Chapter 4: “detroit” Civil Airliner, Group Training Selection
The airplane landed on the runway, and the instructors preparing to participate in the selection all went over to watch, Fang Wen being no exception.
The airplane’s shape was already very close to future small airplanes, with a fuselage length of about ten meters, low fuselage height, and a side door for boarding.
To reduce weight, the fuselage adopted a structure combining a metal frame with canvas and metal skin.
The wing shape was a straight wing, with fixed landing gear.
The so-called monoplane wing design meant the wing was located above the fuselage, which helped provide better ground visibility and stability.
As for inside the aircraft, it had a simple front-and-rear compartment structure.
The front was the cockpit, with no co-pilot seat, operated by a single fighter pilot.
The rear was the cabin, equipped with two rows of seats front and back, three seats per row, accommodating up to 6 passengers total.
At the very back, there was a small space for placing passenger luggage.
This airplane model looked much simpler and more comfortable, indeed better than the school’s old-fashioned biplane.
The instructors immediately became envious, all wanting to pass the selection and become the pilot of this airplane.
Fang Wen wanted to as well.
But in terms of qualifications and experience, he couldn’t compare to these instructors at all.
His only advantage was his good flying talent, which could help him stand out in the training.
For this reason, he responded very seriously.
According to the requirements from the Civil Aviation Company, this pilot selection.
All candidates would undergo unified training, with only one selected from them.
It all depended on the performance of all candidates after the training.
But in terms of time, the foreigners from the Civil Aviation Company only gave one week of training time.
Meaning that within one week, whoever could best master the flight of this airplane would be the selected one.
Thus, the instructors returned to their long-forgotten learning state and underwent training together with Fang Wen.
Within these seven days, the first three days were theory class.
Regarding the “Detroit Man” civil airliner’s aircraft structure, various parameters, instrument equipment, and piloting details, all needed to be relearned.
Fang Wen studied this knowledge very seriously.
He noted down various data and, after studying, would enter inside the aircraft to understand the true state of the entire airplane in a peculiar way.
Through this method, he gained more understanding of the “Detroit Man” civil airliner than others.
With this understanding, he had more confidence in the upcoming aircraft piloting training.
On the fourth day, the training entered actual flight operation.
All trainees arrived early at the school airport.
After Smith, responsible for actual flight training, finished speaking, the translator translated:
“Among you, except for that flight cadet, all have over 200 hours of flying experience. Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of the airplane, I think you can perform some basic operations, like takeoff, in-air turn, and landing. I hope everyone won’t be nervous; civil aviation flight emphasizes more on stability and safety. With your flying experience, it is achievable.”
All six trainees entered the airplane and, per Smith’s request, took turns performing actual flight operation one by one.
This was a very risky yet stimulating action that encouraged everyone to compete more earnestly.
Everyone had to be serious; once a problem arose, all companions inside the aircraft would be in danger.
It was precisely this bold action that got everyone into the state faster, and they began actual flight training one by one.
The first five all completed takeoff, in-air turn, and landing; finally, only Fang Wen was left.
“Can you do it? If not, we’ll end early today.” Smith asked in English, clearly not very approving of a flight cadet participating in the training.
“No problem.” Fang Wen replied in English. During this time, through contact, he had already shown talent in English communication. This didn’t need to be hidden too much, after all, flight piloting study involved many English books and information; pilots of this era who didn’t know some English would find learning difficult.
Immediately, he walked into the cockpit, but the instructors behind him involuntarily stood up.
Under the gaze of six pairs of eyes behind him, Fang Wen calmed down and began operating.
First step, meticulously checking the airplane’s instrument panel.
Compared to the old-fashioned biplane trainer, this civil airliner had several more instruments.
Airspeed indicator: Used to display the airplane’s flight speed, helping the pilot grasp the airplane’s speed status and ensure it stays within safe flight speed range.
Altimeter: Displays the airplane’s altitude relative to the ground, crucial for avoiding collisions with obstacles, maintaining flight altitude, and navigation.
Compass: Used to indicate the airplane’s heading, helping the pilot determine flight direction and ensure the airplane flies along the predetermined flight path.
Attitude indicator（, also known as level instrument）: Displays the airplane’s attitude, i.e., the airplane’s roll and pitch angles, helping the pilot judge if the airplane’s flight attitude is stable.
Engine instrument: Used to monitor the engine’s working status, such as rotation speed, temperature, pressure, etc., ensuring the engine operates normally during flight.
And fuel gauge.
After checking the instruments, Fang Wen pushed the control stick and activated the flight status.
As the propeller slowly rotated, the airplane began emitting a low and powerful roaring sound.
Stepping on the throttle, the airplane slowly started.
At this moment, he entered the man-machine unity state again.
But the six pairs of eyes behind him revealed a trace of unease.
At this moment, Smith had lost his previous arrogance and conceit, standing behind the wide-open cockpit door; if a problem arose, he would take over without hesitation.
Under this tense atmosphere, Fang Wen increased the airplane’s speed and pulled the control stick.
The fuselage vibrated, and takeoff succeeded unexpectedly.
So smooth, completely unlike a flight cadet with only 30 hours of flight time.
At this moment, everyone finally understood why Instructor Liu recommended him so strongly for the selection.
He indeed had talent and was a good prospect for a pilot.
Even Smith became interested in Fang Wen.
“How did you do it? I mean, two different airplane models, especially our company’s airplane, which is far more complex than your trainer aircraft. Why aren’t you nervous at all, and why did you perform so well on your first flight.”
The long string of English made the translator consider how to translate it concisely.
But Fang Wen replied in English: “It is indeed more complex than the trainer aircraft, but I feel the difference isn’t that big. Once I sat in the pilot seat, I felt like I merged with the airplane.”
Such words seemed like a metaphor to Smith and the instructors, but they didn’t realize Fang Wen was speaking literally.
But this also proved that Fang Wen truly had great flying talent.
After completing in-air circling, Smith, full of interest, made a request.
“Your performance surprised me; I hope you can keep it up. Now suppose you’re piloting the airplane alone into a thunderstorm environment. What operations are needed to get the airplane out of trouble.”
Thunderstorm is harsh weather civil aviation pilots often encounter; when the airplane enters such a cumulonimbus cloud environment, it will face convective weather with lightning, accompanied by heavy rain and hail.
How to respond to such a problem is very important for civil aviation pilots.
This was also an assessment of Fang Wen.
How he answered and operated would be reflected on Smith’s scorecard.
