Source: People's Liberation Army Daily, China Military Trumpet
Extravehicular time
■Ni Shuai, Liu Renfeng
On the endless sea, a giant steel ship sailed to a certain sea area in the glow of the sun. Not long ago, on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, Lang Zhiqi, a carrier-based fighter pilot of a certain navy unit, and his comrades-in-arms had just completed their landing training.
Back in the cabin, Lang Zhiqi couldn't hide his excitement and sat by the porthole with the last ray of sunlight. In his eyes, the sunset sinks into the blue sea level, just like the moment when the tail hook of a fighter plane is hung with a blocking cable, beautiful and short-lived. He depicts this moment on paper, which is his "time outside the cabin".
Carrier-based fighter pilots are known as "dancers on the tip of the knife", but when you walk into the department, you will be surprised to find that you can paint gourds, carve seals, and climb mountain peaks...... Like Lang Zhiqi, many young carrier-based fighter pilots also have a colorful spare time life in addition to "dancing on the tip of the knife."
In the eyes of instructor Cao Xianjian, this is the romance of carrier-based fighter pilots. Every brand, every carving, and every challenge is the embodiment of their dedication and dedication. The "extravehicular time" of carrier-based fighter pilots has a unique significance, allowing them to sharpen their swords in the sea and sky with a high-spirited and striving spirit......
One
In the evening, the sky faded from the afterglow of the setting sun, and the aircraft carrier moved forward in the sparkling sea.
On the last day of the landing training, pilot student Lang Zhiqi sat by the porthole and sketched the brightest star in the constellation Aquila in the picture book.
Aquila is like an eagle soaring in the night sky, and the brightest star is the goshawk's heart.
Lang Zhiqi recalled that earlier in the day, the fighter plane he piloted was like an eagle, quickly and accurately hanging on the second barrage on the deck, and he felt that he was the heart of the eagle in the cockpit.
Late at night, at a land airport far away from this sea area, pilot Zhou Hongli was flying a fighter plane back to the air. After landing, he hurried into the lecture room and looked back at the video to find out what problems he had in the flight. In Zhou Hongli's mind, review is an important way to improve his flying skills.
Night flight training is very difficult, always challenging the dual limits of the pilot's psychology and technology, and Zhou Hongli also has his own way of relaxing. Back in the dormitory, standing in front of the one-foot-high gourd on the desk, he quickly recovered. Sitting at his desk, Zhou Hongli started a new "night voyage" - branding gourd.
From the mind to the paper, and then to the arc of the gourd, even if Zhou Hongli has the sharp eyes of a carrier-based fighter pilot, there are often errors in the branding. The process of copying is like a review, constantly discovering and solving problems, and the painting skills are gradually improved in this process, and the works are constantly becoming perfect.
In the quiet night, all that remained around Zhou Hongli was the hissing sound of the tip of the electric soldering iron burning the surface of the gourd. After a while, a smart picture appeared on the gourd. Against the backdrop of the bright moonlight, the sparkling lines on the gourd are like the moonlight sprinkled on aircraft carriers and fighters, which is exceptionally warm.
The next day, the brilliant gold had just overflowed from the horizon, and Zhou Hongli greeted the light of the sunrise and flew the fighter plane to the sea and sky.
Two
It was dawning, and the pilots had already gathered in front of the simulator. Flight simulation training is the only way to carrier-based flight.
During the training, the pilot Jin Rui can always complete the landing training with a near-perfect attitude, and the various data on the display screen are also very close to the standard values.
What is the secret of Jin Rui's leapfrog improvement in flight technology? In his heart, in addition to studying hard and practicing flying, he also has the help of his own "extravehicular time."
Jin Rui has had a dream of flying since he was a child. He loves all kinds of aeronautical models, which carry his yearning for blue skies. On the desk of Jin Rui's dormitory, there is also a white model airplane. This model aircraft, which does not look special, has accompanied Jin Rui through an unforgettable time.
That year, when he saw his comrades-in-arms flying fighter planes roaring from the deck of the aircraft carrier and flying freely in the sea and air, the passion and confidence in Jin Rui's heart spontaneously emerged. In his mind, he imagined the scene of flying a fighter plane from the deck of an aircraft carrier, and his desire to fly on the carrier became stronger and stronger.
