Descent from an altitude of 10,000 meters (The Approach)Ch27 - Wind Shear

Chen Jiayu hadn’t expected his opportunity would come so soon.

Returning from Shanghai to Beijing, his initial flight at 2 p.m. was delayed until 8 p.m. due to unforeseen circumstances.  Fortunately, his waiting time at the airport didn’t count toward his duty hours, which meant he could still pilot the plane later that evening. 1ElYLJ

Before takeoff, Chen Jiayu checked the weather forecast—a storm was brewing over Beijing, bringing with it a slew of severe thunderstorms. He couldn’t help but sigh; if only the fuel tank hadn’t malfunctioned earlier, he’d be comfortably home by now. All he could do was hope for clearer skies by the time they landed.

As they approached Beijing, the reality of the weather struck a chord of dread in him. Thunderstorms paired with strong gusts of wind—a pilot’s worst nightmare. A quick glance at the fuel gauge showed an hour and a half’s worth of fuel left, enough for a couple of landing attempts. Should all else fail, he could divert to Tianjin or even Shenyang as a last resort.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

The radio channel buzzed with activity as he tuned into the approach frequency. Rapid instructions filled the airwaves. One voice caught him off guard—it was low and gritty, hardly recognizable and oddly familiar…

“CA1328, this is Beijing approach, radar contact established. Prepare for the  ILS approach to Runway 17 Right. Maintain altitude at 4000 meters,” the controller instructed. The moment his call sign was mentioned, Chen Jiayu realized it was Fang Hao on the other end. However, Fang Hao’s usual clear voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, catching him off guard. WYH35f

He looked at the radar and responded, “Maintain altitude at 400, CA1328. Requesting heading… 350.”

Fang Hao paused, his next words was cautious,  “CA1328, are you heading towards the five-side? We’re currently adjusting runway directions due to ground wind issues. Aircraft approaching from the south for Runway 17 Left are being rerouted.”

Chen Jiayu felt a flicker of concern—wind shear, the rapid shifts in wind direction, posed the greatest risk during takeoff and landing. Fortunately, modern aircraft were equipped with wind shear detection systems. Nonetheless, on a day like this, with thunderstorms and wind shear, is a recipe for chaos; with five or six aircraft all going around simultaneously, coupled with runway direction changes, the controllers might be stretched thin.

“Affirmative, preparing for the five-side. Requesting heading of 350, CA1328,” Chen Jiayu responded, his tone crisp, masking the growing unease.

“CA1328, heading 350 approved. Also, please monitor your fuel levels. We’ll need to delay your approach by about thirty minutes. Any concerns?” Fang Hao’s voice sounded strained over the radio.

“None at the moment,” Chen Jiayu replied, keeping his concerns about the half-hour fuel delay to himself. Landing sooner rather than later was preferable, especially after the five-hour delay earlier—passengers’ patience was already wearing thin.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

On the other end, Fang Hao’s voice crackled over the radio, a cough disrupting his transmission. It was cut off for a second, then resumed, “CA1328, understood. Our radar… might need another half an hour to get a clear view of the weather.” wQCSzK

“Fcvfgrabbv, cb lrrefr tfgf,” Jtfc Aljse kjr wbgf jmmbwwbvjalcu atlr alwf, qgfqjglcu obg ktja wluta mbwf cfza.

Minutes later, Fang Hao’s voice emerged again, tentative, “CA1328… could you assist by verifying the weather 20 nautical miles ahead at your 10 to 11 o’clock position?”

Efislcu bc qlibar obg jvvlalbcji kfjatfg eqvjafr kjr cba ecmbwwbc; ugbecv mbcagbiifgr boafc gfdelgfv eqvjafr ogbw atf rxs ab wjxf lcobgwfv vfmlrlbcr. Mjcu Ljb kbeivc’a ojli ab gfmbuclhf tlw, yea tf kjr qbilaf, erlcu obgwji ijcuejuf. Lbkfnfg, Jtfc Aljse tjv ab obmer bc wbclabglcu atf jlgmgjoa rlaejalbc; jmmlvfcar kfgf wbgf ilxfis ab bmmeg lc yjv kfjatfg, rb tf mbeivc’a joobgv ab yf vlragjmafv ys atfrf atbeutar.

Chen Jiayu surveyed the scene through his cockpit window and reported back, “From my vantage point, there is a large yellow zone above the field. Winds are from 300 degrees, at 32 knots.” cgx94P

Fang Hao acknowledged the report with a simple, “CA1328, received.”

After a moment, Fang Hao came through with new information to him, his voice crackling through the static. “CA1328, the first aircraft on approach to Runway 04, has just landed. What about swinging around and trying for Runway 04?”

Chen Jiayu peered at his radar. “Runway 04, huh… not a great spot for a switch. I’ve got weather on both flanks.”

He had been lined up for Runway 17 Right, but with that no longer viable for landing, even if he overshot, he’d have to circle back and realign for another runway. 1fLu Y

As Chen Jiayu scanned his instruments, Fang Hao floated another idea with a tentative tone. “CA1328, how about a right turn first, then a U-turn?”

Chen Jiayu hesitated, still analyzing the weather and flight path flickering across his displays, when Fang Hao patiently offered yet another alternative, “Or, I could route you north first, then swing south, setting up a triangular approach for Runway 04?” YqNdVB

Shaking his head silently, reading from his aircraft’s radar, neither of these options seemed feasible: “Neither works. There’s weather on both sides. According to my radar, we need to maintain the current heading for about 20 nautical miles.”

