Chapter 1286 The Shark Is Coming!

Show the utmost respect!

The tower controller just repeated the simple six words of the military commander, but Chen Xu, who was a soldier, and the co-pilot were moved and honored infinitely.

I was moved because of the attitude of the leaders of the military region. Such simple words weigh more than Mount Tai;

I am honored because the leader of the military region instructed me to fly this Boeing 747 passenger plane to represent the military region in the sky over Spring City, to the more than 20 American Flying Tigers on board, as well as the more than 20 Chinese nationals waiting at the airport. The Flying Tigers pay the utmost respect among pilots.

The great sense of mission made the two pilots sit upright. Chen Xu looked at the red-eyed co-pilot beside him, and suddenly said to him: "No. 2, now you are in command!"

When the captain is in control of the aircraft, the second co-pilot has no control. His task is to do all the sub-prime tasks assigned by the captain, such as retracting and extending the flaps, controlling the throttle, and opening or closing the landing gear. When the captain utters the words "under your command", it means that the captain has handed over the piloting authority to the co-pilot.

For such a significant matter, the co-pilot did not expect the captain to suddenly hand over the piloting rights to himself. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but Chen Xu said again very firmly: "Say it again, now you are in charge."

The co-pilot was stunned for three seconds, then immediately nodded solemnly, and said with great excitement: "Understood, I will take command!"

After finishing speaking, the co-pilot immediately entered the state, and said: "Tower, Air China CA request the altitude to drop to 300 after two or three turns, and start flying around the field!"

The control tower replied immediately: "Air China makes two or three turns, you can drop to 300, and Chuncheng Airport has cleared the air for you!"

The captain was very emotional, turned on the cabin radio, and said in fluent English: "Ladies and gentlemen, respected members of the Flying Tigers, this is the captain's radio, thank you for taking the Air China charter flight, and it is a great honor for us to be in charge. For the mission of your trip to China, our plane is about to arrive at Huaxia Chuncheng Airport. We have just received a request from the Spring City Military District. The airport has cleared the air for us. Our plane will be at 300 meters, which is nearly 1,000 feet. We will fly five laps around the field at a low altitude to show the Chinese people the greatest respect for you. When flying around the field, our plane will tilt to a certain extent. Please fasten your seat belts. landing."

"Flying around the field?!" The American Flying Tigers on the plane were very excited when they heard the news, and cleared the entire civil aviation airport in a short time, just to let the plane fly around the field at low altitude. Huaxia has indeed given them a great deal Expected respect and attention.

They have been in the United States for so many years after the war, and they have never received such courtesy. The American people do not know much about the Asian battlefield of World War II. In addition, there are many European descendants in the United States, so Americans pay more attention to the European battlefield than Asia. On the battlefield, in the United States, although the veterans of World War II are very respected, the most respected are those who went to the European battlefield. The most respected are those who participated in D-Day, that is, the Normandy landing. I don't care about these, but I have been relatively neglected for so many years, and now being so valued by the Chinese people has given them great comfort.

When the Air China 747 descended to a height of 300 meters, this behemoth could already be seen very clearly from the ground.

More than 20 members of the Chinese Flying Tigers who were sitting on the stools stood up excitedly when they saw the large airliner with the familiar shark mouth painting begin to lower its altitude.

No one told them which plane the American pilots took to arrive, but when they saw the shark's mouth, everyone knew it was coming!

Sharks are coming!

The Flying Tigers are here!

The old comrades are here!

These Chinese Flying Tigers who were waiting for their old comrades from across the country did not expect to see such a spectacular and familiar scene. This was indeed a huge surprise.

The shark mouth in this cartoon is of great significance to the American Flying Tigers,

For the Chinese Flying Tigers, it is also of great significance.

The plane was getting closer and closer, and then it did not land on the runway, but turned around not far from the end of the runway, tilted the fuselage and began to fly around the field.

The old Flying Tigers knew this move too well. In the war years, the highest way for fighter pilots to show respect was to fly the plane around the field at low altitude!

The old Flying Tigers from China saluted spontaneously and paid attention, and their bodies couldn't help but turn as the plane circled, keeping their eyes on the plane and the familiar, bloody shark's mouth all the time.

lap! Two laps! Three laps...

These Chinese old Flying Tigers couldn't help but burst into tears, as if the world had undergone earth-shaking changes, as if the surroundings were no longer modern civil aviation airports but the simple military airports of the past, as if the sky was not modern civil aviation airliners, It was the fighter jets of the Flying Tigers back then, as if they had returned to their twenties in an instant, as if they could hear the unique engine sound and whistling sound of propeller planes, as if they heard the long beeping of air defense sirens, as if they heard the sound of their superiors. The expedition order, the blend of history and modernity, made them tremble with excitement.

After five laps, the veterans burst into tears both in the plane and on the ground. The 747 finally aligned with the runway, and the huge passenger plane gradually descended in the air with its nose held high, like a ferocious shark emerging from the water. After landing, reverse thrust, and deceleration, the plane left the runway and entered the taxiway, taxiing towards the area that had already been prepared.

