KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight 1237 is en route from Beijing to Amsterdam. The passengers on board include around twenty individuals with Chinese features, but the majority are European travelers and businesspeople heading to Beijing. When the captain shows up, everyone on the plane is momentarily surprised.
Captain Lang Feng has a distinctive Chinese appearance. He is the only Asian pilot for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and today marks his first flight as a captain. He remains calm despite facing a tire burst issue.
At this moment, the exam and training materials that he had studied to become a pilot were put into action. He asked the first officer to open the A330’s Quick Inspection Reference Manual and check the steps in order. The engine thrust and hydraulic instruments were all normal, and the landing gear showed no signs of malfunction.
He knew they were fortunate. It seems only the left-side tire was damaged. The notification from the Control Tower came just in time. Otherwise, they might have flown over the entire Eurasian continent with damaged tires. If they had not received the notification in time, he would have had limited emergency landing options when discovering the problem just before landing.
Fang Hao was hoping he could guide KLM in circles over Daxing Airport for a couple of rounds. The evening traffic was heavy, with planes constantly taking off and landing every few minutes. He continually reminded other planes to maintain distance from KLM while it was draining fuel and to clear the airspace for them. Even in an emergency, he had to ensure the smooth operation of other flights, not just KLM. He had directed more than twenty aircraft to arrival and departure in the past half-hour.
As soon as he found out that KLM had finished dumping fuel, he immediately arranged for them to land on the newly vacated runway; while doing this, he also coordinated the arrival of two fire trucks, preparing for any potential emergencies due to the increased load on the remaining tires. Missing one tire wasn’t a major accident, but the remaining tires might have to bear more weight as a result.
At this time, a call came from the ground crew to inform him: “Fang ge, Runway 17 Left has been checked and is clear of debris.” Fang Hao made a phone call to relay this information to the top and, after receiving approval, reopened Runway 17 Left.
Over the years, he had encountered situations where debris and metal pieces fell off after a tire burst during takeoff. Despite the seemingly small piece of metal, he remembered the tragic incident of Flight 4590 by Air France. It happened because a small metal strip got caught in the front engine cover during a high-speed takeoff, leading to tire explosions, engine fires, and a fatal crash with no survivors. People with experience in the aerospace industry know that even seemingly minor issues demand serious attention.
After KLM landed safely, the ground crew immediately checked the condition of the tires. Upon receiving a positive response, the flight crew began to disembark passengers. At that moment, a voice sounded over the radio, and surprisingly, it was in proper standard Chinese: “KLM 1237, thank you for your guidance today. Please tell me your name, and I’ll treat you to dinner when I have the chance.” Even the call sign, “one-two-three-seven,” was spoken in a way that showed expertise.
Fang Hao was slightly surprised. He had heard of Lang Feng before. Excluding the possibility of a foreigner being fluent in Chinese, it had to be him. In aviation circles, Lang Feng was a semi-celebrity. After all, being Asian with a handsome face while flying for Royal Dutch Airlines made him quite eye-catching.
Fang Hao was silent for a moment and then replied, “Um… you’re welcome. It’s what we should do.” He wasn’t good at receiving compliments, and it was rare for someone to thank him so sincerely over the radio, so he thought for a long time before he could respond.
“Alright, it’s not easy to chat on this frequency. I’ll come find you another day,” said the voice from KLM, sounding much more relaxed.
Because of this incident, Fan Hao ended up working an hour extra before his shift ended. He had been on several late-night shifts this week, and the occasional sudden switch to a day shift was still something he wasn’t used to. After tidying up his desk, he planned to have a quick chat with Wang Zhanbo to see what he had learned before heading home.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the argument he had with Air China 1332 on the radio. So, he asked Wang Zhanbo, “Zhanbo, could you pull up the flight record for Air China Flight 1332 today?”
Wang Zhanbo also recalled, “The one from Guangzhou to Beijing, right?” He quickly checked his computer and pulled up the record. These data files used to be in paper form, but now they are all managed electronically.
Fang Hao leaned forward to the screen to get a closer look and immediately understood why the other person’s voice sounded so familiar.
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.
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Fang Hao wasn’t particularly close with Chen Jiayu, but he knew that Lu Yan had a close relationship with him.
