Chapter 17
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Chapter 17: Taking Control of the Airplane
The chances of a bird breaking the cockpit are extremely low. At an altitude of ten thousand meters, it’s not unusual to encounter large birds such as swans, vultures, or brown-headed geese that could collide with an aircraft, especially when hit head-on, as the combined impact energy would be tremendous.
"Alright!" Lin Mo nodded.
The head of the cabin crew placed her hand on the cockpit door, and several flight attendants joined her to help push, "Three… two… one… go!"
The cockpit is not a place just anyone can enter, but the urgency of the situation forced them to act differently. The cockpit, exposed to high-altitude airflow, was not a safe place for someone with a weaker constitution; they could easily meet their end.
As soon as the cockpit door opened, a powerful gust rushed into the cabin, sweeping everything up. Just as quickly, the door slammed shut again, and the violent airflow suddenly stopped. The startled passengers all took a heavy sigh of relief.
“Hey! Hey! Lin Mo! Can you hear me?” Immediately after the door shut, the head flight attendant rushed to the cabin phone to request communication with the cockpit.
“I hear you! I’m doing as you instructed. A bird hit the cockpit, and it wasn’t just one; the captain is down, and the co-pilot is hanging on by a thread. I’m seated in the pilot’s seat, preparing to follow ground commands and stabilize the plane,” Lin Mo’s voice came through the strong winds in the cockpit, surprisingly steady and clear, as if unaffected. Ahead, the windshield had two large holes, and bits of shattered glass mixed with the remains of a mangled bird scattered around the cockpit.
“That’s good to hear! That’s good!” The head flight attendant collapsed against the floor, drenched in sweat.
The shaking of the aircraft started to lessen, and the plane gradually stabilized. The creaking groans of the aircraft’s structure faded away, and all in the cabin released their taut nerves, slumping in their seats like wet noodles, lacking even the strength to cheer for surviving near disaster.
The low air pressure and raging winds inside the cabin had little effect on Lin Mo, a Dragon Knight. He was accustomed to battling in the skies while riding his gold giant dragon Gold Coin, already familiar with wearing armor and navigating through turbulent air flows. Thus, the rush of turbulence coming through the small window seemed trivial to him.
While the airplane Lin Mo was on faced trouble, the ground control at the destination airport descended into chaos and urgency. Finally, when they re-established contact with the plane, they were shocked to discover that the pilot was not the same person they had originally spoken to. Once they understood the situation, they promptly deployed a dozen pilots of the same aircraft model to simultaneously control the aircraft from similar cockpits. For the safety of the entire airplane, the ground personnel described every button’s location clearly, even detailing the shape, any characters on them, and the features of surrounding buttons, requiring Lin Mo to confirm each step before he pressed anything.
Lin Mo listened very carefully, as if he had just joined the Dragon Knights of the Su Lan Empire, absorbing the instructors’ teachings on flying techniques. Under his control, the airplane shifted from full autopilot to semi-autopilot, continuously adjusting and stabilizing its state.
“What’s the speed readout?” a seasoned pilot on the ground asked Lin Mo, who was conversing remotely with him while monitoring through listening equipment. “It’s on the lower left of the instrument panel, next to the astronomical clock, slightly to your left; there’s a small window.”
“Got it, the readout is 190!” Lin Mo cast a quick glance at the control board, swiftly locating the spot to report the figure.
“Adjust your heading to 157. It’s directly in front of you, near the windshield. Watch for the autopilot control, which is just below your line of sight. If anything goes wrong, let me know immediately.” The ground operator continued guiding Lin Mo cautiously. The training aircraft was equipped with two notebook computers for remote monitoring of the plane’s position, speed, and altitude, relaying real-time information.
Once the command center monitored a normalization in the aircraft’s data, everyone collectively sighed in relief.
“Look for the RECALL area, it’s visible. Lift your head; it’s next to the Fire Warning button. Press it to check. The system light should go off. If it stays on, let me know. Your altitude is too low. First, switch the Landing Gear Lever to OFF, and the Auto Brake Switch to OFF. Next, follow my instructions…” The ground operator patiently guided Lin Mo, occasionally asking for his well-being. The fierce wind sounds in the microphone kept everyone’s hearts racing, as such harsh conditions weren’t something ordinary people could endure. They could only hope Lin Mo could hold out until they made a safe landing.
