Part IV: Captain should be the mainstay of the aircraft
Narratage: The source of faith is Liu Chuanjian. In the air force, he had decade of experience in flight, trained as strict fighter pilot, and later, Liu Chuanjian became a flight instructor in AF school and brought out a lot of pilots. In 2006, he was transferred to the civil aviation.
Liu Chuanjian: AF recruitment elimination rate is very high. We were advocated eight qualities there, top demand. It was very difficult to be recruited. For example, in a province only ten or twenty, the whole recruitment is very low, the elimination rate is very high, the results after the elimination rate is very high, 70% to 80%. Finally, only less 20% of them can really become fighter pilots.
Anchor: But from the fighter pilots to the civil aviation, from the flight technology, is there any difference?
Liu Chuanjian: The basic skills are the same. Civil plane is equipped full automation and you need to follow all SOPs. In the military domain, we have another characteristic, flexible. You need to do everything fast in your own way, from decision and action. Or you will be killed. In air transport, safety come from another fashion. You can’t kill others for your safety. In such a definition, comes the element which we call it as comfort. So, there are some differences in handling.
Anchor: I do my research for this interview. Guys like you are in AF flight academy are well trained with special projects in extreme circumstances.
Liu Chuanjian: Yes, each model will be independent in the expected course, such as what we should do in the course, how we do it. How do we learn it, how do I prepare it before flying.
Anchor: Was it similar to the windshield bursting, has there been such an emergency learning?
Liu Chuanjian: No. I was impressed by the British Airways flight 5390, I saw it several times.
Anchor: The accident in 1990 in England.
Liu Chuanjian: Yes, it was made into a movie. I was very impressed. I had seen it several times.
Narratage: In June 10, 1990, British Airways flight 5390 took off from Birmingham to Mallorca, Spain. During the flight, a windshield flew off suddenly and pulled the captain out of the plane. Later, with the efforts of the FO, the plane landed safely in Southampton, and the captain survived miraculously. In the later decades, the British Airways incident was regarded as a miracle in the history of aviation. However, the plane that Liu Chuanjian was flying was even more dangerous than that of British Airways 5930. In addition to the difference in height and speed, beneath Liu Chuanjian's plane is the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, which stands on the tip of the glacier. Once the conventional operation goes down, it will inevitably hit the iceberg, and the consequences will be disastrous.
Anchor: Can you hear the reaction of passengers behind you in that position? Sounds.
Liu Chuanjian: No, I can't hear anything.
Interviewer: Did you talk to the passengers on the radio?
Liu Chuanjian: I can't make PA.
Anchor: all the equipment is out of order.
Liu Chuanjian: Not malfunction, I just don't know whether existing the failure, because this time the wind, the noise, is in dominant position, I have no any more energy to go, I have no automatic equipment, I want to manipulate the aircraft, I cannot carry out any radio. Finally, because I believe that the cabin crew were well trained, we are professional personnel. They are very good. If they encounter such a situation, they should handle it without problems.
Anchor: That is to say, your duty is to control the aircraft.
Liu Chuanjian: Yes, I think it's my duty to control the plane, not to let the plane fall, and bring the plane into the runway. That's what I thought. I don't even do anything else, but I have to do this (safe landing).
Anchor: But when you report back to the tower, you do not get such a reply. How do you make a decision?
Liu Chuanjian: In this critical time, we needn’t follow such a reply from ATC.
Anchor: Do you decide yourself?
Liu Chuanjian: Yes, in case of crisis, we may get nothing from a reply. It is a responsibility given to our captain.
Narratage: Under Liu Chuanjian's control, the windshield burst aircraft continued to fly. Fortunately, twenty or thirty seconds after the windshield burst, Xu Ruichen, the FO who was forced by the strong pressure difference returned to the cockpit.
Anchor: How did he come back?
Liu Chuanjian: After the blasting, pressure difference disappeared. In fact, the wind goes in. If the airstream is going out, he will be kept outside.
Anchor: What kind of cooperation did he have with you after coming back?
Liu Chuanjian: Basically, no cooperation, I was concentrating on controlling the plane at that time, and I basically did not manage him because I could not manage him.