In coordination with the Yunnan Provincial Armed Police Corps, the Spring City Airport Fire Squadron stationed at the airport for a long time sent six fire trucks to prepare on both sides of the taxiway hundreds of meters away from the red carpet reception area. When the plane was about to taxi over, The six fire trucks on both sides sprayed high-pressure water jets to form three huge water gates. This is the extremely high etiquette of the modern aviation system, and it is also to pay homage to the American Flying Tigers who have made outstanding contributions to China. We have the utmost respect.

The veterans were pleasantly surprised again.

Even their relatives felt extremely incredible!

Flying around the field at low altitude and welcoming them at the water gate on the ground, the etiquette given by Huaxia really exceeded everyone's expectations. No one thought that they would receive such a grand courtesy from Huaxia.

Through the window, the elderly and their family members on the plane saw the fire officers and soldiers standing on the roof of six fire trucks. Although they did not know whether these officers and soldiers could see themselves, the elderly people by the window immediately raised their right hands , Paying a military salute to these young fire officers and soldiers.

No matter how many hostilities and conflicts the two countries have had in recent years, it will not affect the young Chinese soldiers' respect for these veterans at all.

Li Mu, Liu Xinxin, and Chen Chengwu, a representative of the military region and casually dressed, stood at the front of the red carpet. Behind them were more than 20 members of the Chinese Flying Tigers and their relatives. Next to them were more than 30 people in black suits. Young men in trousers and white shirts. These people are members of the military band of the military region. This time they came with musical instruments to perform ritual music.

The Yun Province Military Region has put a lot of effort into the reception this time, but considering that the Veterans Never Die Charity Foundation is a non-governmental public welfare organization, and inviting American veterans to come is also a non-governmental exchange activity, and it is not appropriate for the official to directly participate. Arranging for Chen Chengwu and the members of the military band to wear plain clothes, the chief thought very carefully. He was not worried about causing any trouble to himself. The most important thing was that he didn't want people to think that there was something wrong with the Veteran's Undead Charity Foundation when it was made public. official involvement.

Non-governmental public welfare organizations should ensure their purity. When it is reasonable, legal and reasonable, they can seek official help, but they cannot be influenced by the government. This is what the chief asked Chen Chengwu to bring to Li Mu and Liu Xinxin. It is his attitude. , is also his encouragement to the Veterans Undead Charity Foundation.

The plane passed through the three water gates, decelerated, and finally stopped firmly in front of the horizontal red carpet. The ladder truck immediately drove up and docked with the gate, and then the flight attendant opened the gate from the cabin.

Before the veterans got off the plane, Chen Chengwu waved his hand, and the more than 30 members of the military band in civilian clothes immediately stood up and prepared their instruments. A conductor walked up to the crowd and held up the baton in his hand , always be ready.

Finally, Paul Crawford, the oldest member of the American Flying Tigers, slowly walked out of the hatch with the support of his son and granddaughter. When he took the first step on the ladder, all All the old Chinese Flying Tigers members saluted the military salute in unison, and the old man stopped immediately and raised his hand to return the military salute.

At this time, the conductor of the military band made an opening gesture, and the military band played the most famous American military song "Old-Soldiers-Never-Die, They-Just-Fade-Aay" during World War II.

Douglas MacArthur, a famous American general in World War II, once quoted the title of this song in his farewell speech. Veterans never die, they just fade away.

When the music sounded, all the members of the Flying Tigers were filled with emotion.

This song is very familiar to Western veterans who have experienced World War II, and it is no stranger to these Chinese Flying Tigers. The American Flying Tigers and even Chennault often played this song on the phonograph. Although the overall cultural level of the Chinese army at that time was very low, the Chinese soldiers who were able to participate in the Flying Tigers had a high level of education. They were taught by Western instructors all the time, and English was a compulsory course. Speaking ability is very good.

One after another American veteran Flying Tigers got off the plane. Li Mu, Liu Xinxin, and Chen Chengwu were at the front, bowing and shaking hands with every old Flying Tiger who disembarked, and welcoming them to China, to come to China. After arriving in Spring City, the volunteers led the American Flying Tigers one by one to the Huaxia Flying Tigers who had been waiting for a long time.

This group of American old men and Chinese old men have been staring at each other for a long time. In the past fifty or sixty years, everyone's face has undergone earth-shaking changes, and almost no one can recognize who the other is.

Paul Crawford, who walked in the front, began to shake hands with the first Chinese Flying Tigers member, Mr. Sun Xiaozhong, who was personally visited by Li Mu. Afterwards, Paul Crawford introduced himself excitedly: "Hello, My name is Paul Crawford."

"Paul?!" Old man Sun Xiaozhong asked him in English in surprise, "Are you really Paul?"

"It's me, are you?"

"I'm Xiaozhong, Sun Xiaozhong!"

Paul Crawford hugged Sun Xiaozhong excitedly, and burst into tears: "My God! Xiaozhong! My friend! My brother! You are still alive! It has been more than fifty years, and I often dream of us Together with the help of the Huaxia villagers, the clip of avoiding the search of the Japanese soldiers in the cellar, God knows how much I miss you these years, I always think, the person I want to see the most before I die is you, I didn’t expect It really came true!"