Chapter 216
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Chapter 216: Every Landing is Forced
While the J-10 could reach zero, the J-14 achieved negative five. This measurement wasn’t taken from the airspeed tube, but was calculated using ground speed measurements, GPS positioning, and radar location.
Everyone felt an unreal, dreamlike sensation.
With all his might, Lin Mo roared the engine, his hands performing a dazzling array of maneuvers while simultaneously controlling the voice command system to give instructions. The aircraft quickly regained its angle, leveled off the nose of the aircraft, and the vector system began to operate. The tailpipe erupted with a blue-green ring of flame, and with a small angle of vector deviation, powerful thrust immediately responded through the airframe.
The speedometer climbed rapidly: 56, 218, 356, 502…
The aircraft left a trail of white vapor in the sky, clearly showcasing the powerful thrust advantage from both engines.
“Good!”
“Beautiful!”
The aviation experts on the ground lowered their binoculars, unable to control their enthusiasm, erupting into warm applause. This stunning maneuver captivated them; not every fighter jet could achieve this, and even if they could, not everyone could pull it off.
Some of the older experts began to feel jealousy towards Professor Yan for having such a disciple.
A designer and a pilot together—simply unbeatable, leaving no room for competitors.
Professor Yan smiled like a blooming flower, silently relishing the envy and jealousy of the old timers.
“Next, we’ll test airborne stopping and stall maneuvers, limited to this aircraft. We won’t conduct this test again,” a senior engineer on the ground said, taking a deep breath and speaking clearly. Since we have an ace pilot here, we wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity. Whether it’s in Lin Mo’s hands or the testing list he holds, it almost covers all the combat capabilities and fault-handling abilities of the three fighter jets.
“Okay, preparing for an altitude of 18,000 meters,” Lin Mo knew the risks involved with this maneuver. Stopping the engines meant the entire aircraft would become a heavy weight, plummeting down. Either it would stall or spin. If he couldn’t recover, there would be no good outcome.
This was a relatively dangerous test, so Lin Mo chose to attempt it at a higher altitude. If he failed, he could at least bail out in time, ensuring he wouldn’t be reduced to a pile of fragments with the aircraft.
Even though the J-14 flew through the sky, it stirred the hearts of those on the ground.
The engine shut off, and Lin Mo felt sweat on his palms as the aircraft’s speed suddenly dropped. Although the large wing area could withstand air pressure, its weight of nearly twenty tons made gliding impossible, and despite Lin Mo’s determination, he felt powerless.
As inertia waned, Lin Mo kept his fingers lightly resting on the ignition switch. The moment he neared the stall spin, he would quickly throttle up to gain maximum speed for recovery.
After ten seconds of stopping, the aircraft began to descend rapidly.
Altitude: 12,000 meters!
9,000 meters!
8,000 meters!
The nose of the aircraft started to turn with the airflow.
7,000 meters!
Lin Mo sprang into action, igniting the engine and gradually increasing the throttle. As the aircraft involuntarily began its third circle of the spin, he initiated recovery procedures. This wasn’t like the time he flew the Mig in Zambia, where a crash was just a minor loss.
If he crashed the J-14, Chen Haiqing would surely spit blood. The newly established National Defense Star (NDS) would take a significant hit; it would likely bear a heavy toll.
Lin Mo applied the rudder, pulled back on the stick, and pressed the aileron down. His movements were simple yet powerful. The “Eagle Falcon” responded outstandingly, quickly stabilizing the descent and returning to normal straight-level flight.
Altitude: 2,000 meters!
Not bad, the aircraft performed excellently, highlighting Lin Mo’s flying skills even more.
Chen Haiqing’s hands hardly stopped clapping, red and swollen. He was thoroughly impressed; it was truly worth it—they had earned back the ticket price for this experimental machine.
“Test completed! Please return to base!”
After testing several operations and postures, the ground issued the recovery command.
Today, they would not test the weapon systems. That would wait until after this comprehensive inspection, when the aircraft was more or less finalized and there wasn’t much left to modify.
With a thunderous roar, the J-14, under Lin Mo’s control, touched down lightly on the runway. When the landing gear wheels made contact, a puff of smoke burst forth, and it landed steadily, thanks to its large wing area which ensured landing stability.
Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
Lin Mo still felt a little unsatisfied. The cockpit had undergone some improvements, reducing the overload he experienced by 10% compared to the J-10. For an average pilot, that meant he could pull off even sharper maneuvers.
“Well done!”
