"Rongcheng Air Traffic Control, this is Captain Yuan Fang of flight NG8136, a four-weather flight instructor. I request to join the call to provide technical guidance to flight 8773." A steady voice came through the radio.
The Rongcheng ground controller breathed a sigh of relief:
"Request granted. Please immediately instruct flight 8773 to execute the standard fuel dumping procedure."
"Understood!" Yuan Fang's voice was steady and powerful.
In the night sky, the massive fuselage of flight NG8773 slowly veered. Under the command of the ground controller, Chen Yang steered the aircraft toward an airspace over the East China Sea, the designated emergency fuel dumping zone.
Upon reaching the designated airspace, the aircraft began circling. Under Yuan Fang's guidance, Chen Yang successfully executed the fuel dumping procedure. Yuan Fang, as expected of an experienced captain and instructor, quickly and accurately calculated the amount of fuel to be dumped based on the current fuel level of flight 8773. The system included provisions for approach preparation and landing phases, as well as the minimum fuel required for a failed landing and go-around, ensuring both a safe landing and sufficient fuel reserves.
Since Yuan Fang joined the call, Chen Yang felt more stable. He piloted the aircraft, which had finished dumping fuel, and following the controller's instructions, changed course and began flying towards Rongcheng Airport.
Yang Liuyi sat in the co-pilot's seat, her legs trembling slightly. The perilous scenes from earlier kept flashing through her mind. She couldn't help but glance at Chen Yang, who was piloting the aircraft. He looked calm and focused on the instrument panel, monitoring flight data. For some reason, just seeing Chen Yang's calm face made Yang Liuyi feel much more at ease. The several close calls had instilled in her a blind trust in this young man she had just met.
The aircraft drew closer to Rongcheng Airport, its altitude steadily decreasing under ground control. After re-establishing the flight path and entering the landing procedure, Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi simultaneously looked out of the cockpit. In the distance, the myriad lights of Rongcheng city were faintly visible, like stars twinkling in the sky. A row of approach lights at the far end of the runway flickered, as if guiding the more than two hundred lost passengers on the plane back home.
The two exchanged a glance, neither speaking, but Yang Liuyi saw courage and hope in Chen Yang's determined eyes.
The plane continued its steady and slow descent, reducing its speed. Chen Yang felt a little nervous; he stared intently at the instruments, a faint anticipation rising within him.
Suddenly, a soft "beep" sounded in the quiet cockpit!
A hint of joy appeared on Chen Yang's face. He quickly reported via radio:
"NG8773 reporting! Instrument landing signal intercepted! Instrument landing officially established!"
Intercepting the instrument landing signal is a crucial step in landing. During descent, the aircraft must be able to detect signals from ground navigation equipment at specific altitudes and areas.
Once the ILS signal is intercepted, the aircraft can rely on its navigation equipment and autopilot to automatically align with the runway. At some airports abroad that support Category III ILS, the aircraft can even complete the entire landing entirely on autopilot without human intervention. Intercepting the ILS signal means the landing is more than halfway to success, so it's no wonder Chen Yang was so excited.
Soon, Yuan Fang's excited voice came through the radio:
"Great! Fang! Remember the key points I just taught you. Rongcheng Airport supports Category II ILS. Disengage autopilot at a lower altitude. Hold the stick during landing! I believe in you! You can do it!"
"Understood!" After a brief moment of excitement, Chen Yang regained his composure.
At this moment, the ground controller said:
"ng8773, please contact Rongcheng Tower, frequency 128.5. Good luck!"
"Frequency 128.5, ng8773 received!" Chen Yang accurately repeated the controller's instructions. Then, adjusting the radio frequency, he began contacting the control tower:
"Tower, ng8773 reports, ILS established, requesting landing!"
Upon receiving Chen Yang's request, the on-duty controller, Liu Xiaoyu, quickly responded:
"ng8773, I have cleared all aircraft in the airspace. You are ready to land at any time. Over!"
"ng8773 received!"
As is customary, the call would end here; the remaining task would be for the pilot to land and report back to the tower. However, controller Liu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment and then asked:
"ng8773, is there anything else we need to prepare?"
While monitoring the flight data, Chen Yang replied:
"ng8773 requests fire truck and ambulance support after landing. Over!"
Liu Xiaoyu said without hesitation:
"Fire truck and ambulance are ready!"
"Then there's no problem! See you on the ground!" Chen Yang said firmly. Liu Xiaoyu looked out the window. In the distance, the massive fuselage of NG8773 was faintly visible, its bright landing lights standing out starkly against the dark sky. A sudden surge of respect rose within him—for the unknown young man currently piloting this behemoth. He softly said,
"NG8773, best of luck! See you on the ground!"
After ending the call, the cockpit fell silent, the engine roar amplified by the damage to the fuselage.
