Great Power Long Sky

"Dongguai, check everything and we're ready to take off."

On the control tower, Gao Wei issued the takeoff command.

Deputy Commander Chen and other leaders simultaneously raised their binoculars, their eyes fixed on the Su-27UBK two-seat fighter jet with fuselage number 07.

"Take off from Dongguai."

Li Lu replied, and then slowly pushed the throttle lever with his left hand. The two AL-31F turbofan engines roared and burst out with powerful thrust, propelling the heavy fighter jet to accelerate along the runway.

The cockpit layout of the Su-27 remains the classic Soviet-style layout of "throttle stick on the left, control stick in the middle"—throttle on the left, flight on the right. The control stick is located between the legs, and further down to the crotch area is the yellow ejection pin.

The entire cockpit is filled with a dense array of various instruments, traditional buttons, and switches. The pitch angle display on the right side of the instrument panel looks like a thermometer.

The thrust continued to increase, and the speed became faster and faster.

It must be acknowledged that the AL-31F turbofan engine is very powerful, even more so than the Spey engine used in the JH-7, and it delivers thrust much faster.

"Be careful with your decisions," Vasily reminded him from the rear cabin.

Li Lu replied, "Understood."

Su-27 No. 07 was empty, carrying only two tons of aviation fuel, and its takeoff speed was 280 kilometers per hour. However, for safety reasons, the control tower required the speed to reach 330 kilometers per hour before lifting the wheels.

After accelerating and gliding for about 500 meters, Li Lu made a decision and simultaneously announced, "Lift the wheels!"

As the nose of the aircraft rose, Li Lu clearly felt a noticeable delay between pulling the stick and the nose responding. However, once the nose was raised, the movement became much smoother.

Li Lu controlled the elevation angle at 30 degrees, which should actually be smaller, just in case. However, the location of Donghai Station is special. If the elevation angle is not maintained at 30 degrees, there is a risk of crashing into the mountains in front.

The Su-27UBK No. 07 took off steadily while maintaining its climb.

The people on the tower breathed a sigh of relief; Li Lu had successfully completed the first step of flying up and landing.

From the overall takeoff control maneuvers, there were no problems; the movements were smooth and without any stuttering, and the actions were precise and without hesitation.

Deputy Commander Chen asked, "Xiao Gao, what do you think of Li Lu's takeoff maneuvers?"

Gao Wei replied, "Sir, his takeoff maneuver was very standard and smooth, and there are no problems at the moment."

"Hmm," said Deputy Commander Chen. "The key is the landing. Let him fly around the field twice and then land. Let's see how well he lands."

"yes!"

Gao Wei immediately called out, "Dongguai, circle the field twice and then land!"

Li Lu originally wanted to fly a little longer, as the plan included a 15-minute flight time. However, the sudden change of plans led him to guess that it was an instruction from his superior.

Everyone was eager to see his landing technique, and Li Lu himself also wanted to test what level his first landing technique could reach.

Vasily didn't need a translator. He encouraged Li Lu over the radio, saying, "Old Li, just follow the standard procedure, you'll be fine."

"clear!"

Li Lu turned the stick to the left and applied the left rudder to control the fighter jet to fly around the field in a continuous left turn, with the speed and altitude following the instructions of the control tower.

After circling twice, Li Lu used both his hands and feet to adjust the aircraft's attitude by maneuvering, pedaling, and controlling the throttle. After passing the first navigation beacon, the nose of the aircraft was aligned with the runway.

At this moment, the advantage of the Su-27's slightly drooping nose becomes apparent, allowing Li Lu to visually see the runway earlier and adjust the aircraft's attitude in advance.

"Lower the landing gear at Dongguai, and activate the landing flaps." Li Lu confirmed that the switches were in their proper positions and broadcast the report.

Gao Wei replied, "Landing gear in place, monitor descent rate."

