Chapter 1513 "Go!"

Three hours later.

Wang Wei stood in front of the electronic clock in the flight briefing room, watching the numbers jump from 14:59 to 15:00.

He moved his shoulders and felt that his muscles had returned to their best condition.

Outside the window, the deck of the Liaosheng reflected the dazzling sunlight, and the sea breeze was a little stronger than in the morning.

"The time has come, comrades." Dai Mingmeng's voice came from behind, "Go change your clothes and gather on the flight deck in fifteen minutes."

The pilots sprang into action. Wang Wei went to his locker, took out his anti-gravity suit and flight helmet, checked them carefully as he had done in the morning at Xingcheng Base, and then put them on.

When he walked out of the locker room, the other five pilots had already arrived on the deck.

Dai Mingmeng was standing on the edge of the deck talking with the takeoff commander Zhong Xingquan, holding a document in his hand.

"Weight list" is an essential handover before takeoff.

When Wang Wei approached, he just heard them discussing the take-off order.

"The First Squadron of the First Regiment of the Carrier-Based Aviation Force..."

"Estimated take-off time: 1545, flight number: 01-06..."

"Take off in order of flight numbers..."

"Basic weight 19 tons, fuel weight 4.5 tons, no load, take-off weight 23.5 tons..."

"..."

Dai Mingmeng reported the contents of the documents to the other party one by one.

Zhong Xingquan nodded, took the document and looked at it carefully.

He needs to check the flight numbers of all attack aircraft and obtain real-time weather data from the meteorological department.

If it is an aircraft carrier that launches using catapults, an additional round of information verification will be required to correctly set the catapult's pull.

But for the Liao Province, the following series of processes can be temporarily omitted.

Wang Wei walked up to the two men and saluted: "Comrade Commander, Unit 02 is ready."

After Dai Mingmeng returned the gift, he handed a piece of paper to Wang Wei: "This is your takeoff status list, check it."

Wang Wei took the document, which detailed the key parameters of the No. 02 aircraft, such as the basic weight, fuel weight, afterburner setting, etc. He checked each item one by one, and signed his name in the designated position after confirming that they were correct.

Subsequently, the other four pilots also signed their respective status lists.

"Very good." Dai Mingmeng turned to the pilots who were arriving one after another, "Everyone, boarding will begin in ten minutes."

Wang Wei walked to the side of aircraft No. 02 and took a final walk around the aircraft before climbing the boarding stairs, visually inspecting several of the most critical parts.

At the same time, communications between the aviation tower and the navigation bridge were also intensive.

The voice of tower commander Li Yan came through the ship's communication system: "Navigation bridge, this is the aviation tower, requesting to adjust the course to 120 and increase the speed to 24 knots to obtain the best deck wind."

"Received, air tower. Adjusting course, expected to reach required speed in five minutes." The reply from the radio was accompanied by noisy footsteps in the background.

Soon, the fleet consisting of Liaosheng and Chuncheng began to turn slowly, drawing two neat and graceful arcs on the sea.

In actual operations, aircraft carriers rarely perform tight, large turns unless in an emergency.

Especially during the aviation preparation phase.

Wang Wei could feel the deck under his feet tilting slightly, which was a sign that the aircraft carrier was adjusting its posture.

"Woo——"

The shrill sound of the whistle resounded across the sea, and the aircraft carrier began to accelerate. The flags on the edge of the deck were fluttering in the strong sea breeze, and the wind direction and speed were close to perfect.

Ten minutes later, Li Yan's voice sounded again: "The air tower reports that the wind on the deck is 32 knots and the wind direction is 105, which meets the conditions for takeoff. We can start the takeoff operation."

Dai Mingmeng had already boarded aircraft No. 01, and the canopy slowly closed. Wang Wei took a deep breath and walked to the aircraft No. 02 next to him.

The aircraft controller is in place and the aircraft operator in a green vest is disconnecting the ground power line.

"Machine No. 02, prepare to connect the onboard power." The guide gestured to Wang Wei.

Wang Wei climbed up the boarding ladder and entered the cockpit skillfully. The familiar cockpit environment immediately put him into work mode. He fastened his seat belt first, and then began to operate according to the order of the checklist.

"Power switch, turn on." Wang Wei flipped the switch on the right hand side, and the dashboard immediately lit up and various indicator lights began self-checking.

"Inertial navigation system, calibrate." He pressed a few buttons on the navigation control panel and waited for the system to complete initialization. The numbers on the screen jumped rapidly and finally stabilized at the preset coordinates.

"Fuel pump, turn on. Hydraulic system, check."

Each operation is accompanied by corresponding instrument feedback, and the pilot's eyes need to quickly scan the various displays to confirm that all systems are within the normal operating range.

The noise outside the cockpit gradually increased. Unit 01 had already started its engine, and hot air was gushing out of the nozzle.

"Aircraft No. 02, you can start the engine." The guide's instructions came through the headset.