A pause hung on the line before Fang Hao’s voice returned, rougher this time, interrupted by a cough. “Then… turn 360 to the north, and then… “ He coughed again and quickly added: “Correction, turn 360 to the north, then we swing you left to head south?”

Chen Jiayu, feeling helpless, replied, “Still no good. Weather’s closing in 5 to 10 nautical miles out; it’s not viable.”

Yet Fang Hao, undeterred proposed another plan, “Then maintain this heading, and then head south… finally, a 180 turn for the approach?” i2CSwI

He was putting a lot of effort into finding a solution to ensure Chen Jiayu’s safe landing. In just a short while, he had proposed four or five different maneuver plans while also coordinating with other aircraft for go-arounds, especially since one aircraft from the south had already aborted landing three times.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Chen Jiayu couldn’t bear it any longer. At this point, he was even more anxious than Fang Hao. It wasn’t just about navigating the storm; he had confidence in his own flying skills, and he had enough fuel to spare. If he couldn’t land, he could divert to another airport. His main concern was for Fang Hao,  who had been pushing his hoarse voice to the limit. Eager to resolve the situation, he proposed a new plan himself, “What if I fly right for the next 20 nautical miles and then make consecutive left turns?”

A resigned sigh filtered through the radio. “CA1328, that’s an option, but you’ll move out of my airspace after those maneuvers.”

Chen Jiayu considered, “Then, should I make consecutive right turns? Heading 180?” X8Zdq4

Fang Hao consulted his charts. “That works. CA1328, adjust to heading 200.”

Chen Jiayu dutifully repeated, “Heading 200, CA1328.”

Seconds ticked by before Fang Hao issued new instructions again, “CA1328, switch to heading 210 and descend to 3600 feet, altimeter setting 1001.”

“Acknowledged. Descending to 3600, setting altimeter to 1001, and adjusting to heading 210, CA1328.” EkfUiS

“CA1328. Expect landing clearance on Runway 04; continue your approach,” Fang Hao instructed, a hint of relief in his tone.

“Understood, Runway 04, CA1328,” Chen Jiayu responded as the runway lights began to pierce through the gloom ahead.

As Fang Hao signed off with “Radar service terminated,” Chen Jiayu’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say something insightful to Fang Hao, but knowing how busy it was on the channel, he settled for a simple “Received, thank you for your guidance” before switching to the tower frequency.

As he taxied off the runway after landing on Runway 04, he couldn’t shake off the worry for Fang Hao. His first thought after shutting down the engines was to find out what had happened as soon as he stepped off the plane. JIKMxu

————————

Fang Hao had been battling a cold for over a week, initially dismissing it as something his athletic stamina could overcome. Perhaps the day spent with Fang Shengjie on his rare day off had overtaxed him, or maybe it was the string of irregular shifts over the past two weeks that had escalated a mild cold into a full-blown fever. Along with inflamed tonsils and a scratchy throat, he felt weak all over. He had planned to find someone to cover his shift, but Guo Zhifang was away, and Fu Zixiang was on personal leave. With only the newer, less experienced controllers on hand, Fang Hao felt compelled to stay and supervise. With such bad weather, it was like adding insult to injury, but thanks to Fang Hao’s command in the high-altitude sector, the pressure on the entire approach had eased somewhat.

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Originally planning to finish his shift at midnight, there was still an hour left after managing high traffic flow and experiencing dangerous wind shear, like that faced by Chen Jiayu and others. However, the traffic had improved significantly. According to radar data and ground reports, the extreme weather conditions had improved considerably, and the thunderstorms were showing signs of weakening.

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Fang Hao took it out and saw a name he hadn’t seen in a while—Chen Jiayu. The message was short but to the point: [What’s wrong with you?] 1qHpVu

Fang Hao realized that Chen Jiayu must have recognized the strain in his voice over the radio. It was so altered that even Chu Yirou had nearly failed to recognize him earlier; no surprise that Chen Jiayu had picked up on it as well. However, he didn’t expect their stalemate to suddenly be broken by Chen Jiayu’s concern. Pleasantly surprised, Fang Hao felt a warm feeling in his heart. He began typing, but before he could finish, another message quickly followed: [I almost didn’t recognize you.]

Fang Hao replied with a weary honesty: [Ah, I have a fever.] A moment later, he added: [Thanks for your concern.]

Chen Jiayu’s response came back almost instantly: [You’re working with a fever?]

Followed by: [When do you finish your shift?] TLuhbD

Glancing at the radar screen, which showed little activity, Fang Hao typed back: [I have one more hour to go.]

This time, Chen Jiayu was quite direct. Without hesitation, he sends the message: [Want to grab a late-night snack? I’ll wait for you.]

In truth, Fang Hao had no appetite due to his illness; he had been forcing himself to drink hot water to flush out toxins. But since Chen Jiayu had invited him, he didn’t want to refuse—getting a word out of him was quite an achievement, and he seemed to want to chat.

So, he replied in agreement. kvAGyr

Translator notes: Alright, Sorry for the delay! I spent a bit more time editing it this time to get the proper ‘flow,’ especially with the dialogues. I went back and edit the previous chapter too. I’m quite happy with it.  What do you think? 🙂

Also did anyone watch Eurovision last night? XD

Storm clouds above probably looked something like this:

gXVF2S