Chapter 285: Flight Demonstration at South Garden Airport

Capital, South Garden Airport.

This place has many glorious pasts, the first military airport, the first civil aviation transport airport, the birthplace of the People's Air Force...

Now, this place is still under the jurisdiction of the Air Force, without the later constructions, there are no terminal buildings and such, it still looks rather rudimentary.

However, its location is quite good, only thirteen kilometers from the city wall, so it's very convenient for Air Force leaders to come here to watch the flight demonstration, so this flight demonstration has been coordinated here.

In the morning, at ten o'clock, the number of people at the airport keeps increasing.

The most proud one, of course, is James, standing on the newly erected observation platform, spitting as he introduces to others.

"Among third-generation fighters, our F-16 is of epoch-making significance, with a high-thrust engine, advanced avionics, and its exterior design is outstanding..."

As he spoke, a rumbling sound came from the sky.

Among the two Jianjiao Five escort aircraft, two planes flew over.

The one in front is a transport aircraft, medium-sized, four-engine, propeller-driven; at a glance you know it's the versatile C-130 of Western equipment, and behind it follows a handsome third-generation fighter!

The slightly flattened nose, the fuselage intake, with leading-edge extensions extending to the medium aspect ratio wing, single engine single vertical tail, that bubble canopy reflecting sunlight, looking especially dazzling.

Everyone stood up and looked toward the runway.

The C-130 landed first, taxied into the apron, and a large crowd came pouring down from it.

Next came the F-16 fighter, its outward-splayed landing gear lowered, lightly touching the runway, then the nose wheel touched down, brakes, deceleration, rollout, all the way into the apron...

This smooth, fluid action left everyone deeply moved; knowing that this was at an unfamiliar airport, even after looking at a map beforehand, to pull off such a perfect first landing shows the pilot is absolutely top-notch!

"Come on, let's go take a look!" Old Lin said, beaming, waving his big hand.

After the crowd marched over, they saw the Americans who had come down earlier already set up a cordon around the apron, with American soldiers standing guard on the side.

Immediately, someone was dissatisfied.

"What does this mean?"

"This is our territory; they are invading!"

"Mr. Lin, according to our agreement yesterday, we need to send personnel to protect our aircraft; this is also for safety..." James came over, chuckling to explain, his arrogant expression impossible to hide.

This is America's most advanced fighter; of course we can't let Easterners touch it—this is about technology exchange! Doing this also shows our fighter is far superior...

With that thought, James continued: "You can just look from the outside; I'll start from the nose—our nose is slightly flattened, which pre-compresses the air..."

"Excuse me, does this intake have an adjustment device?"

James shook his head: "No, we believe the era of high altitude and high speed is over; energy maneuverability is king. An intake adjustment device would add weight, reducing the aircraft's maneuverability, so we removed it."

At low altitude the air is dense, so not much intake is needed; at high altitude the air is thin, so intake must increase. Moreover, the faster the speed, the more air rams in; to keep the engine at peak condition, an intake adjustment device is necessary.

The F-16 has been simplified!

At low speed it's certainly fine, but high-speed flight is a pile of crap; once speed exceeds Mach 1.5, the fixed intake becomes a hindrance, like a low-displacement car trying to go fast—it can only creep along.

Aside from diving, the F-16 basically can't reach Mach 2.

However... facts prove that high altitude and high speed aren't really useful; the Americans treat the F-16 as a low-end aircraft, handing long-range interception to the F-15, so they naturally don't need this feature.

But Old Lin furrowed his brows: "For our Air Force, air defense interception remains the top priority; without an intake adjustment device, maximum speed is insufficient and acceleration is poor—it probably can't meet our needs!"

James's face darkened; he hadn't expected to dig himself a pit here.

Speaking of interception combat, the F-16 can't match the Mirage 2000; those across the river ditch have the most say, but when it comes to dogfighting, the F-16 is definitely up to the task!

"Everyone, wait for this afternoon's flight demonstration, and you'll see how strong our aircraft's performance is! The Mirage 2000 simply can't compare!" James hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.

"Alright, then let's wait until this afternoon and disperse for now!"

Watching the crowd about to leave, with none of their earlier enthusiasm, James took a deep breath and looked at the pilot standing off to the side, showing off.

"Long live, how about we fly this morning?"

Stokstad nodded: "Sure."

He didn't feel too tired; a couple thousand kilometers of flight was easy for him—after finishing now, he could return this afternoon, tonight...

"Mr. Lin, everyone, please wait a moment; we will perform the flight demonstration within half an hour."

"Will this be too rushed?"

"No."

"You should still familiarize yourselves with the airspace; don't fly outside the demonstration area later..."

"Hmm, that's only natural."

The long-distance flight came with drop tanks; for the demonstration they'll definitely be removed. As for fuel... the C-130 has it, we can just siphon it over. The Americans don't trust Eastern fuel, so just add enough for the demonstration.

Half an hour later, Stokstad re-entered the cockpit.

In the Thunderbirds demonstration team, he learned various solo and formation aerobatic techniques, but soon he grew to dislike it; even flying tight formations couldn't spark his enthusiasm—he wanted to join a combat unit!

Thus, arriving at Horizontal Field, he found his good days had come: all day training how to counter the Soviet Union, leisure time spent seeking fun—this is life!

Now he's back to his old trade!

Start the engine, taxi onto the runway, engage afterburner, take off!

Amid the roar, the F-16, like a light swallow, taxied and took off!

At 300 meters, retract the nose landing gear; under 500 meters, the main landing gear leaves the ground!

Powerful thrust and excellent aerodynamic shape give this aircraft superb short-field takeoff capability!

James glanced around; everyone was stunned, letting him feel smug—do you still dare to look down on our F-16? This aircraft's formidable performance is beyond your imagination!

Almost simultaneously, in the forest a few kilometers from the airport.

One by one, large chests stood upright in the clearing among the trees, inside they emitted a gurgling sound; beside the chests, the guards waited anxiously.