Chapter 56: Lin Ran Teaches How to Fly an Airplane

Zhicheng Airport.

"Ahem."

Lin Ran cleared his throat.

The mini-class was now in session.

"Staff Officer Wang, Commander Li is right. It indeed flies much higher and faster than the little Jap planes."

"Look here," Lin Ran pointed to the J-5's sturdy forward air intake, "actually, it also has blades, but they aren't exposed. Instead, they are integrated inside the fuselage, called a turbofan!"

"Air is sucked in from here, compressed by multiple stages of high-speed rotating blades inside, and mixed with fuel for combustion, producing high-temperature, high-pressure gas. Then it is violently expelled from the rear nozzle, generating massive reverse thrust to push the aircraft forward..."

Lin Ran tried his best to explain the principle of jet propulsion in easy-to-understand language, while pointing out the key parts of the airframe:

"Precisely because of this powerful propulsion method, its speed easily exceeds all of the Japs' currently active aircraft by more than double, and its ceiling far surpasses theirs as well!"

As Lin Ran explained, the confusion in Wang Zhihang's eyes was gradually replaced by shock and ecstasy!

It was as if he had pushed open the door to a brand-new world!

"Mr. Lin!"

Wang Zhihang's voice was trembling slightly with excitement.

"I request to board the aircraft!"

Lin Ran turned to look at Wang Zhihang, his expression solemn: "Staff Officer Wang, this aircraft is quite different from the ones you've flown before. It might be a bit dangerous."

Wang Zhihang wore a serious expression: "Mr. Lin, you don't need to say anymore. I'm not afraid of danger! Even if I die in the skies, I will have no regrets!"

Looking at the burning flame in the eyes of the young pilot and his resolute determination to embrace death, a deep sense of respect welled up in Lin Ran's heart.

"Good!" Lin Ran nodded heavily. "Staff Officer Wang, please!"

Li Yunlong, who had long been unable to contain himself, gave a big wave of his hand, and the soldiers immediately brought over a simple wooden ladder, leaning it against the cockpit of one of the J-5s.

Wang Zhihang took a deep breath, nimbly climbed the ladder, and opened the streamlined canopy.

However, the moment he saw the inside of the cockpit, he was instantly baffled once again!

The scene before his eyes was completely different from the trainer cockpit he was familiar with!

All kinds of peculiarly shaped buttons, switches, and levers were arranged before him, dazzlingly complex.

"Mr. Lin, this..." Wang Zhihang looked at Lin Ran for help.

Lin Ran was well-prepared: "Staff Officer Wang, sit inside first, and then I'll go up and explain them to you one by one."

"Yes!"

Wang Zhihang hurriedly climbed into the cockpit with crisp and decisive movements.

Then Lin Ran also climbed up the ladder, stood on it, and pulled a small notebook from his pocket.

It was densely packed with notes, all of which he had previously searched online regarding the piloting techniques of the J-5.

"Staff Officer Wang, flip this first. This is the main power switch, and then twist this ignition switch... Next, press and hold this start button... and the engine starts..."

"This is the control stick, which controls pitch and roll... This is the rudder pedal... This is the throttle, which controls the thrust... This is the altimeter, airspeed indicator, compass..."

Lin Ran spoke at a steady pace, clear and methodical, carefully passing on what he had previously learned and recorded to Wang Zhihang.

This was not something to be taken lightly; a single mistake could mean a fatal crash.

With Lin Ran's explanation, Wang Zhihang quickly grasped it.

Actually, it was largely similar; knowing how to control direction, speed, and weapons was enough.

Moreover, anyone capable of attending university in that era was no less rare than those admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University today, and their intelligence was certainly high.

"Mr. Lin, I think I understand. I... I want to try starting it?"

Lin Ran nodded: "Go ahead, but you must be careful with safety. Don't fly too fast, take it slow!"

