Chapter 152: Airborne Radio

One month after the successful test flight, the "Oasis" base entered the systematic construction phase.

Chen Feng appears on the runway at six o'clock every morning, taking Zhou Afu for various test flights—stall tests, spiral tests, overload tests… each time a brush with death.

September 15, stall test.

The aircraft climbs to two hundred meters—currently the safety limit. Chen Feng pulls back the throttle slightly, slowly pulls the stick, raising the nose.

The airspeed indicator needle drops gradually: eighty km/h, seventy km/h, sixty‑five…

"Watch out, we're about to stall," Chen Feng says to Zhou Afu in the rear seat.

The words barely leave his mouth when the plane suddenly shudders, the nose plunges sharply and the aircraft rolls left. Stall!

Chen Feng immediately pushes the stick to the limit while kicking the right rudder. The plane drops like a stone for twenty meters, then regains speed and recovers.

At the ground observation post, Zhao Tianxiang's face turns ashen. The scene just now resembled Lin Guodong's posture before his accident.

After the plane lands safely, Zhou Afu climbs out with weak legs but his eyes shine: "President, just now… that feeling…"

"Remember that feeling," Chen Feng says gravely, "the shudder before a stall, the control stick lightening—that's the sign. In future solo flights, if these signs appear, push the stick to increase speed immediately."

"Yes!"

The data are recorded: stall speed sixty‑two km/h, after stall the left wing dips first, recovery requires twenty meters of altitude.

These figures are written into the draft "Lanfang Air Force Training Outline."

The training outline is penned personally by Chen Feng. He consulted the basic framework of later pilot training, combined with the current rudimentary conditions, and devised a complete curriculum from theory to practice.

"Chapter One: Fundamentals of Aeronautical Theory. Includes aerodynamics, flight principles, aircraft structures."

"Chapter Two: Ground Preparation. Includes aircraft inspection, engine maintenance, weather assessment."

"Chapter Three: Basic Flight. Includes takeoff and landing, level flight, turning, climbing and descending."

"Chapter Four: Advanced Flight. Includes stall recovery, spiral recovery, emergency procedures."

"Chapter Five: Tactical Foundations. Though there are no weapons yet, we can cover formation flying and simple maneuvers."

After the outline is printed, Zhao Tianxiang is the first to study it. Upon finishing, he remarks, "President, this… this is more systematic than what the French and the British teach. Some concepts I've never heard before."

"Then learn it," Chen Feng says. "Teacher Zhao, starting today you are the training director. All trainees must pass the outline assessment to advance. Theory exam requires eighty points to pass; the practical exam needs an instructor's signature."

"Yes!"

While the training system is being established, the ground‑crew system is also getting off to a hard start.

Chen Feng splits Ma Shifu's technical team into two groups: one continues aircraft development, the other becomes dedicated ground crew. He also recruits a batch of young mechanics from the immigrants to form a ground‑crew squad.

Ground‑crew training is duller than pilot training. Every day consists of disassembling and reassembling parts, inspecting equipment, and learning maintenance procedures.

"This spark plug, gap six‑tenths of a millimeter; too big or too small won't work."

"The float chamber oil level in the carburetor must be at this mark."

"Canvas tension, measured with this tension gauge, one point two kilograms per square centimeter."

The ground‑crew squad leader is an old plier‑worker named Zheng Tiechui, hot‑tempered and demanding. Any slight mistake from a trainee earns a scolding.

"You! The screw isn't tightened! The aircraft could fall apart in the air, and you're responsible?!"

"You! The tools weren't put back! Missing a wrench, the whole team will search for a day!"

But no one complains. Everyone knows the ground crew's craftsmanship is a matter of the pilots' lives.

Early October, an unexpected issue surfaces: communications.

How does the ground command an aircraft in the sky? By flag signals? Bad weather makes them invisible. By shouting? Engine noise is too loud.

Chen Feng convenes a meeting of the technical staff.

"We need radios," he says. "Install a transmitter on the aircraft, a receiver on the ground, at least we can have one‑way communication."

The communications engineer, surnamed Wu, studied abroad in electrical engineering. He frowns, "President, the radio equipment is too big and heavy for the aircraft to carry. And the power source…"

"Then make it smaller," Chen Feng pulls out a sketch. "I've designed a simple transceiver using vacuum tubes for amplification, five watts of power, weight under ten kilograms. Power comes from a battery, charged each flight."

"Vacuum tubes… we can't manufacture them, we'll have to import."

"Import," Chen Feng decides. "Buy from the United States, buy from Germany, cost doesn't matter. Minister Wang's side is already in contact."

Engineer Wu takes the sketch to study, his eyes gradually brighten: "This circuit design… clever. If we can actually build it, the communication range could be twenty kilometers."

"That'll be enough," Chen Feng says. "First step, the aircraft can report its status to the ground. Second, the ground can command the aircraft. Third, aircraft can talk to each other. One step at a time."

As the communications project launches, another more fundamental problem surfaces: meteorology.

During a mid‑October training flight, Zhou Afu, flying solo, encounters a sudden crosswind and the plane almost blows off the runway. Though it lands safely, everyone breaks out in cold sweat.

"Desert weather changes too fast," Zhao Tianxiang concludes. "Clear skies in the morning can turn into a sandstorm by noon. We need weather forecasts."

Chen Feng nods. "Form a meteorology team. Purchase equipment: barometer, thermometer, hygrometer, anemometer. Record observations three times daily—morning, noon, evening. Also request regional forecasts from the Dubai weather station—though inaccurate, it's better than nothing."

"Who will do it?" Wang Bo asks. "We have no one who understands meteorology."

"Learn," Chen Feng says. "Select two meticulous trainees, send them to the Dubai weather station for a month of training. They'll return and take the post."

And so, training, ground crew, communications, meteorology… each subsystem is gradually built. Though crude, the prototype is complete.

At the end of October, Chen Feng organizes a comprehensive drill.

A Blaerio XI plays the "enemy aircraft," piloted by Zhao Tianxiang. The Swallow‑I plays "our aircraft," piloted by Zhou Afu—his first time flying the Swallow, his palms sweating with nerves.

At the ground command post, Chen Feng commands personally.

"Enemy aircraft altitude three hundred, heading 180, speed one hundred," the observer reports.

Chen Feng picks up the newly prototyped communicator—still trailing a long cable—and says, "Hawk One, this is Nest. Target acquired, bearing 090, Distance five kilometers. Climb to four hundred, seize altitude advantage."

Zhou Afu, in the aircraft, wears headphones—there's a lot of static, but he can hear clearly. He pulls the stick to climb, his heart pounding.

The two planes "engage" in the air. Though unarmed, they perform various maneuvers: tail‑chase, break‑away, dive, climb…

Ten minutes later, the drill ends. Both aircraft land safely.

At the debriefing, Chen Feng points out a slew of issues:

"Communication delay is severe; ground commands take ten seconds to reach the aircraft."

The pilot is still unfamiliar with the handling characteristics of the "Swift", and the turning radius is too large.

The observer judged that Distance and bearing errors are too large, off by at least thirty degrees.

But— he shifted his tone, "We have proven that the aircraft can accept ground command and can execute tactical maneuvers. That's enough."

Zhou Afu raised his hand: "President, today… today I really bit Teacher Zhao's tail! It was only for a few seconds, but I really bit it!"

Zhao Tianxiang forced a wry smile: "This kid learns fast; I almost couldn't shake him off."

For the first time, laughter rang in the conference room. It was a laugh filled with pride and hope.