Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
“There are things that resemble magic in this world too!” Lin Mo wiped his sweat as he put to use his learning abilities to adapt to these once unheard and unseen new things. In his eyes, the computer was almost like a magical object that could do anything. He would buy a computer to play around with once he saved enough money.
Fortunately, things like laptops were also sold on the base, but they were military-use models. Not only were they expensive, but they also had to be ordered in advance.
Seeing that other people were having fun with their computers, he tried to open a flight simulator game, but the results were terrible. He was not familiar with using a keyboard and not accustomed to the perspective of the flight mode, and he hit the runway several times. Had this been the body of a Giant Dragon mount, the Giant Dragon would have squashed him into minced meat with one slap for commanding so blindly. This made Lin Mo exclaim countless times in admiration. There was something so wonderful in this world, and they were even produced and spread widely.
The instructor teaching the classes went by the surname Shen, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was thirty-seven this year and handsome and outgoing. He was not only in charge of their theoretical classes but also their training courses. He was also the person responsible for guiding the new pilots on this base. He had rich flight experience and excellent teaching standards.
While Lieutenant Colonel Shen was amicable, patient, and attentive during theoretical classes, he was a very different person during the semi-practical classes such as simulation training. He was not at all polite if the cadets made the slightest operation error and rained curses down on their heads.
After exploring the computer for a week, Lin Mo finally got used to using a computer, and his eyes could catch-up to the scurrying mouse cursor on the screen. To adapt to the more than one hundred keys and not make others laugh at him for using one finger to type, he even especially found a scrapped keyboard to practice typing. Each finger was constantly getting familiar with the position of each key, and he became familiar with the keyboard through repetitive practice. In return for all the hard work, his computer proficiency soared, and he was no longer at a loss, unlike the first time he saw a keyboard, looking for the keys everywhere.
Before it was his turn to enter the simulator, he was already using a joystick on the computer and playing quite well. He even joined the LAN battles. Although he was not very proficient with the operations, the combat concepts he used while being a Dragon Knight gave him a very solid combat thinking mode. Even with turbulence and the occasional critical errors, he could actually win most of the time.
When entering the six-degrees-of-freedom flight simulator, Lin Mo, who had a wealth of flight experience and the experience of flying an airliner, became the student whom Lieutenant Colonel Shen scolded the least. Perhaps because of his rich self-protection experience of flying while wearing armor and being directly exposed to the air, he became the student with the stablest flights and the fewest accidents during practice. Lin Mo was not like some students who often made operation mistakes such as stalling and responding incorrectly to unexpected situations. Lieutenant Colonel Shen repeatedly praised him as the most flight conscious of all the students.
The teaching process at the Air Force base was much faster than at the aviation schools. Because they were all specially-selected elite students, their learning ability was enough to keep up with the progress. While the students at the aviation schools were still strictly studying theory, the seventeen cadets who came to the base were already facing their first test flight.
The three black and silver L-15 Falcons on the flight line were already full of fuel and undergoing preheating preparations when the cadets lined up.
The L-15 Falcon Advanced Trainer was different from the Shenyang JJ-5, Chengdu JJ-7, and other old trainers. It had two seats, two engines, and a single main wing. The fourth-generation dual-intake supersonic fighter had two turbofan engines, high angles of attack, and high maneuverability. It was the first aircraft model in the development of China’s aviation that had reached the most advanced international technical level in terms of design, comparable to the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, Yakovlev Yak-130, and Jaguar.
L-15 Falcon specifications:
Engine thrust kg: 2×4200
Normal take-off weight kg: 6800
Maximum take-off weight kg: 9800
Maximum Mach number: 1.4
Practical ceiling m: 16000
Maximum available angle of attack: >29.2°
Maximum g-load: +8.5/-3
Landing speed km/h: 220-234
Take-off distance m: 200-238
Landing distance m: 593-669
Airframe life (flight hours) hr: 10000
Compared with the Guizhou JJ-7 supersonic trainer in active service, the L-15 trainer had good overall aerodynamic performance, high maneuverability, high weight-to-thrust ratio, long service life, reasonable structural design, advanced manufacturing technology, high flexibility during use, and high developmental potential. In terms of overall technical standards, it was comparable to the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, EADS Mako, and Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced trainers currently under development abroad. It could even compare to the ‘Jaguar’ light fighter-bomber in terms of payload capacity and maneuverability.
