC BUS1 and AC BUS2 lose power and the airspeed is greater than 100 knots.
Although the aircraft's DU display has been turned off due to a power outage, it is common sense that the aircraft should not have an airspeed of less than 100 knots, and should have met the conditions for automatic release of the RAT.
However, the CSM/G did not work, so the captain naturally assumed that the RAT device was also broken.
"The control components of CSM/G are normally provided by the PMG of the generator, but when the RAT is released, the power is not provided. CSM/G is powered by Battery 2, and now the battery is burned out. The RAT is not broken, but it is not released." Xu Cang looked at the co-pilot who was still sitting: "Have you tried to release it manually?"
"I tried it." The co-pilot said, "I pressed it, it didn't work!"
Xu Cang narrowed his eyes and said , "Are you sure you pressed the switch on the 21VU emergency power panel, not the MAN ON switch on the 40VU hydraulic panel?"
The release of the RAT is controlled by two electromagnetic coils. When either coil is energized, the ramjet turbine RAT can be released.
However , the effects of these two switches are different. If only the switch on the 40VU hydraulic panel is pressed, only emergency hydraulic pressure will be provided. Only by pressing the switch on the 21VU emergency power panel will the CSM/G control component open the servo valve to allow the CSM/G to work.
Now, Xu Cang not only needs hydraulics, but also electricity.
Perhaps the crew pressed the wrong switch in a hurry?
However, the co-pilot shook his head and pointed accurately to the switch on the 21VU emergency power panel: "I pressed this one, it's correct."
"This..." Xu Cang couldn't help but frowned: "Is the RAT really broken?"
"Mr. Xu Cang, there is no way we made a mistake in the method of manually activating the RAT. The RAT must be broken. What should we do now?" the captain said in panic.
RAT is almost the last barrier to ensure the aircraft's power supply and hydraulic pressure. Now that this barrier can't hold, how can the captain not panic?
Xu Cang felt his mind was full of thoughts, the situation was much more complicated than he had imagined.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Xu Cang's mind, and he suddenly realized it.
"It's the problem with Battery 2." Xu Cang muttered to himself.
The RAT MAN ON switch on the 40VU hydraulic panel energizes solenoid 1, using power from the No. 1 thermoelectric battery bus bar. The MAN ON switch on the 21VU emergency power panel energizes solenoid 2, using power from the No. 2 battery.
Nowadays, the automatic release function of RAT is suppressed. During this period, the No. 2 battery originally used to attack CSM/G is damaged and cannot supply power, which makes the aircraft always in a power-off state.
But even if you want to release the RAT manually and get electricity at the same time, you first need battery No. 2 to activate electromagnetic coil 2, but battery No. 2 is broken and cannot supply power.
Xu Cang's face looked extremely ugly. A problem with the No. 2 battery directly caused the plane to fall into a situation that was difficult to resolve.
"We're stuck in a vicious circle!"
