Chapter 137
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Chapter 137: A Good Workman Must First Sharpen His Tools
While adapting to the time difference with other air force instructors, Lin Mo headed to the hangar containing four FC-20 aircraft. They spent the whole day just unpacking the aircraft component crates from the special containers. With the engineers well-rested, they began directing Zambian mechanics and soldiers in the first round of unpacking, preparing to assemble the main fuselage first.
This process was necessary, as the two Chinese engineers could not stay at Lusaka Air Force Base forever. Through hands-on teaching, they would help the Zambian mechanics learn how to maintain and service these four expensive third-generation light combat aircraft.
As Lin Mo continued to be assigned to different locations for tasks, the sources for metal food for the Gold Giant Dragon became increasingly scarce. Since he had some downtime, he embraced the principle of resourcefulness and did not let any opportunity to obtain metals slip by. He actively joined the fighter assembly work, stealthily earning some rations for Gold Coin.
Bai Fei and Yang Songlei, two engineers, were pleasantly surprised to learn that Lin Mo possessed the skill of assembling aircraft, which was not a simple task. Initially skeptical, they were convinced when Lin Mo casually mentioned the structure and assembly process of his J-10A. It became clear to the engineers that this air force lieutenant had genuine experience in fighter assembly. If he had not done it himself, he likely wouldn’t even know what parts were where in the aircraft.
With Lin Mo’s knowledge of his J-10A and modification experience, his assembly proficiency for the J-10 was hardly inferior to theirs.
With Lin Mo’s help, the engineers’ work efficiency shot up significantly, and the assembly of the four aircraft progressed simultaneously. The instruction manual shipped to Zambia was a consistent, fully translated English version. They followed along, hands-on, checking each component repeatedly to verify correctness, carefully starting them up when they could.
This was like building a space shuttle—forgetting a rag in the fuselage could lead to it disintegrating in mid-air. The main goal was to guide the Zambian side in learning how to maintain the jets; otherwise, with their current familiarity with the J-10, the assembly speed would need to be increased five or six times.
The arrival of the new fighter jets excited everyone at the Zambian air force base. Mechanics and pilots rushed over to help, and a crowd surrounded the four FC-20s from morning till night as everyone tried to absorb knowledge about these high-performance aircraft.
To ensure smooth operation of the four new FC-20s, the Lusaka Air Force Base selected eight of the finest pilots to be paired with four Chinese air force instructors, with each instructor responsible for two pilots. These eight would serve as precious seeds for training future instructors.
Other pilots were welcome to observe, but for now, they could not qualify to fly the FC-20. Surprisingly, throughout the whole process, only these eight pilots opted to actively follow their instructors, while others simply clocked in and out, sticking to their own tasks and never stepping beyond their allotted responsibilities.
There was a real joke among the Chinese working in Zambia about the local workers’ habits. When a mine’s blasting point was set with explosives, the workers would finish their shift precisely on time, pulling back their fingers from the detonator and leaving the explosives there, intending to finish the task the next working day. If the next day was a holiday, they wouldn’t even think about it; they’d just say, “See you on Monday!”
Most Zambians are naturally optimistic, and some customs would leave hardworking Chinese in fits of laughter and tears.
Among the two pilots assigned to Lin Mo was Grafido, whom Lin Mo first met when arriving at the base. Grafido was a light-skinned Zambian, perhaps of mixed heritage, while the other was a stout, shorter pilot named Nolaf. In Zambia, people often have only one name, typically using the last word as a surname, which doesn’t necessarily carry on to the next generation. They often borrow a word from their parent’s name as a symbolic inheritance.
Though neither were senior pilots at the Lusaka base, they were young and eager learners, set to be specially trained as FC-20 pilots.
This super small class system of training—one instructor for two students—was far more efficient than having one instructor for several pilots. It would quickly train qualified pilots for Zambia. Each Chinese pilot was a valuable asset to the country, and with their brief flight lifecycle, they couldn’t afford to waste much time training here. Lin Mo and his team only had a short training period of three months.
Lin Mo’s teaching approach was unconventional; he completely deviated from the syllabus. He brought the two pilots along to a FC-20 that was being assembled and involved them in the work.