"Yes! Don't worry, Mr. Lin!" Wang Zhihang nodded vigorously, his eyes resolute.

Lin Ran said no more; to say anything further would be overly sentimental.

Flying the J-5 for the first time—were there dangers? Inevitably, yes!

Could he talk them out of it? No!

For a pilot harboring such soaring ambitions and willing to sacrifice himself for his ideals, any dissuasion was pale and powerless.

Lin Ran stepped down from the ladder and signaled Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, Kong Jie, and all the onlookers to quickly retreat to a safer distance.

Wang Zhihang took a deep breath, slowly closed the canopy, and gave Lin Ran a thumbs up.

Immediately afterwards, the J-5 slowly started up.

"Hum——"

The roar of the engine suddenly intensified!

A wave of scorching airflow surged out from the rear nozzle, kicking up dust all over the sky.

At that moment, to be honest, Lin Ran almost cried.

Li Yunlong patted Lin Ran's shoulder: "Don't worry, Brother Lin, nothing will go wrong."

Lin Ran took a deep breath, suppressed his churning emotions, and nodded heavily.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Wang Zhihang piloted the J-5 and slowly taxied out.

"Prepare for takeoff!"

Wang Zhihang steadily pushed the throttle all the way to the afterburner position with his right hand.

"Rumble——!!!"

Wang Zhihang only felt a tremendous force "nailing" him against the back of his seat!

The scenery on both sides of the runway instantly began to rush backward like crazy, blurring into a streak of light!

The needle of the airspeed indicator swung wildly to the right!

In just a few seconds, a powerful lift caught the wings!

Whoosh!

The silver J-5 shot like an arrow freed from its restraint, its nose piercing into the blue sky at an extremely sharp angle!

"It's flying! It's flying!"

"Oh, my lord! It's damn fast!!"

"Look at that, it's flying so high!"

The soldiers on the ground cheered one after another.

Soaring thousands of meters high in the sky at this moment, Wang Zhihang's heart was still pounding wildly.

He tried gently pressing the control stick, and the aircraft immediately responded with a sensitive roll!

Then pressing the rudder, the directional stability was absolute!

What this aircraft brought was an unprecedented, perfect combination of freedom, power, and speed!

Overlooking from high altitude, the newly liberated city, the winding rivers, and the rolling mountains were all in full view, and a surge of heroic pride to protect this land welled up spontaneously.

He tried a few simple maneuvers, and the J-5 executed his commands perfectly, its performance astonishingly stable!

After experiencing a few minutes of this dreamlike flight, Wang Zhihang began preparing for landing with lingering reluctance.

Following the steps Lin Ran taught him, he lowered the landing gear, adjusted the flaps, aligned with the runway, and gently reined in the throttle.

The J-5 demonstrated superb stability, approaching the runway smoothly along a near-perfect descent trajectory.

The tires gently touched the runway, making a slight frictional sound, and then steadily taxied and decelerated, finally coming to a smooth halt in the middle of the runway.

The canopy popped open with a "hiss," and Wang Zhihang took off his flight helmet, his face beaming with excitement.

"Mr. Lin, it's amazing! It's incredible!"

Flying twice as fast—such a description in words offered only limited shock.

Only by piloting it oneself could one truly understand what a speed of a thousand kilometers per hour felt like.

It was an absolute sense of power that tore through the air and transcended perception!

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Lin Ran applauded.

"Staff Officer Wang, brilliant!"

To fly the J-5 so perfectly on the very first try—what a talent!

Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, and the others were also filled with shock.

However, just at that moment, a young soldier ran over in a rush:

"Reporting! The checkpoint outside the city reports that the little Jap planes are coming! A full twenty of them!"

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, and Li Yunlong shouted loudly:

"Quick, drag out all the anti-aircraft artillery Brother Lin brought for me!"

Staff Officer Wang in the cockpit also stood up hurriedly: "Mr. Lin, Wang Zhihang... requests to enter battle!"