Soon, Jin Rui assembled a new model of the aircraft in his spare time and named it "Sailing", hoping that he would one day set sail from the aircraft carrier.
At the beginning of carrier-based flight training, Jin Rui often did not control the timing of the push and pull rod well, and his results were not satisfactory. He rubbed his wet palms restlessly, recalled the problems that arose during flight training over and over again in his mind, and muttered to himself: "Everyone else can fly well, can't I?"
The huge pressure made Jin Rui gradually become anxious. During that time, the Sailing gave him great encouragement. When his heart was anxious, looking at the "Sailing" standing quietly on the table, he could regain the confidence and strength he had when he saw the fighter soaring for the first time.
At that time, there was only half a month left before the solo flight training assessment, and in order not to fall behind, Jin Rui put pressure on himself and practiced. During the flight, he played back the training video frame by frame to check and fill in the gaps and analyze the shortcomings in a timely manner; whenever he had free time, he went to the simulation engine room and repeatedly practiced the landing technique; and when he returned to the dormitory late at night, he continued to conscientiously memorize the knowledge of aeronautics and deepen his theoretical understanding......
After the assessment, Jin Rui took the "Sailing" to the beach. Touching this "partner" who accompanied him through the trough, his eyes couldn't help but moisten a little.
Accompanied by the "Sailing", Jin Rui persevered towards his goal. From being nervous and afraid of a carrier-based flight to being calm and confident, and from being a red score to a full score in the simulated ship-based course...... The dream of flying to the sea and sky has become within reach in this way.
A few months later, Jin Rui finally got the "qualification certificate" to the aircraft carrier. On that day, he boarded the aircraft carrier with the "Sailing". This time, the "Set Sail" witnessed the highlight moment of Jin Rui's dream of carrier-based flight.
Three
When the fighter engines stopped roaring, pilot Shen Chunhui breathed a long sigh of relief in the cockpit, relaxed and leaned back on the seat. Take off the helmet, unbuckle the seat belt, pull the latch...... Even such a familiar process can't afford to be sloppy. As soon as his feet stepped onto the boarding stairs, the review was already unfolding in his mind.
Shen Chunhui is a person who counts against time. He has strict requirements for his "time in the cabin", and for the "time outside the cabin", he is also particularly precise.
At 5 o'clock in the morning, the sun was rising, Shen Chunhui had already made his bed and started his day in the study of professional and technical knowledge. At 6 o'clock, the military horn sounded, and Shen Chunhui conducted a morning exercise on time to improve the strength of his waist and abdomen. Eat a balanced breakfast at 7 a.m., then clean the dormitory and prepare for the day's training...... Shen Chunhui's entire morning was packed with schedules, and he needed to be meticulous to complete.
Compared with Shen Chunhui's precision and strictness, pilot Wang Peng prefers to look for adventure and breakthroughs in his "extravehicular time".
In the midsummer of that year, Wang Peng and several comrades-in-arms met to climb the snow-capped mountain. Due to the haste of preparation, everyone was physically exhausted during the climb. The weather in the snowy mountains was cold and biting, and several comrades-in-arms were frostbitten. In the bitter cold, Wang Peng deeply realized that only when he was fully prepared could he face the challenges with full certainty.
The experience of "time outside the cabin" was applied by Wang Peng to the flight. In a follow-up low-weather flight training, Wang Peng successively manipulated fighter planes to make pressure maneuvers and "destroyed enemy planes" many times. At this time, a special command suddenly came from the tower.
Air combat in low weather conditions will indeed increase the probability of special situations, so the pilot's autonomous preparation stage must be complete and comprehensive. In just a few seconds, at a height of thousands of meters, the fighter plane, which was as light as a swallow just now, suddenly trembled. As the angle of attack increased further, the fighter jet jolted violently...... The sudden special situation did not make Wang Peng panic. It only took him more than ten seconds to adjust his flight attitude and successfully get out of danger.
Not long ago, Wang Peng climbed the mountain again. This time, he was well prepared. Standing on the peak, he couldn't help but sigh: "In the future, we will have to climb higher mountains and cross more hurdles......