Chen Haiqing rushed to meet the J-14 as it slid into the parking area. As the cockpit opened, Lin Mo took off his aviation helmet, gave an OK gesture, and shouted at Chen Haiqing, “How was it? I didn’t embarrass you, did I?”
“Of course not! You are the strongest among our classmates.” Chen Haiqing smiled broadly, giving Lin Mo a thumbs-up. Inwardly, he felt pleased with his choice; his judgment hadn’t been wrong.
“Come on, switch to the next one.” Lin Mo unbuckled his seatbelt, shut down the engine, and jumped out of the cockpit, landing lightly on the ground.
The staff carrying the ladder hadn’t managed to reach him yet and rolled their eyes. If only he had mentioned his abilities sooner; they wouldn’t have made a pointless trip, and now they might get scolded by their boss.
Chen Haiqing waved his hand, grabbing Lin Mo’s aviation helmet with a smile. “Take your time, no rush. You can rest for a bit, have some tea, and in half an hour you can go up again. The next J-20 is ready.”
“I don’t feel tired at all. I could fly three in a row,” Lin Mo said with full energy. The J-14’s performance was indeed much stronger than the J-10, almost comparable to the fourth-generation F-22, just a generation apart!
“The mechanics aren’t ready yet,” Chen Haiqing shook his head. Once again, he was reminded of Lin Mo’s incredible abilities—his A+ level fitness truly was monstrous.
After the engines cooled slightly, the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” was quickly towed to the side and connected to download data from the external data interface cover. Many experts gathered around, automatically dividing into teams to analyze the data flow on the big screens, looking for fault sources or performance defects in the components. Four high-speed laser printers quickly churned out A3 paper, binding and distributing the printed data on-site.
Test flights not only tested the machine’s performance but also invited experts for collective on-site diagnosis.
Once it was towed back, the entire experimental machine would undergo disassembly to quantify wear and aging.
Lin Mo grabbed a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and took a sip. Just then, his teacher pulled him into a crowd of experts for collective observation.
“Old Yan, this is your closest disciple. Quite impressive! Where did you find him?”
“Let me see, handsome and talented! If my granddaughter hadn’t married two years ago, I might have introduced them!”
“Come on, come on! Are you looking at my disciple or trying to find a son-in-law?”
Professor Yan shook off the loneliness of retirement, seeming to return to his youthful self, spirited and somewhat smug as he said, "This is a secret, can’t tell you! It’s a military secret!”
He was teasing them.
“Oh, come on! Just bragging! You’re just lucky; your three previous disciples weren’t nearly as impressive as this one. Even the old butcher’s apprentices are better! Come on, let’s see what Old Yan has taught you.”
“Right! Let’s see if this pilot has any skills. You may be an expert at flying, but we need to see if your theoretical foundation is solid!”
Indeed, two or three sentences could not stray from their professions; the experts invited by the National Defense Star (NDS) immediately turned into a panel of examiners.
Lin Mo broke into a cold sweat. If he truly had to undergo questioning from this group of chattering old men, he might just end up being called Professor Lin by tomorrow. No way!
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you all doing? Is this a thesis defense or a civil service interview? Am I invisible?” Professor Yan’s face turned red with anger as he erupted!
He stood in front of Lin Mo to block the challenges from the old men. This was his precious disciple, who still had to fly later; he didn’t want Lin Mo to get flustered.
“I mean, Old Yan, stop hiding information. Go, go, go! Don’t shield your disciple. Whether he has skills or not is not up to you to decide. In aerial combat, falling enemy aircraft makes an ace. For us, knowledge determines status.”
Sure enough, the old experts showed no mercy to Professor Yan, making a ruckus.
However, some experts stayed out of it, their faces revealing a mysterious smile, quietly watching from the side.
“See that X-1 over there?” Professor Yan revealed his trump card, pointing to the streamlined experimental machine, the “monstrous” X-1, and said, “That thing is a copy of my disciple’s design, and it’s a simplified version. Once my disciple finishes the prototype, it’ll be bombs away at your houses!” Professor Yan threatened, fuming.
What a childlike attitude! Professor Yan’s words were as whimsical as "I’ll use a slingshot made of a rubber band to break your windows.”
If this group of experts got their turn to question him one by one, Lin Mo knew he wouldn’t escape for three days and nights. He shivered at the thought. What he had intended to say was now left unspoken; he would let his teacher handle it. He didn’t know them well enough to speak haphazardly and offend anyone.
The surrounding chatter quieted down immediately.
