Mrs. Xiao remained relatively calm, possibly because she was used to flying, and had likely been through this type of situation before. She instructed everyone to sit and fasten their seat belts, and then switched on the cabin screen, which displayed the view from inside the cockpit.
"Xiao Liu, what’s the situation?" Mrs. Xiao asked sternly.
As the rest of the people calmed down, they all watched the screen as well. Zhou Botong finally came to his senses and waited for the captain’s response together with everyone else.
"It’s probably an engine failure, insufficient power, the altitude is dropping, automatic cruising is canceled, switching to manual operation!" Captain Liu spoke very quickly, but her enunciation was very clear, indicating she was still very calm.
"Where is the failure?" Mrs. Xiao asked, frowning.
"Preliminary suspicion is a circuit failure, still looking for the exact location..." Captain Liu replied and then stopped speaking.
"Confirm left engine failure," Captain Liu continued her report, then exchanged a glance with the co-pilot and nodded in unison, signaling their understanding.
Lin Tian had heard that it was very important for both the captain and the co-pilot to agree on which side’s engine had failed because incorrect pedal-steering could exacerbate the plane’s rotation during operation.
At this moment, the plane’s vibration was stronger than before, but after identifying the cause, Miss and the others also calmed down. A plane could land safely with only one engine operational, as long as it was handled properly. The greatest threat was actually from a fire caused by the faulty circuit. If the fire couldn’t be controlled, there would be nowhere to escape.
Last time, Lin Tian wondered whether his zombie body could withstand the impact of falling from extremely high altitude. He never expected to face such a crisis now. There’s a saying that holds true: the good doesn’t happen, but the bad does. One could talk every day about winning a five million lottery without ever hitting the jackpot, and yet here he was, actually caught up in this kind of situation.
At this moment, everyone was staring at the screen watching the two beautiful female pilots operate, as their lives depended on their actions.
"Select descent mode, target altitude set for single-engine cruising level."
"Engage electric trim, apply right rudder."
After the captain’s operation, the plane rocked slightly, then stabilized, and the vibrations dissipated. Lin Tian was curious what these maneuvers did, and so were Zhou Botong and others. Even people who flew often might not understand without professional knowledge.
With the situation temporarily stable, Mrs. Xiao saw that everyone was so keen to know more, so she explained, "The rudder is controlled by the plane’s vertical stabilizer at the tail, which isn’t just there for looks. While it isn’t very large, it’s quite far from the plane’s center of gravity, giving it a long lever arm. You all know the aircraft’s speed is very high, so even a tiny angle adjustment to the stabilizer can create a substantial torque due to air resistance, and because of the long lever arm, a significant turning moment is produced in the fuselage, enough to balance out the torque from a single engine, preventing the aircraft from drifting off course."
"Oh..." Lin Tian and the others let out a long "Oh".
"I see, give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the Earth. It’s a similar principle," Xiao Manxuan said.
"Exactly," Mrs. Xiao nodded in confirmation.
With this discussion shifting their focus, the tension among the passengers relaxed considerably. At this moment, the pilots on the cabin screen began new maneuvers, and their voices followed.
"Descending to the preset altitude."
"Shutting down the left engine, attempting a restart."
Captain Liu issued commands calmly and coordinated with the co-pilot to press various buttons methodically. The buttons were a blur of red and green, too many for Lin Tian to understand. He could race a car, but piloting a plane was completely foreign to him, leaving him totally clueless. Lin Tian once again fantasized about being able to fly, sighing at the thought of reaching the level of the "zombie" girl.
"Left engine restart failed..." the co-pilot repeated twice in a row.
A failed high-altitude restart of the left engine meant they had to rely on the right engine to fly, and in such a case, they had to find the nearest airport to make an emergency landing.
"Max thrust on the right engine, maintain altitude, check fuel, call air traffic control..."
"Mrs. Xiao, are we going to prepare for an emergency landing?" Lin Tian asked, seeing the captain’s movements and suspecting they were planning to land.
But they had no idea what was below; if there were lakes or something, they would be lucky, but if it was all mountains, going down would be suicidal.
"Yes, low-altitude flight increases air resistance significantly, and fuel consumption is much higher than normal. We might not have enough fuel if we don’t make an emergency landing," Mrs. Xiao responded with a frown.
"Flight B9999 calling air traffic control..."
The plane was temporarily stable, and Captain Liu began to contact air traffic control. Once connected, he reported the situation on the plane to the control center.
However, air traffic control replied that the nearest airport was Xikou City International Airport, which was still a forty-minute flight away from the plane.
"Forty minutes is too unpredictable, and if the plane catches fire, the outcome would be very serious," Xiao Manxue said gravely.
Mrs. Xiao also nodded, "The plane can support single-engine operation for that long, but considering the amount of fuel we have on board, if a fire or explosion occurred..."
"Mrs. Xiao... there’s a fire, the kitchen is on fire..." They jinxed it; an air hostess suddenly announced over the intercom in a frantic voice. Lin Tian frowned and was the first to run toward the kitchen, followed by Xiao Manxue, and then Zhou Botong and several others.
Dammit, could I be any more unlucky? First time on a private jet and I run into such a fucked-up situation, Lin Tian thought bitterly to himself. When he reached the kitchen, two air hostesses were already standing outside the door, which was closed, but thick smoke was billowing out incessantly.
"Why aren’t you putting out the fire!" Lin Tian asked in disbelief, seeing the air hostesses doing nothing.
By that time the others had also arrived, and one air hostess said anxiously, "The fire suppression system failed during the shaking earlier, and the kitchen door is jammed shut."
Troubles never come singly, as the saying goes! Lin Tian hadn’t moved yet, but the Xiao sisters had already run to the door in desperation. It was their family’s plane, and they were more anxious than anyone; moreover, with so many people on board, they knew they couldn’t rest in peace if anything happened.
Lin Tian was observing with his X-ray vision, intending to clearly assess the situation inside before opening the door, but suddenly there was an explosion, and a fierce blast of air mixed with flames rushed towards the kitchen door.
The kitchen space was small, and the blast from the explosion was confined to that area. The door was the only weak point, and under the force of the explosion, it was blown off its hinges, hurtling towards the Xiao sisters like a speeding car.
Damn it, Lin Tian noticed that the Xiao sisters had already reached the door, and his hair stood on end in alarm. With their slender frames, they could never withstand the force of the blast. The others noticed this too and were frozen in shock. Lin Tian, not caring that his speed would be shocking, let out a roar and charged forward.
With a thunderous "boom," Lin Tian was like a human cannonball, slamming into the door. The thick fire door shattered instantly and was blown back.
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