Lin Mo said to them, “Only by understanding each component of the fighter can you unleash its maximum performance. In actual combat, sometimes a small edge is enough to surpass your opponent.”
Initially puzzled by Lin Mo’s methods, the two Zambian pilots quickly nodded in agreement, realizing the wisdom of his words. In air combat, a slight miscalculation could lead to significant consequences; even a small difference in advantage could determine victory or defeat.
“Right! Pay attention to the fasteners. For those special cold-installed fasteners, you only get one shot. If you mess it up, congratulations, you’ve lost a year’s salary! You’ll have to wait a month to buy another standard set before you can use your FC-20.”
“Look, don’t rely too much on thrust vectoring; it just slightly alters the direction of thrust. If you notice your opponent making similar adjustments, they are likely trying to shake you off in a dogfight. Aim ahead with the cannon to intercept them, and you’ll be sure to hit your target.”
“Be mindful of the anti-icing system. Above 4,000 meters, you need to control the temperature carefully. If it cools too quickly, it will slow your reflexes. Bring the turbine pump over carefully; don’t hit the vortex plate! I’ll show you how to install it. Pay close attention; there won’t be a second chance. If your opponent doesn’t notice, then congratulations; their aircraft icing up will make them the best target for you. If you forget, that target could end up being you.”
Lin Mo moved about the fighter jet with tools in hand, having Grafido and Nolaf assist him with the less critical components.
“Yes, ‘Lin!’”
The two Zambian pilots affectionately referred to Lin Mo as “Lin.” Wasn’t that the clear sound of Gold Coin hitting?
The impressive video of Lin Mo’s performance at the Zhuhai Airshow had left a strong impression on these Zambian pilots who had previously watched it.
When they learned that Lin Mo was the pilot known as “Gold Coin,” Grafido and Nolaf excitedly hugged each other, cheering loudly, while other pilots looked on with envy.
Although Lin Mo was younger than most pilots there and even held a lower military rank than some, it did not affect his status in their eyes.
To them, a pilot capable of executing such impressive low-altitude cobra maneuvers with pinpoint cannon accuracy was undoubtedly an aerial ace. It was easy to see just how lucky they felt.
Grafido and Nolaf worked diligently, accepting Lin Mo’s instructions without question. They never doubted his words and obediently followed every directive.
As Lin Mo guided them through the fighter assembly, he explained the function of each part, how to troubleshoot if issues arose, and how to leverage these components to gain an advantage in aerial combat, even unlocking unexpected battle capabilities.
Major Huang De, Major Han Ringuang, and Captain Zou Han never anticipated Lin Mo would use such a teaching method. While they had standard syllabuses, they lacked in-depth explanations for the various aircraft components, compared to Lin Mo’s meticulousness. Especially his extraordinary combat techniques that couldn’t be found in textbooks; they never imagined Captain Lin Mo would possess such richness in tactical maneuvering experience.
Nevertheless, for military needs, certain special parameters and exclusive J-10 combat skills weren’t included in the syllabus, so Lin Mo and the other instructors held back some insights.
“Good job, guys! That’s it for today. Let’s take a break, and in the afternoon, we’ll try the K-8 before discussing the differences with the FC-20.” Lin Mo watched the two Zambian pilots enthusiastically get their hands greasy with oil, nearly turning them from black to gray.
Initially, Lin Mo was hand-picked to join Team 7759 and learned to operate the J-10 using advanced simulators and the L-15 Falcon training aircraft, skipping the conventional three-step process of theoretical learning for two years followed by progressing through junior, intermediate, and advanced training aircraft.
With better innate talent, Lin Mo and other select students were admitted directly into Team 7759, stepping into a specialized curriculum that rapidly advanced their training.
In contrast, the Zambian pilots, due to resource limitations, could not follow the typical training process. Many teaching steps were either omitted or condensed, resulting in a crash course in combat aviation, relying solely on the pilots’ diligence to grasp the materials. However, their aerial combat techniques still lagged behind those from countries like China, Russia, and the U.S., where industrial infrastructure and technological gaps couldn’t be filled by sheer effort.
