mesbooks Chapter 1511: The First Kiss of Sea and Sky
Chapter 1511: The First Kiss of Sea and Sky
"Attention, all aircraft, begin to descend and prepare to enter the mission area."
Another twenty minutes passed, and the commander's voice sounded in the formation channel.
Wang Wei adjusted the throttle and began to descend following the lead plane.
Sunlight shone through the canopy onto the instrument panel, and the sea shimmered below.
The onboard navigation system had actually captured the location of the Liaosheng aircraft carrier, but according to mission requirements, they still needed to complete an additional visual search.
During the previous sea trials of the Liao Province, they also conducted similar training in nearby airspace, so they were familiar with the whole process.
Soon, he noticed two obvious white tracks appearing on the sea.
After getting a little closer, the outline of the Liao province became clearly visible.
As for the other one that is slightly shorter, it should be the Chuncheng destroyer responsible for escort in this mission.
"Report No. 02, the target is visually detected, bearing 075, distance about 30 kilometers."
He pressed the communication button and reported to the tower in a steady voice.
"Roger that, 02. Continue to maintain current altitude and prepare to enter the holding pattern."
A response came from the ship's aviation control station.
Wang Wei took a deep breath, feeling the slightly dry air under the oxygen mask, and at the same time gently pulled the joystick to begin adjusting the course.
At this moment, Liaosheng was sailing eastward at a speed of 30 knots, and all departments were ready.
"No. 01 begins to descend and prepare for a touch-and-go."
The commander's voice came from the headset.
Wang Wei looked to the front left and saw that the commander's plane No. 01 had begun to descend, with the flaps under the wings fully deployed.
He switched the communication channel: "No. 02 received, continue waiting."
Touch-and-go is the first task of the day. The six fighter jets will touch the deck in turn without lowering their tail hooks and then immediately take off to warm up for the formal landing.
Wang Wei followed aircraft No. 01, the gray-painted J-15 that was approaching the aircraft carrier at a perfect descent angle.
"No. 01 has successfully touched down on the ship, prepare for takeoff." The commander's voice remained steady.
The main landing gear of aircraft No. 01 lightly touched the deck, and then the blue-purple light at the tail of the engine suddenly brightened. The fighter plane accelerated like an arrow, left the angled deck and climbed again.
The ground crew on the deck quickly checked the landing area and reported the location of the impact via radio.
"No. 01's touchdown point is 5 meters in front of the second arresting cable. Perfect." The landing commander's voice came, "No. 02, you can start your touchdown and go-around."
Wang Wei held his breath and pressed the communication button:
"No. 02 understands, begin descending."
He slowly pushed the throttle lever to reduce thrust, and at the same time pulled the joystick back to raise the nose of the plane slightly.
The fighter plane then began to descend steadily. The numbers on the altimeter changed rapidly: 1500...1000...800...600...
At an altitude of 360 meters, the aircraft fully extended its flaps and reduced its speed to a level close to a stall.
The wing's controllability became sluggish almost immediately, but fortunately he was already accustomed to this feeling.
Years of simulation training have made him familiar with every characteristic of the J-15 at low speeds.
"No. 02, you look good, keep it up." The landing commander's voice came from the headset.
Wang Wei did not answer, all his attention was focused on the control.
Now, he can clearly see the entire picture of the aircraft carrier.
The huge flight deck sparkled in the sun, and the white markings on the angled deck were particularly eye-catching.
It is more than ten times more magnificent than the Excellence seen from a similar angle back then.
On the left side of the deck, the light box of the Fresnel optical landing aid system had lit up, waiting to guide his approach.
At an altitude of 200 meters, Wang Wei slightly adjusted the throttle to maintain speed. Now, the aircraft carrier was about 2 kilometers ahead, breaking through the waves at a speed of 30 knots.
"No. 02, the glideslope is good, correct slightly to the right by 2 degrees." the landing commander instructed.
Wang Wei gently pushed the right rudder and the fighter plane turned slightly.
The sea surface expanded rapidly in his field of vision, and he could see the details of the waves and even the occasional flying fish.
This feeling of flying at low altitude is both familiar and strange——
I have experienced this countless times in simulated training, but the real ocean environment still brings different sensory stimulation.
At a height of 120 meters... 60 meters... the outline of the aircraft carrier is getting bigger and bigger in the field of vision.
Wang Wei adjusted the attitude so that the nose of the aircraft was aimed at the center line of the angled deck.
His right hand held the joystick tightly, and his left hand was ready to adjust the throttle at any time.
There seemed to be sweat dripping from his forehead, but he had no time to wipe it off.
"Maintain attitude." The landing commander's voice also became urgent.
When it comes to carrier-based aircraft landing, everyone is a novice.
Wang Wei felt his heart beating faster.
At this moment, the airflow on the aircraft carrier deck is more complicated than during training - the turbulence caused by the movement of the hull, the turbulence reflected by the sea surface, and even the heat waves ejected from the boiler along the exhaust port... All these factors are affecting the stability of the fighter.
