On the afternoon of February 4, at the Guiyuan playground of Wuhan University, staff carried medical supplies. On the same day, the Hubei General Aviation Emergency Material Transport Team transferred 30,000 medical masks from Xiantao to the frontline of epidemic prevention in Wuhan. (Hubei Daily full media reporter Cai Jun photo)
Through the clouds and fog, war eagles soar.
On the land of Jingchu, which is full of injuries and pains, countless medical staff, public security cadres and community workers have thrown themselves into the frontline of the fight against the epidemic. In the sky where people have not looked up, there is a group of helicopter pilots, who at the most urgent time of the epidemic in Hubei, fly steel eagles, cross mountains and rivers, and deliver the most urgent and scarce anti-epidemic materials to the hands of the people who need them most at the first time. Every take-off is faced with an unknown test; every landing carries the hope of life; every time the blade is sheathed, just to defeat the disease with fearless courage.
Go against the wind and overcome the difficulties of the route
The epidemic was caught off guard. In an emergency, the province's traffic is strictly controlled, and land transportation is inconvenient. How to quickly deliver anti-epidemic materials to the hands of medical staff? Helicopter pilots from many general aviation enterprises across the country took the initiative to ask for help and went out on the expedition in a panic.
At 11:00 a.m. on February 1, Qingdao Helicopter Aviation Co., Ltd., which is stationed in Wuhan, received a task: to transport urgently needed epidemic prevention materials to Xiangyang and Yichang. This is the first time that Hubei has transported epidemic prevention materials by helicopter air.
The first voyage, there is no ready-made route to follow, uncertain weather factors can produce dangerous situations at any time, temporary landing point lack of professional command... The dangers are well understood by the pilots, but no one backs down.
"We are not afraid of being fake, but we will be ashamed to retreat in the fight against the epidemic." Zhang Zicheng and Zhong Jianwen, the two captains and crew members who received the first flight mission, did not even have time to eat, and immediately rushed from the station to the airport. An hour later, two Mi-171 large helicopters took off one after another and rushed to a pharmaceutical logistics base in Wuhan Optics Valley, each loading 2.5 tons of epidemic prevention materials, and the soldiers flew to the destination in two ways.
If the diversion point is located at Yichang Airport, the helicopter can land under the command of professionals, but the airport is far from the hospital, which will delay the time to deliver supplies. When Zhu Xuezhong, the commander in charge of the dispatch mission, tentatively asked Zhang Zicheng, the captain of the plane flying to Yichang, whether he could land in a field without professional command, without ground guidance equipment, and only by visual landing, and with little space, Zhang Zicheng did not hesitate to agree.
"Rest assured! I'm highly skilled and guaranteed to get the job done! Hearing Zhang Zicheng's answer from the handheld radio, Zhu Xuezhong burst into tears.
Challenge the limits of flight
Relying on rigorous and meticulous judgment, bold and professional execution, and undaunted innovation, pilots continue to challenge the maximum limits of helicopter flight.
At 16:30 on February 1, 800 protective clothing was completed in Xiantao Pengchang Town. Jinhui General Aviation Company, which owns a small helicopter, received a notice to immediately transport the protective suit Xiantao to Wuhan.
Half an hour later, Captain Wang Junjun took off in an AW109 Trekker rescue helicopter. Helicopters must return before sunset to be safe. The helicopter's daily cruising speed is 220 kilometers per hour, and in order to ensure the safe and smooth completion of the task, Wang Junjun increased the speed to 280 kilometers per hour, almost reaching the theoretical maximum speed.
After 24 minutes, Wang Junjun reached the sky above his destination. However, the temporary diversion site is located on a road 20 meters wide, with street lights about 3 meters apart on both sides, the road conditions are complex, the site is narrow, and the helicopter landing is difficult. 100 meters, 50 meters, 30 meters... The helicopter descended slowly at a speed of 0.5 meters per second. Wang Junjun stared at the instrument that displayed the height of the helicopter's base and steadily controlled the descent speed; deputy captain Liu Yun inspected the surroundings to ensure that the propeller and the light pole maintained a safe distance. Starting from the top of the light pole near about 7 meters high, the helicopter hovered 3 times before landing safely. By this time, the two were soaking wet.
"It was the most thrilling landing I've made in 12 years of flying." Wang Junjun said. Eight minutes later, the protective suit was loaded onto the plane, and Wang Junjun flew back to Wuhan at a speed of 280 kilometers per hour, the first time he completed the task at a speed close to the limit.
All this is only because "time is life, everyone is faster than a minute, grab a second".
At 18:00 on February 3, Tian Jun, captain of Qingdao Helicopter Aviation Co., Ltd., planned to return to Wuhan from Yichang, and the meteorological conditions at this time were not particularly ideal. However, only by returning to the ship on the same day can the next day's material transfer task be guaranteed. Based on the fact that he was a retired special pilot of the Air Force, had experience in overnight flights, and had night flight equipment for helicopters, Tian Jun resolutely took off the plane, and with superb flight technology, he returned to China safely for 2 hours at night.
Extraordinary times, challenges arise at any time. On February 16, Wudangshan Aviation Ranger Station dispatched B-7829 helicopters to deliver anti-epidemic materials to Wuhan, Jingzhou, Huangshi and other hospitals, and the flight mission involved 5 airports in 2 provinces, with a full flight of 7 hours and 40 minutes and a range of 1100 kilometers, which was the first continuous operation of the terminal across provinces and multiple airports.
Go all out and live up to the expectations of the front
What kind of courage inspired this group of air eagles to overcome difficulties and challenge limits? On March 22, on the tarmac of Hannan Airport, Zhang Zicheng and Tian Jun, who were former veterans, replied: "Although we take off our uniforms, the bloodiness of soldiers will always be there, and when the country needs it, we will resolutely complete the task." ”
The applause of the people of Hubei is the best reward for the pilots.
On February 9, Tian Jun flew a helicopter from Anhui to Huangshi, and when it reached the sky over the destination, the receiver temporarily modified the diversion point. Tian Jun was anxious about how to find the landing point from the air, and when he saw some people standing in the open space below, he knew that he was waiting for him. As soon as the plane landed, there was a round of applause at the scene.
Every outstanding task is the condensation of blood and sweat.
Since the day he handed in the petition, Zhang Zicheng and his colleagues have been in a state of readiness: test flights, study maps to determine routes, understand the weather around the route... As long as you give an order, you can go up at any time. "Now, although the order of logistics on the ground is gradually restored and the number of flights is reduced, we are always ready to go!" (Hubei Daily all-media reporter Zeng Li Correspondent Zan Jun Li Wei)
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![Hubei anti-epidemic frontline helicopter pilots: through the clouds and fog, war eagles ignite the light of hope[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)