Wang Wei pressed the start button, and with a roar, the WS-10H engine started running.

The speed needle on the instrument rose steadily and finally stabilized at the idle position.

"Engine parameters are normal and oil pressure is stable." Wang Wei reported via radio.

Meanwhile, ground crew on deck were making final preparations.

The aircraft maintenance chief began to remove the mooring chains in sequence, while the aircraft operator removed the left and right wheel chocks.

A safety observer stood at a safe distance, ready to respond to possible emergencies.

"Unit 02, all ground connections have been disconnected, you can move."

The guide gestured to Wang Wei.

Wang Wei pulled the brake lever and gave a thumbs up to the guide outside to indicate that he had received the instruction.

He pushed the accelerator gently and felt the plane's slight forward momentum being firmly controlled by the brakes.

"The mooring chains have been removed, the wheel chocks have been removed, and aircraft No. 02 can taxi to the take-off position." A clear voice came from the radio.

Wang Wei released the brakes, and the J-15 began to move forward slowly. He kept his eyes fixed on the front of the aircraft and the alignment of the wingtips, and used the rudder pedals to precisely control the taxiing route.

There will be multiple guides on the deck, standing in sequence at intervals of 15-30 meters. Each person is only responsible for the area in front of him, so the pilot does not need to adjust his line of sight significantly.

Soon, aircraft No. 01 arrived in front of the ski-jump deck, while Wang Wei's aircraft No. 02 was guided to another adjacent take-off point.

The roar of four engines echoed across the deck.

"Aircraft 01, takeoff status confirmed." Zhong Xingquan's voice came over the radio, "Speed ​​set to 100%, afterburner on, first in the takeoff sequence."

"Unit 01 confirmed." Dai Mingmeng responded concisely.

"Aircraft No. 02, take-off status confirmed. Speed ​​set to 100%, afterburner on, second in take-off sequence." Zhong Xingquan continued.

"Unit 02 confirmed." Wang Wei replied, and at the same time glanced at the instrument again to confirm that all parameters were normal.

The atmosphere on the deck was tense and orderly.

The takeoff commander stood in the position with the best viewing angle, holding a signal board, ready to issue the final order at any time.

"Air tower, this is the takeoff control. Aircraft 01 and 02 are in position, requesting permission to take off." Zhong Xingquan reported to the tower.

"Tower received the request. Weather conditions are stable and the deck wind is sustained at 32 knots. Clearance for takeoff is granted," Li Yan replied.

Zhong Xingquan turned to Plane 01 and held up the signal board: "Plane 01, prepare for takeoff!"

Wang Wei saw that a longer flame was emitting from the nozzle of Dai Mingmeng's No. 01 engine, and the afterburner had been opened.

Two takeoff assistants stood on the left and right sides of the aircraft, making gestures to allow takeoff.

Squat down, stretch your right arm forward and downward, and raise your left arm backward and upward.

"Planet No. 01, take off!" Following Zhong Xingquan's command, Dai Mingmeng released the brakes and the J-15 rushed towards the ski-jump deck like an arrow.

Wang Wei was watching this scene out of the corner of his eye as Unit 01 accelerated on the deck.

As the ski-jump deck tilted up 14 degrees, the fighter jet seemed to be thrown into the air and had gained enough lift when it left the end of the deck.

Apart from a little pitch, everything is no different from being on the ground.

"Flight 01 took off successfully," the tower announced.

Through the radio, Wang Wei could hear a brief applause in the flight tower.

Now, it's his turn.

Wang Wei felt his heartbeat quicken slightly, but years of training made his hands as steady as a rock.

"Planet 02, prepare for takeoff!" came Zhong Xingquan's voice.

Wang Wei took a deep breath and pushed the accelerator to the afterburner position.

The roar of the engine suddenly increased, and the entire plane became tense, ready to take off.

The two takeoff assistants once again assumed takeoff posture, and one of them looked towards the cockpit in particular.

"Planet 02, take off!"

Wang Wei released the brake and lowered the wheel chock at the same time.

The 28-ton thrust pushed the plane forward violently. The decks on both sides quickly receded in his sight, and only the roar of the engine remained in his ears.

Oddly enough, even though the ski jump deck in front of him was like a high wall, just like in the ground simulation facility, he did not feel the slightest bit of nervousness in his heart.

Only the expectation of reaching the blue sky——

Just like when I first flew with my instructor at the aviation school more than 20 years ago.

At the moment the front wheel touched the rising section of the ski-jump deck, Wang Wei felt an upward force suddenly appear, pressing his body tightly against the ejection seat.

He kept the control stick pulled back slightly, allowing the nose of the plane to rise naturally.

The moment he left the end of the deck, Wang Wei felt a brief sense of weightlessness, as if he was falling downwards.

But both the instruments and his vision told him that the plane was climbing.

10 meters, 20 meters, 50 meters...

When the altitude display reached 100 meters, his voice appeared clearly on the radio:

"Unit 02 has successfully left the ship and is climbing!"