At a distance of 200 meters from the deck... he could clearly see every weld and every mooring ring on the deck.
Fortunately, the go-around warning light never came on, and his angle of attack and descent rate were both fine.
"Hold on...Hold on..."
Wang Wei said softly to himself.
With a slight bump, the fighter's main landing gear touched the deck.
Almost at the same moment, he pushed the accelerator to the maximum, and the engine let out a deafening roar.
The fighter plane stayed on the deck for less than a second before taking off again.
"02 touched down successfully, perfect position!" the landing commander's excited voice came, "Return to the holding line and prepare for formal landing."
Wang Wei let out a long sigh, pulled up the fighter plane and climbed again.
The touch-and-go maneuver was successfully completed, but the real challenge was still ahead - this time the tail hook had to be lowered and actually pulled by the arresting cable.
When all six fighters completed the touch-and-go, the commander's voice sounded again: "Attention, all aircraft, start the formal landing procedure... Just like before, No. 01 will approach first, No. 02 will get ready."
Wang Wei adjusted his breathing and circled in the waiting pattern.
He observed the approach of Unit 01, trying to learn from the unit commander's operations.
The light gray war eagle lowered its tail hook and was adjusting its posture like a falcon ready to hunt, gradually approaching the deck.
"Capture!" the landing commander suddenly shouted.
Wang Wei saw that the tail hook of aircraft No. 01 successfully caught the second arresting cable. The fighter plane decelerated rapidly on the deck and finally stopped steadily.
The ground crew on the deck immediately took action and guided aircraft No. 01 away from the landing area.
"No. 02, it's your turn." The command came from the headset.
Wang Wei felt a current-like tension running through his body.
"No. 02 understands, start entering the venue."
He reduced altitude and speed again, deployed the flaps, and lowered the landing gear.
This time, it is necessary to lower the tail hook, the key device that determines success or failure.
"The tail hook has been lowered and confirmed to be locked." Wang Wei checked the indicator light and reported.
"Roger that, 02," the landing commander responded, "Your glide path is good."
Wang Wei was concentrating on controlling the fighter plane.
This time, he paid more attention to the movements of the aircraft carrier.
The Liao Province was rolling slightly, with the starboard side slightly rising.
He remembered the air disturbance warning mentioned in the briefing.
Sure enough, when it was about 1500 meters away from the deck, the fighter plane suddenly felt an upward lift.
Wang Wei quickly made a putt correction and noticed that a yellow light came on on the Fresnel system, indicating that he was slightly higher than the ideal glide path.
He gritted his teeth, pushed harder, and slightly reduced the throttle.
The fighter plane fell like a stone, but soon returned to the correct trajectory.
"Much better, continue." The landing commander replied.
800 meters...500 meters...Wang Wei could feel the sweat running down his back.
He adjusted his breathing and maintained his rhythm, watching the outline of the aircraft carrier fill the entire windshield, the arresting cables on the deck clearly visible.
Suddenly, another turbulence hit, and the fighter plane shifted to the right again.
Compared with the artificial gusts of wind in the ground simulation system, the real sea surface is obviously more complex.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and completed the correction almost by muscle memory.
"200 meters, keep stable." The landing commander's voice became unusually focused.
Unit 02 slightly raised its nose and maintained an appropriate angle of attack.
This is the most critical moment - too low and you will hit the stern of the ship, too high and you may miss the arresting cable.
"100 meters!"
The only thing left in view was the landing area in the middle of the deck.
He subconsciously held his breath, and his right hand controlled the joystick as steady as a rock.
With a dull thud, the fighter's main wheel touched the deck again.
Wang Wei pushed the throttle again, but this time, he did not pull up the nose of the plane to take off again. Instead, he held the joystick tightly, waiting for the decisive pull.
The next half second seemed as long as half a century, until a huge backward force pressed him hard into the seat.
The tail hook successfully hung the second arresting cable!
The fighter plane slowed down rapidly on the deck. Wang Wei felt the blood rushing to his face and the edges of his vision turned slightly red.
Fortunately, all this passed quickly, and in less than two seconds, the fighter plane came to a complete stop.
"Capture successful! No. 02 landed perfectly!"
The landing commander's voice was filled with joy.
Wang Wei gasped for breath, untied his oxygen mask, and looked at the ground crew and vehicles surrounding him.
It was only at this moment that he finally felt a little more realistic.
I did it myself!
The second successful aircraft carrier landing in the history of the Chinese Navy!
Through the canopy, he saw the ground crew on deck giving him a thumbs-up.
When the ground guide signaled him to taxi away from the landing area, Wang Wei felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.
More than two years of sweat, countless simulation trainings, countless sleepless nights...all paid off at this moment.
Wang Wei knew that today was not only his personal victory, but also an important step for the Chinese Navy to move towards the deep blue.
The Liao Province has truly become an aircraft carrier capable of taking off and landing fighter jets.
And they - China's first batch of carrier-based aircraft pilots - are the ones who write this history.
Of course, this is just the beginning.
Ahead, there is still a vast ocean to conquer.