latelenovela Chapter 169 The Path of Light
Chapter 169 The Path of Light
The military responded quickly.
"N444, there is an open sea southwest of Yongyang Island. The sea conditions are currently relatively calm, making it suitable for an emergency landing. The specific coordinates are North latitude... East longitude..."
"Please confirm whether you can arrive?"
Lin Chen immediately asked Xiao Li, who was standing next to him, to find him a pen and wrote a formula directly on the map.
Xiao Li glanced at it and knew that Lin Chen was calculating the flight distance.
After quickly calculating a number, Lin Chen drew a straight line on the map and then confirmed it:
"I can get there! I'm preparing to make an emergency landing in this area. Please arrange for maritime rescue forces to be on standby."
"Arrangements have been made. The rescue fleet has already departed and will be on standby near your landing site to ensure that rescue can begin as soon as possible. Please keep in touch; we will accompany you throughout the process."
Colonel Gong's words gave Lin Chen a strong boost of confidence.
This also allowed everyone at the Yongyang Island command center to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Although Yongyang Island Airport has been converted to civilian use, a portion of it remains for military use.
Therefore, they inevitably have to deal with the military on a daily basis.
This also made them very aware that the military's word is law, and since the other side said that the area was suitable for an emergency landing, then there should be no problem.
Just then, Liu Ming, the director of the command center, suddenly spoke up:
"We can't relax yet, N444 still has a big problem..."
"Director Liu?"
The people around him looked at him.
I don't understand why Liu Ming would say that.
"Idiots! Look outside!"
Liu Ming pointed to the pitch-black sky outside.
"It's still dark! How is N444 going to determine its distance from the sea? Altimeters aren't that accurate!"
"hiss!"
Someone gasped.
Others also reacted.
Unlike on land, the sea is pitch black, with not a single ray of light in sight.
From the sky, the dark seawater and the sky almost blend into one, making them indistinguishable.
Even if N444 can fly safely to that area of the sea, it won't be able to determine its distance from the sea surface. How will it land then?
A dark cloud instantly enveloped everyone's hearts.
If Liu Ming could think of this, Lin Chen, as the person involved, naturally thought of it as well.
But he has no other choice now but to take it one step at a time.
"Teacher Xiao, it's your turn next."
Lin Chen looked at Xiao Li in the passenger seat next to him.
"Are you sure you want me to say it? Why don't you come yourself?"
Xiao Li looked troubled.
Lin Chen pointed to himself: "Teacher Xiao, what I say has a different effect. You don't want everyone to be in a state of panic, do you?"
"Alright alright."
Xiao Li also felt that Lin Chen's words made some sense.
Because what Lin Chen asked him to do next was to inform everyone, as the temporary captain, that the plane was going to make an emergency landing.
Once the plane successfully makes an emergency landing at sea, they will only have a very short time to evacuate from the cabin to the life raft.
If the cabin becomes chaotic at that time.
This could not only accelerate the plane's sinking, but could also trap people inside the cabin, preventing them from evacuating.
Therefore, Lin Chen needs everyone to concentrate and follow instructions.
But if passengers knew that a high school student was piloting the plane, it would probably take half a day just to instill confidence in them.
"Cough cough!"
Xiao Li picked up the microphone and coughed a few times.
"This is the interim captain. Please rest assured, I am currently piloting the aircraft. I am a retired military officer with ten years of experience flying fighter jets."
Xiao Li, her face flushed, recited the lines Lin Chen had given her.
Ten years of fighter jet piloting experience? You're really exaggerating.
I wasn't even qualified to be a conscript back then!
However, although Xiao Li felt ashamed, the passengers in the cabin were instantly filled with hope when they heard his voice.
"Great!"
"Thank God, we have a retired pilot on our plane!"
"No wonder the plane descended and then ascended again; it turns out someone has already started controlling the plane!"
Hearing the cheers around him, Rorian, sitting in his seat, frowned.
He recognized the voice.
Isn't this Xiao Li, the team leader of the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad Team?
How did he become a retired pilot?
But what if he wasn't the one flying the plane?
Could it be Lin Chen?
By the way, the plane had already lowered its altitude before Xiao Li even entered the cockpit.