The cadets who were very familiar with the parameters and piloting techniques of the L-15 Falcon from the simulator and operations manual knew that the base had prepared the L-15 Falcon for them in preparation for flying the Chengdu J-10, a fourth-generation jet fighter.
“Here! Lin Mo, treat it as an amulet!” Chen Haiqing took out a chain from his pocket and handed it to Lin Mo. Chen Haiqing had amazingly managed to work through the relationships on the base and actually established a purchasing channel for himself. He was finally able to spend his damn renminbi and bought many things during this period.
Of course, he did not forget to give his brothers from Changchun Aviation University a silver-white chain each. An eagle medal was hanging on the chain, which was akin to adding an extra guarantee of psychological comfort to the cadets who were piloting a real plane for the first time.
Regardless of how well they knew and memorized the theories and the manual, how easy and smooth it was in the simulator, it was still different from flying a real plane. They had not experienced the extremely fast thrust force. Even though they had consulted veteran pilots, they could not imagine the experience of being pressed against the seat and immobilized by the extremely powerful propulsion during take-off and spinning in the sky.
Anyone would feel their hands sweat the moment they held a real control stick, even though veteran pilots were accompanying them in the Falcon Trainers.
Seeing Chen Haiqing’s small actions, Lieutenant Colonel Shen nodded silently and acknowledged Chen Haiqing’s little trick. Actually, the Air Force pilots of various countries had the habit of carrying amulets to relieve their psychological pressures, and flying a plane for the first time required higher psychological requirements than driving a car. A little carefulness could result in a plane crash and death. The loss of the plane was a small matter, but the costs taken to train the pilots were immeasurable and also needed time.
“Mithril?!” Lin Mo widened his eyes as he stared at the silver chain that Chen Haiqing had given him as an amulet.
Chen Haiqing laughed when he heard what Lin Mo said. “What mithril? Did you read too many novels? Titanium alloy chains are said to bring positive health effects and aren’t harmful to the body. It has a psychological effect.”
“Are there a lot of these things?” Lin Mo could not suppress himself and remain low-key. Heavens! Mithril! How can he give it away so casually? No mages would have given such things away so generously.
Chen Haiqing thought Lin Mo did not know where to buy these types of titanium alloy pure metal chains and shrugged. “Oh! These things are sold everywhere. Although they’re not cheap, they aren’t that expensive either! I asked someone to buy it for us, and some are also sold on Taobao. You can also custom-make one by contacting the manufacturer online.” Most of the chains on the market were made of fiber robe and a small amount of titanium alloy, and there were not many pure metal chains. But he had not expected Lin Mo’s and his thinking to differ so greatly.
“Really?!” Lin Mo’s eyes turned slightly red. Mithril had many uses, and it could greatly enhance the effects of both weapons and magical tools. If he could store a little of it, he would make a profit. Lin Mo could not help but feel excited as he held the titanium chain tightly. He did not even realize that he looked a bit like the first time Granny Liu saw pigeons eggs in the Grand View Gardens.
Maybe Lin Mo did not know that in his world, mithril was extremely rare, had excellent hardness and compatibility with magic, and a favorite of the mages and alchemists. But in this world, it had the same hardness as steel and weighed about half for the same volume of steel. This silver-gray metal called titanium was rich in deposits, and even a handful of soil contained a few thousandths of titanium. However, the world’s technological level made the extraction of titanium affordable, even though it is not low. Even ordinary people could afford it, unlike in Lin Mo’s previous world where purifying a little bit cost a hefty price. This point would have probably caused the mages to stare in awe.
While Lin Mo was still reeling in excitement about the amount of mithril in this world, Lieutenant Colonel Shen began to reiterate the flight precautions to the cadets, who were wearing brand-new anti-G suits, and the cadets ushered in the first flight in their lives.