Chapter 5: Passing The Assessment, Several Family Letters
Smith and the other instructors were all waiting for Fang Wen’s feedback.
They were all curious about how this flight cadet would respond.
The difference was.
Smith was expecting a stunning performance.
The instructors undergoing selection, however, had already imagined responses in their minds to compare with Fang Wen’s performance.
At this moment, Fang Wen’s mind was racing.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of flight pilot Smith wanted.
Or rather, what was the most important quality of a civil aviation pilot?
It was absolutely not the high-difficulty flight skills like those of a fighter pilot; civilian aircraft did not need dive attacks, aerial evasion, or circuitous tail attacks.
Rather, it was stable piloting experience and safety awareness.
Immediately, a set of remarks appeared in his mind.
This was a combination of his memory of responses to flight piloting in thunderstorm weather, plus some modern commercialized textual embellishments.
“If piloting an airplane alone into a thunderstorm environment, I would take the following measures to get the airplane out of trouble:
First, I believe that most dangerous situations require advance prevention to minimize the risk probability.
Before the flight, I would thoroughly understand the weather conditions in the flight area; if there are abnormal weather conditions, I should try to avoid the flight path.
If encountering thunderstorm weather due to sudden circumstances, I would try to avoid the thunderstorm activity center by delaying route changes or reducing flight altitude, seeking help via radio, detouring, diverting, or returning to base to evade risks.
At the same time, I would closely monitor weather changes, using real-time observations of cumulonimbus cloud positions and intensity to make timely adjustments.
When detouring around the thunderstorm area, I would follow the principle of not entering thunderstorm clouds by sight, flying above or outside the clouds as much as possible. During the detour, I would maintain a distance of about 25 kilometers based on thunderstorm intensity to avoid entering dangerous areas.
At the same time, I would cautiously cross the gaps between two cumulonimbus clouds to reduce the risk of the airplane being struck by lightning.”
Because he replied in Chinese, after listening to the translator translate sentence by sentence, Smith showed a surprised expression.
He had seen the school’s related teaching materials and could confirm there was no such content.
That meant the young flight cadet currently piloting the airplane had expressed, in his own understanding, how to operate in thunderstorm weather.
The experienced Smith thought.
This was a complete set of systematic civil aviation flight piloting operation rules that could be used in actual applications.
Involuntarily, he added another circle representing the score on the form in his hand for Fang Wen.
The other instructors were also very surprised by Fang Wen’s performance and finally understood why Instructor Liu thought so highly of this young man.
The seven-day selection and training ended.
Smith arrived early at the instructor office.
All six assessors were here.
He hadn’t started announcing the results yet.
The five instructors came over together, and one of them said, “We withdraw from the selection and leave the opportunity to the young man.”
After speaking, the five instructors stood in front of Fang Wen.
One of them patted Fang Wen’s shoulder:
“Fang Wen, you performed well. You are a rare flight genius in our Nanyuan Aviation School. Now the school is about to disband, and your batch of students have no arrangements. The opportunity should go to the most outstanding person. Everyone, agree?”
“Right.”
“Fang Wen, you must cherish this opportunity.”
“When you go there, don’t disgrace our Nanyuan Flight School.”
After a wave of admonitions, the instructors left.
After they left, Smith came in front of Fang Wen and extended his hand.
“Congratulations, you have been accepted by China Airlines. You need to report to Shanghai within 15 days. For specifics on how to proceed, you need to discuss with the school’s teachers; they will communicate with the Ministry of Communications on your behalf, and your position needs to be appointed by the Ministry of Communications.”
“Thank you.” Fang Wen shook hands, then accompanied Smith out and saw him onto the airplane.
Watching the airplane fly into the sky, applause came from behind Fang Wen.
He turned to look; it was the fellow students and Instructor Liu.
The students surrounded him, eagerly congratulating Fang Wen on getting a good future.
After they finished making noise, Instructor Liu pulled Fang Wen aside.
Instructor Liu explained to Fang Wen.
“Although China Airlines is a Sino-US joint venture, the pilots and maintenance personnel are all provided by Stimson Company. We have always wanted to send our own flight pilots to the United States for training, but they never agreed. Now, you are the only Chinese civil aviation pilot. The Ministry of Communications intends to give you a special appointment. Additionally, after one year, you need to train at least two of our own flight pilots for the civil aviation company.”
So that’s how it is; Fang Wen understood.
This civil aviation company, though a Sino-US joint venture, was controlled by the American side in terms of technology.
That’s why the Ministry of Communications valued his joining the company so much.
They wanted to cultivate more civil aviation pilots through him.
This was all good for Fang Wen; of course, he had no objections.
“Instructor Liu, what do I need to do now?”
“Just wait. At most one week, there will be a transfer order from above, and you will become a specially appointed civil aviation company pilot by the Ministry of Communications. As for your student status, I will handle it; the file will be transferred to the Ministry of Communications in three months. By the way, you can tell your family members. Such a big event should make the family happy together.”
Fang Wen was stunned.
Family members—he knew little about the family relationships of this body.
It seemed to be in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, but there were no detailed records in his memory; he still didn’t know his native place, parents’ names, or if he had compatriots, brothers, or sisters.
After bidding farewell to Instructor Liu, he went out of the school with the fellow students and had a meal at a small restaurant outside the school as a celebration.
Then, he returned to the dormitory and pulled out a stack of letters from his luggage.
One by one, the letters were laid out on the bed; these letters recorded his past and interpersonal relationships.
To understand the situation of this identity, he had to start from here.
He picked up the first letter.
This one was written to him by a high school classmate.
To dear brother Fang Wen:
Years have passed since we parted, and I greatly miss our fellow student sentiment. I recently heard that the climate in Beiping is changeable; please take good care of yourself and don’t forget to add clothes to stay warm.
Since our last parting, several years have passed. In the past, we studied together as classmates, then faced the national crisis together, supporting each other with deep friendship. Every time I recall this, I feel endless emotions. Though we are now thousands of miles apart, our fellow student sentiment grows stronger with time.
My recent situation is good; I have found a job in Shanghai, busy yet fulfilling. Every day I work diligently to contribute a modest effort for the country and the people. Yet I still miss the old school days, talking ideals and national affairs with you—what joy!
I wonder how you are doing lately? I hope to hear your recent situation and reminisce about our fellow student friendship. If you have time, I look forward to meeting and chatting about our hometown, reliving old dreams.
Written in haste, words cannot express everything. Please take care of your health, and I look forward to meeting in the future.
Your younger brother Min Bangren respectfully.
Min Bangren in this letter was actually also in Shanghai, with a specific address.
This time going to the airline company in Shanghai, he could just look him up to catch up and learn more about his own situation.
He picked up the other letters and read them one by one.
