The air division was anxious to let Li Zhan join the fourth-generation aircraft test flight team because there was a big problem with the body of the main test pilot, and the main test pilot in a test flight team was everything, and the project could not go down without the main test pilot.

The main pilot is also Li Zhan's elder brother, and because of the tight time, Li Zhan didn't even have the opportunity to visit the hospitalized elder brother in the general hospital.

The old leader Bao Guanhua picked him up at the airport, and as soon as they met, he patted Li Zhan on the shoulder and said, "I said early in the morning that your kid can't run out of the Air Force, but it's not like that." ”

Li Zhan smiled helplessly, "Old leader, I am very reluctant to leave the Air Force, but my master clearly asked me to join the Flying Shark Force at that time. I really can't help it. ”

"Understand, I should also let you go to the HNA for a visit, so that they can see the top strength cultivated by our air force. You see, in the past year or so, the combat effectiveness of the Flying Shark Unit has improved by leaps and bounds, and I heard that you have compiled training materials, boy, you have reached the stage of writing books and biography. ”

Li Zhan said modestly, "The work is still done by everyone." ”

"Little slippery." Bao Guanhua said, straightened his face, and said solemnly, "The test flight of the fourth-generation aircraft has reached a critical stage, and the tasks are very heavy and demanding, so you must be fully mentally prepared." ”

Li Zhan said, "When I was working in the Second Division, the test flight institute deliberately asked me to be a test pilot, and I was confident in my ability. And in terms of experience in dealing with dangerous situations, I should have the most abundant experience in the army. So old leader, you can rest assured. ”

"Of course I'm at ease with you, with you, my heart can land." Bao Guanhua said, "However, the difference between the fourth-generation aircraft and the third-generation aircraft is very large, and you should know something." It is, so to speak, the difference between the two eras. ”

Li Zhan said, "I can't wait to fly to the limit of the fourth-generation aircraft." ”

Most people will be more or less worried when they hear these words, after all, there is a generation gap, and it is a prototype test flight. There has never been such a single-minded person as Li Zhan who is eager to get started with the lever. In other words, Bao Guanhua would directly reprimand him, but Li Zhan said that Bao Guanhua was more confident.

Is there a plane that Li Zhan can't drive?

At least there is no plane in the world today that he can't fly.

All the planes he has flown have cases that exceed the design limits, such as the 037 J-7EGGH, when he was still E, he let him fly an ultra-low-altitude Cobra to maneuver, such a concept is incomprehensible to ordinary people.

That's what he has to do.

All the way to the Chengluoma factory, Bao Guanhua did not stop introducing the test flight of the fourth-generation aircraft, which made Li Zhan know a lot of information in advance. Bao Guanhua is the deputy director in charge of production safety, and he is an Air Force pilot, after the fourth-generation aircraft test flight entered a critical stage, the factory sent him to be stationed in the test flight team to be specifically responsible for this matter.

Originally, Bao Guanhua arranged a more grand welcome dinner, but Li Zhan strongly asked that everything be simple, have a working meal in the evening, and everyone meet, and start preparing for the test flight that night. He had studied the theoretical materials of the fourth-generation aircraft in advance, and there was no big problem with the theory.

So he spent the night learning cockpit operations from other test pilots.

The situation of the fourth-generation aircraft is different from any previous fighter, it does not have any predecessor to refer to, and there is no simulated cockpit for practice. This time was definitely the most thrilling modified flight Li Zhan had ever made.

The problem is that the fourth-generation aircraft is a single-seater, so there is no way to fly.

For Li Zhan, he only needs to figure out three issues: the position of the throttle stick, the position of the joystick, and the position of the rudder controller. Then he can fly with impunity. If there are rules to follow for a brand-new fighter that has not been finalized, what else does a test pilot do?

If every time a pilot takes off into the air, then every time a test pilot takes off, he has pre-registered with Lord Yama, and he should have a drink to celebrate when he returns, and it is normal not to come back.

Test pilots use their lives to fly out a set of rules that can protect lives for the majority of comrades-in-arms, and they are called life guardians.

From the point of view of finalizing the new fighter, it is up to the test pilots to fly out one by one how much performance the new fighter can perform, whether it can meet the design indicators, how much redundancy there is, and where the various envelopes of the flight are.

In a new fighter research and development team, the position of the chief test pilot is very important, and it is a perfect combination of theory and practice. All the ideas and designs of the R&D team have to be flown out by the chief test pilot, if they can't fly, no matter how advanced the design is, it is meaningless.