At that time, there were only Lin Chen and the flight attendant in the cockpit!
At this moment, Xiao Li's voice rang out again on the broadcast:
"I have another piece of good news to share with everyone. We have contacted Yongyang Island Airport and the People's Navy, and they will be launching a rescue operation for us."
"We're saved! We're saved!"
The Chinese passengers in the cabin erupted in cheers, many even more excited than before, howling and shouting.
The foreign passengers nearby were quite puzzled.
They haven't been rescued yet, what are they so excited about?
These foreigners cannot understand.
For the people of China, when they are in danger, nothing is more reassuring than hearing that the military is coming to rescue them!
After that, Lin Chen piloted the plane, heading towards his destination.
Xiao Li was responsible for calming everyone down and reminding them to put aside their prejudices against the crew, follow their instructions, put on life jackets, and remove anything that might cause them injury.
For example, stockings and glasses.
After all, although they deserved to die, they had at least received professional training.
We're all in the same boat now; to survive, we must listen to the guidance of professionals.
Time ticked by, and only a few minutes remained until the chosen landing point.
Looking out the window at the pitch-black scenery, Xiao Li suddenly felt a little uneasy.
"Lin Chen, it's so dark outside, how can we tell how far we are from the sea?"
Lin Chen pointed to the altimeter on the dashboard.
"This is the only one we can use."
"This one? But is it accurate?"
"There's also an auxiliary radar."
"But……"
Seeing that Xiao Li kept asking questions, Lin Chen suddenly interrupted, "Teacher Xiao, I need some quiet now."
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
Xiao Li immediately shut her mouth, but kept her eyes fixed on the window.
Lin Chen sighed inwardly.
He was just as nervous as Xiao Li, but fortunately, Lin Chen had the Iron Heart skill he had previously acquired.
This made him extremely strong mentally.
The more dangerous the moment, the clearer his mind became.
At this moment, Lin Chen's brain was working at high speed, rapidly calculating the various parameters required for landing.
To land smoothly over the sea, he had to calculate the aircraft's current speed, altitude, and rate of descent, and combine this with sea state data provided by the military to precisely calculate the optimal angle of contact between the aircraft and the sea surface.
Otherwise, if things go wrong even slightly, the plane could disintegrate the moment it hits the sea.
Or it will plunge directly below the sea level and sink into the ocean.
He had previously asked the flight attendant to count the number and weight of the passengers on the plane, and the technical manual on hand also contained the specific parameters of the aircraft.
These constitute the basic values required for the calculation.
Sea condition information provided by the military must also be included in the formula.
The wave height in that area is currently 0.5 meters, meaning that the additional impact force from the wave undulations that the plane needs to withstand when landing is not significant.
Next, the optimal angle for the aircraft to contact the sea surface is calculated.
He first determined a safe angle range based on the aircraft's fuselage structure and wing design. This was the premise to ensure that the aircraft would not disintegrate due to an excessively large angle or bounce on the sea surface due to an excessively small angle during landing.
Meanwhile, considering that the ocean current speed is 5 knots and its direction is northeast.
When an airplane lands from the southwest, the ocean currents will exert a lateral force on it.
To counteract this lateral force, he used the principles of mechanics to calculate that the aircraft's landing angle needed to be slightly adjusted by 3 degrees, so that the aircraft could be cushioned by the direction of the ocean current when it hits the sea surface, and would not be instantly veered off course by the current.
Combined with the aircraft's descent speed...
After a series of complex calculations, Lin Chen finally determined the optimal angle for the aircraft to make contact with the sea surface.
5 degrees!
This ensures a smooth landing while minimizing the impact on the aircraft.
Lin Chen's lips curled up slightly.
He used to hear people say they didn't know what the use of learning mathematics was.
Isn't its usefulness becoming apparent now?
The old saying is indeed true.
Learn math, physics and chemistry well, and you won’t be afraid to travel around the world!
"Lin Chen! Look!"
Just then, Xiao Li, who was standing nearby, suddenly forgot Lin Chen's earlier warning and exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing his exclamation, Lin Chen subconsciously looked up.
He was immediately stunned.
What should have been a completely dark sea suddenly turned into a road made of light!