If anyone were in the cabin, they would see that Lin Mo’s face showed no signs of distress from the turbulence or cold air; instead, he appeared calm and unaffected.
Once Lin Mo adjusted the aircraft’s altitude back above ten thousand meters, he decided to return the captain’s body and the severely injured co-pilot to the cabin, preparing for another scary bout of cabin turbulence. However, with the co-pilot in such dire straits, it seemed unlikely he would survive until landing.
With the flight attitude switched to level flight, Lin Mo simply needed to keep an eye on the attitude indicator and the horizontal indicator to maintain balance. At the same time, the ground pilots continued to provide Lin Mo with a wealth of practical flying knowledge and emergency responses for unexpected situations.
At this point, there was no time for standard flying training procedures; they could only resort to this crash-course method to help Lin Mo master the aircraft with maximum efficiency, raising the safety factor with each moment.
Compared to being exposed to the harsh, low temperatures and strong winds while riding his Giant Dragon as an Air Knight, the chaotic airflow filling the cockpit posed little challenge to Lin Mo. The emergency team members on the ground were astounded by this makeshift pilot’s ability to adapt so well to his environment. He even spoke clearly without any hindrance, maintaining a remarkably stable mental state devoid of emotional fluctuations. This gave them newfound hope, affirming that the chances of a safe landing were significantly improved. Having a calm and adaptable operator increased the success rate to over fifty percent.
Should an ordinary person be in Lin Mo’s place, they would likely faint from the turbulence, cold, and low oxygen levels in no time. Even trained pilots might not withstand such conditions, as at this altitude, using oxygen tanks would be almost mandatory for maintaining normal activity.
“Please maintain course. The new destination is Shijiazhuang Zhengding Airport!” The emergency team finally sent the updated destination. The original flight was bound for Changchun Longjia Airport in Jilin Province, but due to the emergency, they now needed to land at the nearest airport. Lin Mo’s outstanding performance as a temporary pilot encouraged ground control to adjust the aircraft’s route to a closer airport, rather than the original destination. After all, the plane was carrying a significant amount of fuel, which posed risks; they hoped to avoid any new accidents while passing over the capital. Additionally, consuming some fuel while descending could reduce potential dangers and grant the receiving airport more preparation time.
“Received! Repeating and confirming landing location: Shijiazhuang Zhengding Airport!” Lin Mo’s expression turned serious. He never expected that before officially becoming a pilot, he would be flying a medium-sized passenger plane with over a hundred people on board without a license. His background as a Dragon Knight greatly assisted his ability to operate this behemoth with stability—his experience in dealing with high-altitude airflows came almost instinctively.
For Lin Mo, the soaring techniques he used while riding his gold giant dragon had similarities to flying an airplane. He could easily sense changes in airflow around the aircraft’s surface, even steering the airplane more smoothly than his previous mounts.
In the pilot’s seat, Lin Mo manipulated the airplane, marveling at the massive machine composed of various metals and materials. In his former world, soaring through the sky was a privilege reserved for nobles riding giant beasts or Dragon Knights, nowhere close to transporting large groups of people easily from one place to another. Not only from a technical standpoint, but no empire could afford the manufacturing costs of such a gigantic flying vessel. Otherwise, they could just air-drop a group of sword saints directly into an enemy palace to ensure total annihilation.
As the airplane’s condition stabilized, passengers expressed their joy, faces brightening as if they had just won five million at the lottery. Some with poor mental resilience even cried tears of joy, tearing up their written farewell messages. Order in the cabin returned to normal, with everyone putting their hopes on Lin Mo, who was in the cockpit. The sounds of calm conversations between the cockpit and the ground emergency team echoed through the cabin, comforting everyone.
Only a few remained secretly worried about Lin Mo, whose safety was intertwined with the lives of everyone on board. Despite the calm atmosphere in the passenger cabin, anyone with even slight knowledge of aviation understood how dire the conditions were inside the cockpit.
Thirty minutes later, the aircraft entered the vicinity of the target airport. Nearby planes were either circling or changing direction, clearing the way for Lin Mo’s aircraft to transition from the air to the ground.
Under normal conditions, professional pilots could effortlessly queue and land on the busy runway. But this flight was being handled by someone flying an airplane for the first time.