In the eyes of the front-line troops, the ability of military R&D personnel is actually not very able to have a very clear concept in their hearts. In the long history of the military industry, there have been some overly idealistic but lacked practical designs.

A more well-known example is the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle.

Even from the point of view of the world's small arms community, the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle is a near-perfect semi-automatic rifle, almost achieving the best comprehensive performance that a semi-automatic rifle can do. In this way, this must be a weapon that is loved by warriors.

However, on the contrary, such an excellent semi-automatic rifle was criticized by front-line fighters. In general, there is a surplus of accuracy and insufficient firepower. It is accurate enough to be used as a sniper rifle, but the AK-47's firepower is overpowered, especially in tropical jungle terrain.

In the final analysis, the most important reason is that times have changed.

In the battlefield where automatic rifles reign, semi-automatic rifles have entered the ranks of obsolescence. No one will deny the technology of the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, but it is already not able to adapt to the battlefield environment. After the bloody lesson, military research and development personnel found that it is very important to fully communicate with the troops at the stage of developing new weapons and obtain suggestions for the use of them.

So specific to the current Air Force equipment, no matter how advanced the third-generation aircraft is, even if it uses part of the technology of the fourth-generation aircraft, it is a third-generation aircraft after all, and no matter how much you crown it with the third-and-a-half generation or other levels, you can't get rid of the reality of the generation gap.

As the situation changed, the officers and men of the front-line troops, specifically the direct users of weapons and equipment, gradually seized the initiative. Most of the time, it is said that the military industry will develop whatever weapons and equipment the army needs.

This is evidenced by the preference of the big-headed soldiers to use the eighty-one bar instead of the newer ninety-five style. In a large number of experience in use, it has been proved that the advantages of the Ninety-Five Style cannot hide its disadvantages. In response to the feedback from the troops, the manufacturer responded quickly and took out a ninety-five bar, which is a very good interaction.

With Li Zhan's character, once he enters the state, he will basically not stop, and out of trust in him, the manufacturer arranged for him to fly solo the next day. Li Zhan even slept recalling the sci-fi cockpit of the fourth-generation aircraft, the delicate touch, the friendly interaction system, and the very tactile throttle stick and joystick, all of which made him want to stop.

Although his Rafale fighter did not fly for a long time, he was probably richer than many French pilots in actual combat use, and had a deeper experience. The Rafale fighter uses a side joystick, so he is no stranger to this joystick mode.

The fourth-generation aircraft uses a layout scheme with left throttle and right control.

At half past three in the morning, the ground support detachment and the R&D team entered the site to make preparations. Check the condition of the aircraft, check the condition of various sensors, check the process of the test flight test project on the same day, and so on. Some people say that the people in the military machinery factory are soldiers who do not wear military uniforms, because of the nature of the work they do. There are many ground maintenance personnel from the Air Force who have been transferred from the military aircraft factory, and they also use the same support system as the troops, and the atmosphere is no different from that of the troops.

At half past four in the morning, Bao Guanhua also came over to make final preparations with everyone.

The scheduled departure time is between 8 and 9 a.m., depending on availability. A radius of 50 kilometers centered on the Chengloma plant is the first test flight airspace, and the second test flight area is 300 kilometers over the plain to the west.

It is usually in the first test flight airspace to do the test items that can maneuver in a small range of airspace, and it is also the category with the most content.

However, the first test flight airspace needs to avoid the take-off and landing airspace of the civil aviation airport and the entry and exit channels, and there is not much room for choice, which will test the ability of the test pilot. The environment in the airspace of the second test flight is much better, there is a large area of farmland underneath, there is no settlement area, and the test pilot can fly freely.

Today is mainly Li Zhan's adaptive flight, first familiarizing himself with the situation of the fourth-generation aircraft, but also testing the friendliness of the fourth-generation aircraft, which has been constantly improving, to new pilots. Airplanes are a combination of high-tech achievements, but in general, for pilots, it is nothing more than "whether it is good or not".

The military and civil aviation have different understandings of whether an aircraft is "good or not", and the highest criterion for civil aviation to judge whether an aircraft is good or not is safety, and flight safety is always in the first place, which is the general status of the Constitution.

On the contrary, the troops' requirements for aircraft are, first of all, whether they meet the requirements of the current war and whether they can give full play to the combat capabilities required by the troops, and secondly, flight safety.