In the civil aviation circle, everyone with slight connections was considered friends. Moreover, both Lu Yan and Chen Jiayu are childhood friends and graduated from the same Civil Aviation University. They were in the same class, a few years senior to him. He had met them a few times during school and later at Beijing Capital Airport and Daxing Airport. On top of that, the extensive news reports and interviews on the Internet made Chen Jiayu a well-known figure not just within Air China but in the entire civil aviation industry. Fang Hao was practically tired of hearing Chen Jiayu’s voice due to these reports.
—–
About half an hour later, Xu Hengchuan guided the 737 into its parking spot.
After seeing off all the passengers, he noticed that Chen Jiayu wasn’t in a good mood. He offered to stay behind and tidy up some paperwork, but Chen Jiayu waved him off and stood up. As he walked past Yang Feifei, he asked her, “What happened earlier?”
His voice was low and sounded very gentle.
Yang Feifei was pleasantly surprised. She couldn’t believe that Chen Jiayu still remembered the incident during takeoff. She quickly explained, “Oh, it was a passenger who asked for hot water, then complained it was too hot, so they wanted me to add ice. With the delay, all the back and forth got on their nerves, and they started getting impatient. But it’s all fine now; Sister Xuan helped me handle it. Thank you, Brother Jia, for your concern.” As soon as she spoke, she realized she had used the wrong title; she should have called him Captain.
“No… I mean, thank you, Captain Chen,” the young girl corrected herself, feeling a bit awkward.
Chen Jiayu smiled, unfazed. “Oh, it’s fine.”
After all this trouble, Yang Feifei had forgotten to ask for a group photo. Nevertheless, even though she hadn’t obtained a picture, having her male idol take the initiative to comfort her personally felt even more satisfying than getting a photograph.
The sky was bathed with the evening sunset when they disembarked from the plane. Chen Jiayu glanced up at the solitary control tower of Daxing Airport, not far from them.
“Our duty phone number is 12349. Complaints are always welcome…” The voice from the approach frequency came to his mind. He briefly considered the option of calling to complain but shook his head dismissively. Although the other person had been a bit unkind, they hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no need to report. He didn’t want to waste time sorting through voice recordings and filling out a bunch of forms. However, he suspected that the other person had sensed this, and that’s why they had been so assertive, shutting him up with a direct “complain if you’re not satisfied.” Just thinking about it got him angry.
This thought infuriated Chen Jiayu so much that heart rate, which had been steady from years of takeoffs and landings, began to rise.
He took out his phone, intending to message Lu Yan on WeChat, but noticed that someone had already discussed the incident in their Pilot WeChat group. This group was made up of captains and co-pilots from several airlines stationed in Beijing. At first, most of the members were from Air China, but as more people were invited, it expanded to include pilots from various other airlines.
A captain from Eastern Airlines was the first to speak up: “Did something happen just now? The approach sent me for about eight laps in circles.”
Someone who had witnessed the event explained, “It was KLM; they had a tire blowout.”
Gossip started to circulate among those who knew the situation: “Wasn’t it the Chinese pilot from KLM? The good-looking one? They say it was his first flight as a captain today.” Everyone sympathized, although a blown tire wasn’t considered a top-tier emergency. Many experienced captains in the group like Chen Jiayu, who had been flying for over a decade and had faced various mechanical failures, understood that a situation like this was still enough to make a young pilot’s palms sweat.
Although the situation had been clarified, Chen Jiayu still felt a bit annoyed. During routine flights, pilots often compete to land or take off first. They often tugged and pulled with air traffic control when vying for positions. When things got tense, emotions could run high. However, an overt public confrontation like the one that occurred was unusual. Chen Jiayu, being no ordinary young pilot, wasn’t one to be pushed around.
Then, someone who had overheard their radio dispute chimed in, saying, “Jia Ge, why don’t you file a complaint? What’s wrong with the approach controller? Did they take the wrong medicine? What happened?”
Another Air China captain agreed, “Did you run into a trainee?”
A captain, with a profile picture and name Chen Jiayu didn’t recognize joined the conversation and directly addressed him:”@jiayuchen Jia Ge, I had actually planned to let you land first today. Sorry, brother.”
Chen Jiayu clicked on his profile and realized that he was the captain from Jinxiu Airlines. He understood that the pilot who had contacted him on the Approach radio had recognized him. This kind of thing has happened before, and he’s actually used to it. He replied with an “I understand” and even added 🙏.
The captain from China Southern Airlines chuckled, “A trainee wouldn’t dare to say that. You must have run into Xiao Fang , right?”
