Episode 29 recap: Qin Da Di was publicly disciplined due to a potential accident.
Originally, Qin Da Di thought Wu Qiang had come to find him to continue staying and test-flying, but Wu Qiang proactively requested to leave the test-flight team. Qin Da Di inquired about the reason, and Wu Qiang stated that given his physical condition, no one could guarantee the team would not encounter an accident.
Ultimately, Qin Da Di agreed to Wu Qiang's request. The team members bid farewell to Wu Qiang, and Wu Qiang expressed at the meeting that being able to join the test-flight team was the glory of his life. He said he would leave with his heart but not his body, and strive to recover from his illness as soon as possible to become a flight control officer on an aircraft carrier, contributing his part to the successful first landing and takeoff of China's carrier-based aircraft.
The test-flight team members were moved to tears and bid farewell to their excellent comrade with applause. Qin Da Di had originally thought Wu Qiang came to find him to continue staying and flying, but Wu Qiang proactively applied to withdraw from the test-flight team, stating that given his physical condition, he could not guarantee the team would not encounter an accident.
Wu Qiang said that when soldiers go to the battlefield, they cannot control life and death, but the only thing they can control is their dignity. He believed that even with his departure, Qin Da Di could still lead the test-flight team better. Although Qin Da Di was extremely reluctant, he still agreed to Wu Qiang's request. Wu Qiang felt that even if he could not fly, he would apply to work on the aircraft carrier as a flight control officer.
Later, Tao Si Yong called a team meeting and announced Wu Qiang's withdrawal. Qin Da Di suppressed his sadness and personally went on stage to tell the team about an accident that had occurred four years prior. That year, during an experiment with a new aircraft model, a system failure occurred. According to the special handling regulations, Wu Qiang could have immediately parachuted, but he gave up the best chance to escape and pulled the ejection handle just two seconds before the crash, resulting in severe multiple fractures and requiring 18 nails to stabilize his spine. Logically, Wu Qiang's flying career should have ended there, but through his strong willpower, he was able to fly again in just 400 days.
Now, Qin Da Di felt increasingly incompetent as the team leader, regretting that he had not anticipated the harm caused to Wu Qiang by the high-speed carrier landing impact. He decided to apply for disciplinary action from the commander. Wu Qiang rarely spoke, but today he stood on the stage, expressing that being able to join the test-flight team was the glory of his life, and he would strive to recover from his illness to become a flight control officer, contributing to the successful first landing and takeoff of China's carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier.
The people present were all deeply moved and teary-eyed, applauding and bidding farewell to this excellent comrade-in-arms. Although the logistics support battalion was not among the first to board the ship, they still actively and diligently trained every day, repeatedly practicing the well-choreographed hand signals. Similarly, Qin Da Di led his team into training, telling them to overcome the difficulties in locating the ship and seek breakthroughs through constant trial and error, with a particular emphasis on safety above all.
The first attempt at search flight began, with the pilots groping for methods to locate the aircraft carrier in the complex weather conditions and with the radar still turned off. Seeing this, Yi Zhengbang ordered the guidance radar to be turned on, only to witness Qin Da Di's and Jiang Hai's planes suddenly converge with Xie Zhenyu's and Kang Yancheng's planes through the clouds, causing everyone to break out in a cold sweat.
Given the near-disaster during today's D03 training flight, Yi Zhengbang publicly reprimanded Qin Da Di and demanded that the entire flight test team hold a meeting to not only find the cause of the accident but also devise solutions. He made it clear that failure to do so would result in immediate personnel changes. It was evident that Qin Da Di was struggling to adapt to Wu Qiang's departure and was not overly concerned about the disciplinary action, with the pressing need being to overcome this challenge.
Xie Zhenyu and Yu Tao chatted on the beach, evaluating Qin Da Di's situation and agreeing that he was indeed doing his best. Yu Tao believed that every country with an aircraft carrier would face similar problems, and they could only rely on their own exploration. Qin Da Di, too, turned to videos as a reference, pondering ways to overcome the challenge, and a flash of insight struck him - the key might lie in the ship's trajectory.
Qin Da Di promptly reported his findings to Yi Zhengbang and requested another trial flight. As expected, during the trial, the team quickly located the ship's trajectory and accurately pinpointed the position of the aircraft carrier. Upon hearing the news, Yi Zhengbang was delighted, acknowledging the progress made by the flight test team and instructing the squadron commander to ensure the readiness for the carrier landings.
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