One is a tool for people to travel, and the other is a tool used by soldiers to fight, two completely different concepts.

At half past six in the morning, Li Zhan woke up on time, washed up, soaked, and had breakfast, full of vitality. and Chen Ming went to the outfield by car.

Before the first flight of the fourth-generation aircraft project, Chen Ming joined the fourth-generation aircraft test flight team, he came from the test flight institute, participated in the finalized test flights of many models, and was a very experienced test pilot.

Li Zhan wears an unshaped new flight suit, dark army green, very cool, very complete and powerful, highly integrated, the most obvious change is the life jacket on the neck, which was separated before, and the new flight suit has been integrated.

Chen Ming said, "As far as the control is concerned, the sensitivity of the fourth-generation aircraft is better, and the agility is very good. ”

"Brother Chen, you have to remind me all the way." Li Zhan said.

Chen Ming said, "Don't worry, I will always be on the tower." ”

Today, Chen Ming does not fly, wears a camouflage uniform, and goes to the tower to prepare for a while, he acts as a deputy commander, and he will take over the command in case of emergency.

Chen Ming took Li Zhan to accept the plane in advance, and after completing this work, Chen Ming quickly rushed to the tower to make preparations before takeoff. Ground crews have begun carpet inspections of the runway to ensure the safety of aircraft take-off and landing.

At 7:30 a.m., the plane started, Li Zhan boarded the plane, and the tractor dragged the plane out of the hangar. The first thing to do is to do three ground runs to simulate take-off. The weather is not very good today, the sky is gray, and the wind on the ground is relatively normal.

At the take-off position of the runway, the tractor detached, Li Zhan opened the cockpit cover, and the gangway came over to catch it, and both sides were hitched on. Yi Xiaoyi and another engineer stood on the gangway one on the left and one on the right, and continued to verify the various systems of the aircraft with Li Zhan, and at the same time did some functional tests in the stationary state. Several other groups of technicians repeatedly inspect and discuss their respective areas of responsibility under the aircraft.

Many of the main features of the fourth-generation aircraft have not yet flown out of the envelope, so Li Zhan's task is relatively heavy. At this time, the R&D team has begun to pick out the details, and some small details that have not been considered for the time being have to be improved.

This is the reason why prototypes are generally rough. You have to build up the main structure first, and then fill it in step by step, in the order of the current primary and then the secondary. Of course, developing a new fighter is not as simple as filling it with something.

The laying out of the line alone is a project that will take decades to study.

The reason why the fourth-generation aircraft turned out to be fake news and even the photos were considered to be photoshopped by military enthusiasts is precisely because the military workers withstood the great pressure and criticism given by the people, completed the accumulation of technology for decades, and suddenly made efforts to complete the first flight of the fourth-generation aircraft at a time that everyone did not expect.

How sudden is the appearance of the black ribbon, so to speak, the Air Force has decided to entrust the Shen Hoy Factory to make a third-generation and a half-generation fighter based on the J-11B, and it will serve as the most advanced air supremacy fighter for more than ten years before the fourth-generation aircraft comes out.

As a result, as soon as the black ribbon came out, the Air Force canceled the development of the follow-up model of the J-11B within two days, so the J-11D project, which had just made a prototype, was abandoned, and the Shen Hoy Factory simply used the prototype as a technical verification machine.

If there is a fourth-generation aircraft, what more third-generation and a half-generation fighters do you need? The Air Force even subtracted from the Su-35 introduction plan, originally planning to purchase dozens of aircraft to introduce a full set of technology, but later decided to purchase 12 aircraft, taking into account the relationship with the Russian side, it was reluctantly increased to 24 aircraft.

The troops consider the problem very practically, and in the case of the J-10C entering mass production, the Air Force's control and control capabilities will be completely fine in the three or two years before the fourth-generation aircraft enters service. From the expected ten years to three or two years, the difference is too great.

All personnel evacuated, and Li Zhan closed the cockpit again.

He began to maneuver the joystick to move the various wing surfaces under the direction of the ground personnel. The front canard, double vertical tail, tail wing, and flaps are all doing the rotation of the full design deflection angle, and the whole look at the past, the black fourth-generation aircraft is very much like a deformed gold steel ready to be deformed.

Full-motion canards, full-motion twin vertical tails, vector engines, integrated structures, integral cockpit canopies, etc., etc., 90% of the technology is the world's leading level, the world's leading level!

Now, Li Zhan is going to manipulate her fiercely.