Chen Jiayu, who rarely spoke in this group, couldn’t resist and asked, “Who?”
The Southern Airlines captain replied, “Fang Hao, of course. He’s a tough one. Even gifts can’t sway him.”
Chen Jiayu looked at this name and felt as if he had heard it somewhere, but he couldn’t remember. Now that he has a name, it is easier. He exited the group chat, clicked on Lu Yan’s profile picture, and asked, “Is your apprentice covering for you today?”
Lu Yan was confused by the question and replied with a puzzled emoji, saying, “When did I take on an apprentice?”
Chen Jiayu: “Isn’t Fang Hao your apprentice?”
Lu Yan was quick-minded and immediately figured out what was going on. It must be that Fang Hao somehow kept Chen Jiayu and the others waiting when he was directing his flight.
Air Traffic Control is often a thankless job, and it’s not easy to please everyone. No matter how skilled or experienced the controller is, there will always be people who are dissatisfied with their work.
They are the unsung heroes when everything runs smoothly and are often the first to be blamed when something goes wrong.
Lu Yan, despite her close relationship with Chen Jiayu over the years, understood that he, as a captain, might not fully understand this aspect. She replied back to Chen Jiayu: “No, he’s my colleague. We’re on the same level.”
She had indeed mentored Fang Hao before, but he quickly became proficient and could handle the workload of two people in a short time. So, in Lu Yan’s view, she always considered Fang Hao to be a colleague.
Chen Jiayu thought, “It seems it’s not a trainee after all. Trainee controllers wouldn’t have this kind of confidence. Makes sense.”
Lu Yan added, “He’s also our junior. You should have met him before.”
Chen Jiayu realized why the name sounded familiar.
She then continued: “It’s Fang Hao.” Not ‘Hao’ as in vast, but ‘Hao’ as in a bright moon in the sky.
Afterward, Lu Yan immediately opened Fang Hao’s WeChat and asked him, “Did something happen today?”
Fang Hao had just reached his car and sighed at how fast the news had spread. He quickly thought it over; it seemed that Chen Jiayu didn’t report the incident to the tower but instead found a co-worker to complain to? Nevertheless, he didn’t want to explain too much and simply replied, “There was a tire blowout, but it was resolved safely on the ground. Everything is fine, Sister Yan, don’t worry.”
He knew Lu Yan was one of the people most familiar with his capabilities and state of mind, so she wouldn’t think too much about it.
Translator comments: I feel like even though Chen Jiayu doesn’t consider his fame a big deal, he may have become somewhat arrogant due to the privileges afforded to him, possibly without realizing it. Even though he wants to stay humble. Personally, the dispute didn’t seem like a big deal to me, but I noticed that the chapter dedicated a significant amount of attention to it. XD
Chen Jiayu : Why doesn’t he listen to me?!
Fang Hao: not impressed. 😑
Next chapter is called “date” or “get together”. 😀
Is this an enemies to lovers? Either way, I love it.
Thank you for the chapter!
Enemies? No, but they definitely have to work on it a bit, lol. It’s no love at first sight or voice, but they’ll have a solid relationship once they get past that. (from some of the comments I saw) It sounded like Chen Jiayue could be quite the doting type.
Also minor spoiler: Fang Hao has been hurt in the past. So, he can definitely come across as prickly, stubborn, and by-the-book.
Thanks for reading!
He is little proud of himself~
Thank You for the new chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
Most definitely. XD But then again he’s a handsome and famous pilot lol
I’m officially addicted to this! I wonder how real the portrayed relations are between the tower and and pilots, do they really sit and argue while landing? The work place drama and rumors I 100% believe 😭
+1 translator’s comment, he may have not wanted the fame but he is certainly using the privilege it affords him, might as well get something in return for the PTSD from that emergency landing ¯\(ツ)/¯
I think I found a short on YouTube depicting some arguments between a female tower controller and a pilot. The controller misjudges the speed/height required to land an aircraft of a certain size, the pilot has to be very firm and politely decline several times while the controller insisted on the speed/height etc that she gave. Her overall tone and attitude was very rude and it’s lowkey quite tense when you consider how a small error like this can lead to complications .
I’m loving their short bickering. Thank you for translating this novel. I really appreciate you. 🤍
Much appreciated and thanks for reading. 💜
Intresting dynamic so far.🤔
Chen Jiayu.exe stopped working because for once in a long time he’s not getting special treatment haha
Thank you for chapter 💕