Li Lu made a slight adjustment to the descent rate, and Su-27 No. 07, like an eagle returning to its nest, spread its wings and descended smoothly.

Vasily was ready to take immediate control of the aircraft.

Takeoff and landing are difficult, especially landing. Whether it's landing at a land-based airport or on an aircraft carrier, it's far more difficult than taking off.

A pilot who has only received theoretical training can probably manage to take off, albeit clumsily, once he understands the positions of the flap switches, sticks, and rudders. However, if he lands clumsily, there will only be one outcome—crashing and exploding.

If you can successfully fly the plane back, you've basically completed most of the basic flight training.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats; the moment to witness a miracle had arrived, or perhaps not.

The speed brakes on the back of the Su-27UBK No. 07 were fully raised, resembling a fighting rooster with its feathers ruffled. Immediately, the fighter jet got closer and closer to the runway. The rear landing gear touched down at the same time, kicking up two puffs of smoke. After sliding for several dozen meters, the front landing gear landed steadily. The suspension system hardly compressed at all, which showed that Li Lu had precisely controlled the angle of attack, allowing the landing gear to touch down with very little force.

"Dongguai did not deploy a drag chute; requesting a second takeoff training session."

Li Lu pressed both feet onto the brake pedal above the rudder control pedal, and slowly applied force with his legs. At the same time, the brake pads of the two rear landing gear tires slowly tightened, increasing friction to achieve the purpose of braking.

He also requested permission from the control tower to return directly to the takeoff position for a second flight training exercise.

The plane hadn't used up much fuel yet, and the entire flight from takeoff to landing only took about ten minutes, which was really not enough.

Seeing that Su-27UBK No. 07 had steadily descended, Deputy Commander Chen breathed a sigh of relief, took the microphone, and asked with a smile, "Comrade Vasily, what's your opinion?"

Vasily laughed loudly, "Comrade Li Lu has absolutely no problem."

Deputy Commander Chen replied directly, "Dongguai can conduct its second flight training."

"Dongguai understands."

Li Lu was thrilled. He used the right rudder to control the nose landing gear tires and, with the left and right control surfaces of the twin vertical tails working in tandem, completed a smooth U-turn at the end of the runway. He then taxied along the runway to the takeoff position and made another smooth U-turn, aligning the nose of the aircraft with the runway and takeoff direction.

These two smooth turns on the ground further proved that Li Lu's control of this fighter jet had reached a high level of proficiency.

Vasily did not intervene at all.

Li Lu felt good and was still eager for more.

Although his first flight training session was short, he still felt the smooth, silky feel of the Su-27's powerful and robust build.

This was a completely different aircraft from any fighter jet he had ever flown, even though Li Lu determined through analysis of technical data that it was incomplete.

The readily available power, the flexible nose pointing at a certain speed, the central lifting body structure that inspires confidence, and the commanding view from above all make one overlook the slight flaws in the flight control system.

No wonder the Air Force looked down on the JH-7 developed by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group after inspecting the Su-27.

He couldn't help but think that if the Su-27 were equipped with an advanced flight control system, or even a complete avionics system with world-class standards, this aircraft would surely unleash a formidable combat capability that its original designers could not have imagined.

Putting these distracting thoughts aside, Li Lu received the takeoff order from the control tower and suddenly pushed the throttle lever forward to the limit, but did not activate the afterburner switch.

The Su-27 No. 07, abandoning its previous elegance and composure, suddenly pulled up its nose, and the sudden thrust pressed Li Lu and Vasily in the rear cabin against their seat backs. With the roar of the AL-31F turbofan engine, the fighter jet accelerated rapidly and took off.

With speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour and a thrust-to-climb ratio far exceeding regulations, Li Lu abruptly pulled back the stick, raising the nose of the fighter jet as it roared and climbed at a 60-degree angle of attack, while simultaneously retracting the landing gear.

The people on the control tower felt a mix of tension and relief. Had Vasily taken over control?