Great Power Long Sky

The flying experience of the JH-7 was completely different from any other aircraft Li Lu had ever flown before, even though the J-6 was also a twin-engine fighter.

Li Lu's first impression was that the ride was very comfortable. The cabin was spacious and the seats offered excellent support, unlike smaller aircraft like the J-6 and J-7.

Air Force pilots have strict requirements for height and weight. Tall people cannot fit into the cockpit, which is why air force pilots in this era are generally not tall.

At 1.76 meters tall, Li Lu is already considered tall.

Chen Qi is short, only 1.72 meters tall.

Secondly, there's the field of vision.

The JH-7 has excellent visibility.

The canopy is large and spacious with few blind spots, especially the front canopy, where the base of the pitot tube can be easily seen.

The cockpit's field of vision determines a pilot's ability to perceive the battlefield.

The J-6 had a poor field of vision problem, and the J-7 had some improvements, but it still couldn't be considered to have good field of vision.

It wasn't until Li Lu sat in the cockpit of the JH-7 that he realized its field of vision was like the difference between a truck and a car compared to the J-6 and J-7.

Gu Chen originally intended to take over the operation after takeoff and demonstrate the basic flight operations to Li Lu, but he clearly saw Li Lu skillfully maneuvering the aircraft to make large-radius turns and climb while continuously accelerating, flying a spiral ascent route.

He wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut, focusing intently on observing the changes in flight parameters and the aircraft's attitude.

No problem at all.

Li Lu maneuvered the JH-7 fighter-bomber to a spiral climb to an altitude of 3,000 meters, then leveled off and began level flight.

"Instructor, I'll continue to accelerate and fly a little further," Li Lu asked.

Gu Chen couldn't think of a reason to refuse—it's no exaggeration to say that Li Lu's current operating movements were almost textbook-perfect, not at all like a student who was using this model for the first time.

"Okay, but be careful with the pitch angle," Gu Chen reminded him.

"clear!"

The most common problem for new learners is pitch angle: there are few reference points in the sky, so pilots have to rely on the horizon to judge the pitch angle; secondly, people are prone to illusions during flight—mistaking the sky for the ground, or the ground for the sky.

If there is a problem with the pitch angle, or a misjudgment occurs, the aircraft will climb vertically and then stall due to insufficient power, or crash vertically into the ground.

Clearly, Li Lu is not a new trainee. He has superb flying skills and strong mental fortitude, and he is unlikely to make any basic mistakes.

An airplane is an airplane; its basic theories are consistent, and its control methods are the same—both use two sticks and two rudders.

The difference lies in the flight control system.

The JH-7 uses a hybrid analog-digital triplet control and stabilization system, while the J-7E still uses a mechanical transmission system.

The so-called hybrid analog-digital triple redundancy control and stabilization system refers to the addition of a stabilization auxiliary system that uses fly-by-wire signals to the mechanical linkage transmission control surfaces. The system can maintain the aircraft's attitude stability under large disturbances such as single-engine failure and load jettisoning.

To put it simply, it's still mechanical transmission and control, but with the addition of a function to automatically maintain the aircraft's attitude stability under specific circumstances.

This is an initial exploration of fly-by-wire control systems.

It is evident that the new generation of three-axis quadruple redundancy telemetry system used in Project No. 10 did not appear out of thin air, but was developed step by step through a long period of research, development, practical verification, and use.

The JH-7 has a maximum payload of 6.5 tons, which is an impressive load, even heavier than a Dongfeng military truck!

The lift coefficient of an aircraft is completely different when it is fully loaded and empty. Furthermore, the munitions carried on both wings are not to be fired all at once, which can result in a greater load on one wing.

In this situation, it is very difficult to maintain the aircraft's attitude stability by the pilot constantly using the stick and rudder, and the pilot's workload would be very heavy.

This stability augmentation system greatly reduces the pilot's workload and allows for more timely responses.

Li Lu had carefully studied the JH-7's flight control system in theoretical books and practiced operating it, gaining a more thorough understanding by connecting theory with practice.

After completing the acceleration and level flight, Li Lu finished the basic maneuvers. At this point, Gu Chen was basically relieved—Li Lu was fine.

Finally, on the return journey, Li Lu attempted several aerobatic maneuvers, completing them all in one go with extremely high precision.

At this point, Gu Chen could even cross his arms and let Li Lu carry him away.

When it came time to land, Gu Chen initially wanted to take over control, as landing is more difficult than takeoff, which is common knowledge. However, he ultimately decided to be bolder and let Li Lu continue to complete the landing procedure, while he was prepared to intervene and take over control at any time.

After the JH-7 passed the first navigation beacon, the signalman reported that the landing gear had been successfully deployed.

"Maintain the pitch angle, slow down the speed a bit more, yes, keep it up." Gu Chen kept reminding Li Lu to pay attention to the aircraft's attitude.

Li Lu performed a series of maneuvers, and the JH-7 landed very smoothly. He immediately reduced the throttle, retracted the flaps, deployed the speed brakes and drag chute, and applied the brakes.

The roar of the Spey aircraft engine gradually subsided.

Li Lu taxied the plane back to the tarmac, made a neat turn, and parked the plane directly on the open tarmac.

On the control tower, Feng Liang checked the time. The entire process, from takeoff to landing, took one hour and forty-five minutes.

He said, "It sounds like Li Lu completed this flight independently. Let's go ask him."

"Yes!" Xu Hailiang immediately followed Feng Liang down the control tower and headed straight for the helipad.

Li Lu and Gu Chen got off the plane at the tarmac.

Gu Chen took off his flight cap and stared intently at Li Lu.

Li Lu felt a chill run down his spine from Gu's gaze and quickly asked, "Chief of Staff Gu, what are your instructions?"

Gu Chen didn't react much, just looked Li Lu up and down. After a while, he slowly asked a question, "Tell me the truth, is this really your first time flying a Flying Leopard?"

"Even pearls aren't that real. Think about it, where am I supposed to find a JH-7 to fly? If it weren't for the higher-ups approving your transfer of two JH-7s, our entire 7th Air Regiment would never have seen a JH-7 in person," Li Lu said with a helpless bitter smile.

Gu Chen stared at Li Lu for a long time, then suddenly sighed, "You really are a flying genius, there's no other explanation."

"Do you know that, based on your overall operational maneuvers during this flight, your skill level is already comparable to that of the first batch of pilots in our regiment who were converted to JH-7 fighter-bombers?"

Li Lu was taken aback, somewhat surprised. He said, "It can't be that exaggerated, can it?"

Gu Chen nodded seriously, "You completed all three stunts to a high standard. If I hadn't reminded you, you probably were planning to do all four of the other stunts, right?"

Li Lu smiled but didn't say anything.

He felt as if he had divine assistance while flying.