Chen Yang broke the silence first. Pointing to the two sets of LED lights at the runway entrance, he said,
"Ms. Yang, look at those two sets of lights. They're two red and two white now, indicating the altitude is just right. After disengaging autopilot, please monitor these lights. Make sure they remain two red and two white. If there's any change, immediately alert me!"
Yang Liuyi nodded quickly, her eyes fixed intently on the two sets of LED lights. Seeing this, Chen Yang couldn't help but smile and say,
"No rush, it's still on autopilot. You can check again when I take manual control later. It's usually fine for now!"
"Oh!" Yang Liuyi smiled shyly.
Chen Yang also smiled, then said seriously,
"Ms. Yang, we will now begin the landing checklist procedure."
The landing checklist is a procedure that must be performed before the aircraft lands. Normally, if the captain is responsible for landing, the co-pilot reads out the checklist items one by one, and the captain performs the checks and responds. Captain Yuan Fang of flight NG8136 had already instructed Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi on this procedure, so Yang Liuyi nodded slightly, picked up the checklist, and solemnly read:
"Engine start, all switches!"
"Start!" Chen Yang responded after carefully checking. "Speed brakes!"
"Green light on!"
"Automatic braking!"
"Pre-position!"
"Flaps!"
"30 degrees!"
"Landing gear!"
"Lower! Three green lights!"
...
After completing the lengthy checklist, Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief. So far, everything was normal.
The aircraft's altitude and speed were slowly and steadily decreasing. The autopilot occasionally made slight attitude adjustments. Gradually, the aircraft was getting closer and closer to the runway, and the nose was pointing directly at it.
"Three hundred!" A voice prompt suddenly came from the cockpit, indicating that the altitude had dropped to 300 feet!
Yang Liuyi was startled by the sudden prompt. She glanced at Chen Yang and found him still intently watching the instruments, occasionally glancing out the window, without making any other movements.
"Two hundred!" 200 feet!
Unstable airflow at low altitude caused the fuselage to tremble slightly, and the autopilot promptly corrected the aircraft's attitude. Chen Yang remained motionless.
"One hundred feet!"
Although it was pitch black outside the windows on both sides, the runway was already very close. Yang Liuyi could even see the flashing warning lights beside Runway Two. Her palms began to sweat; she felt all the blood rushing to her head, and her hands and feet began to feel slightly numb—a sign of extreme tension. But Chen Yang, sitting in the pilot's seat, remained as steady as a mountain. He simply placed his hand lightly on the control stick, without touching the autopilot switch.
The plane continued to descend.
"Fifty!"
At this point, the plane was only about twenty meters above the ground!
Chen Yang took a deep breath and reached out to disengage the autopilot.
"Beep!" With a warning sound indicating a change in flight mode, the fuselage shook slightly. Chen Yang firmly gripped the control stick. From this moment on, the lives of the more than two hundred people on board were truly in his hands.
Yang Liuyi also immediately focused intently on the papi light, not daring to relax for a moment.
"Forty!" Forty feet!
The low-altitude airflow caused the plane to lurch and sway incessantly. Chen Yang was completely absorbed in the moment, as if he had returned to his days learning to fly at the aviation academy. He had completely abandoned any preconceived notions of flight techniques, relying solely on instinct to make subtle adjustments with the rudder and C-stick to maintain a stable flight attitude. In just a few seconds, he made over a dozen adjustments, the entire process flowing smoothly, unlike anything he'd done before when piloting a giant passenger plane.
"Thirty!" Thirty feet!
In the airspace above Fuzhou, in the cockpit of a Lujiang Airlines Boeing 757 circling and waiting, Captain Yuan Fang stared at the dark night sky and muttered to himself:
"Xiao Fang! You must stay calm! Old Gu's entire crew and all the passengers are counting on you!"
Inside the counter-terrorism emergency command center, the airport's signal had been switched over. Everyone nervously stared at the screen of the behemoth approaching the ground, swaying precariously. Fang Hongda and Liu Guoqiang exchanged a glance. Their own flesh and blood were on the plane. Even these two high-ranking, composed men couldn't help but feel incredibly tense. They clenched their fists tightly.
"Twenty!" Twenty feet!
Chen Yang's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. Controlling the plane was proving more difficult than he had imagined. The closer they got to the ground, the more unstable the airflow became, and the damage to the cabin was also affecting the aircraft's aerodynamic structure, making its flight attitude even more unstable. Chen Yang exerted all his strength to keep the plane from veering off the runway, making a wobbly descent.
"Ten!" Ten feet!
The plane was almost touching the ground!
Chen Yang gently pulled back on the C-stick while simultaneously reducing the throttle to the floor. The nose lifted slightly, assuming a standard landing posture, and the plane gracefully floated towards the ground.
With a "whoosh," the plane jolted heavily, and both rear wheels successfully touched down!
The nose wheel hadn't yet touched down. Chen Yang firmly gripped the C-stick and then gently pushed it forward. Under Chen Yang's C-control, the nose slowly descended and then gently landed on the ground. The plane successfully landed and began to taxi at high speed on the runway!