Life-and-death rescue: Zhang Chuang, an aerial search and rescuer from a naval carrier-based aviation regiment
2024-08-08
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Zhang Chuang operates the winch to conduct ice sea rescue training.
Zhang Chuang is searching for the target in a helicopter and preparing to go out of the cabin for rescue. (All pictures in this article are provided by a certain regiment of the naval carrier-based aviation corps)
On a summer night in the Bohai Sea, the Liaoning aircraft carrier was sailing through the waves. Not far away, a search and rescue helicopter was hidden in the night between the sea and the sky. In the rear cabin of the helicopter, Zhang Chuang, a second-class sergeant major and an aerial search and rescuer of a naval carrier-based aviation regiment, looked out the window and stared at the stern of the ship.
With a deafening roar, a carrier-based fighter jet spewed flames across the night, its tail hook accurately hooking the aircraft carrier's second arresting cable, drawing a brilliant spark on the deck.
Landing was successful! Then, Zhang Chuang turned his attention to the next fighter plane that was about to land... As the last carrier-based fighter successfully landed, the search and rescue helicopter also returned and landed steadily on the deck. Looking at the fighter pilots not far away surrounded by flowers and applause, Zhang Chuang smiled knowingly.
There are four arresting cables on the aircraft carrier deck. Zhang Chuang and his teammates, as carrier-based fighter rescuers, are the last line of defense for landing fighters. They are called the "fifth arresting cable." Zhang Chuang does not want his position to be noticed, because once they are on the scene, it means that their comrades are in danger.
One year, due to bad weather, there was a storm in the sea near the station. Zhang Chuang and his comrades who were on standby duty suddenly received an order. "Two fishermen are trapped in the sea near an island due to a power system failure of their boat. There is a danger of capsizing at any time. Your unit is ordered to rescue them immediately." After receiving the order, Zhang Chuang's crew rushed to the target sea area.
On that day, the sea was rough and the water vapor was surging. The trapped fishing boat at sea was small and swayed greatly. There were antennas and buoys at the stern of the distressed ship, and the ship was also covered with fishing nets. All these factors brought great challenges to the rescue operation.
Seeing the rough sea and the boat swaying more and more, everyone was extremely anxious. The search and rescue helicopter kept circling over the sea. With his many years of search and rescue experience, Zhang Chuang immediately determined the rescue plan based on the ups and downs of the fishing boat.
"Get ready to board the cabin." Dozens of seconds later, the rescuer brought the fisherman to the cabin door, and worked with Zhang Chuang to get him into the cabin. The plane returned safely.
After the rescue helicopter landed, the two fishermen excitedly hugged the rescuers covered in seawater. Having escaped from the gates of hell, they said with tears in their eyes: "Thank you, the people's soldiers. The sea is so dangerous, but you never gave up on us!"
"Leave danger to yourself and leave safety to others. For us, the lives of the rescued people are everything." Zhang Chuang will never forget that when he first arrived at the ship-borne helicopter unit to learn maritime search and rescue, the instructor reminded him: "Search and rescue is not simply lowering the winch to operate. The winch operator is using his life to connect lives."
Seeing the young Zhang Chuang's confused expression, the instructor told him a story about his early rescue missions. The mission took place on a rainstorm, visibility at sea was poor, and the wounded were entangled in fishing nets on the sea, their lives hanging by a thread. The rescue crew rushed to the target sea area and found that the actual environment was worse than expected. The waves were high and the fuselage was shaking in the rain. The search and rescue plane kept circling in the air, looking for the golden "window period" for rescue.
The rain gradually subsided, and the crew decisively seized this rare opportunity, exiting the cabin, entering the water, and completing the rescue in one go. "After returning, I will never forget the look in the eyes of the wounded who had survived the disaster. His look always reminds me that as a winch operator, I must be able to use the steel cable in my hand to save the lives of the wounded," said the instructor.
The instructor's story brought tears to Zhang Chuang's eyes and became his motivation to practice search and rescue skills. Extravehicular rescue at sea requires the crew to have extremely tacit cooperation. After entering the rescue route, the winch operator needs to observe the sea surface to determine the distance between the aircraft and the target and command the pilot to approach the target while operating the winch to lower the rescuer out of the cabin for rescue.
In order to understand the driving characteristics of different pilots, Zhang Chuang not only repeatedly adjusted them during training, but also used physical training and free time to communicate more with pilots in life. Soon he was familiar with the driving style of every pilot in the brigade, and was able to accurately guide the aircraft without mistakes.
Zhang Chuang is about 1.7 meters tall, and many people would not have thought that he was a marine who could parachute and sniper when they first met him. But when they took the physical fitness test, they found that Zhang Chuang's physical fitness was better than some young guys.
In addition to good physical fitness, sea rescue also requires superb search and rescue technology. That year, in order to ensure the night landing training of carrier-based fighter jets, the search and rescue crew had to overcome the difficulty of night search and rescue.
The first night search and rescue drill was conducted on a dark night with light fog on the sea and very low visibility, which increased the risk of rescue.
When the crew tried to hover for the third time, the helicopter suddenly encountered a special situation. At the critical moment, the pilot decisively lifted the control stick, and the rotor speed increased rapidly...
After the failure, they started over again. After several months of training, the crew made an important breakthrough in night search and rescue capabilities and initially explored night-time maritime search and rescue training methods for ship-borne helicopters.
That year, in order to hone the team's ability to rescue in the icy sea, a real person was needed to play the role of a pilot who fell into the water. Zhang Chuang signed up without hesitation, "Let me do it!"
On the day of the training, the wind was biting cold. Zhang Chuang took a deep breath and jumped into the icy sea. Although he was wearing an anti-immersion suit, a cotton jacket and a sweater inside, he could still feel the biting cold.
There was a support helicopter hovering nearby, so he only needed to wave his hand to stop the training immediately. The ice chips blown up by the sea breeze and the rotors hit Zhang Chuang's face like a knife, but thinking that this was a practice related to the safety of his comrades, he persisted every minute and every second. In the end, he was rescued safely and the training was successfully completed.
Back in the lounge, before he had time to rest, Zhang Chuang worked with the flight doctor to record his mental and physical states at each stage after entering the water, providing the team with valuable experience in ice sea rescue and taking a crucial step towards the successful implementation of ice sea rescue. Later, many people asked him what it felt like to be in the ice sea. Zhang Chuang recalled and said, "I could only hear my own heartbeat."
Just like the word "Chuang" in his name, Zhang Chuang always rushes to the front when facing a mission. In one mission, in order to test the performance of the pilot's life-saving radio, the life-saving radio had to be placed in the southernmost part of the sea, dozens of kilometers away from the airport. This time, Zhang Chuang took the initiative to volunteer to carry the radio and act as a "person who fell into the water."
This was an unprecedented attempt, and faced with the complex and ever-changing sea conditions, no one was sure what to do.
After Zhang Chuang had been "falling into the water" with the radio for a while, the life-saving radio suddenly malfunctioned and could not receive satellite signals. Faced with the sudden special situation, he could only face the vast ocean alone in a small boat. At that moment, Zhang Chuang truly experienced the loneliness, helplessness and longing for rescuers of pilots who fell into the water.
Because sea rescue is very dangerous, Zhang Chuang never told his family what he did in the army. When his mother asked him, he said, "I just need to fly over the sea to search for targets. It's safe and easy." It was not until Zhang Chuang was awarded the second-class merit that his mother learned from others what her son did.
"I don't want you to achieve anything, I just want you to be safe." The mother said "not high enough awareness" during the video chat.
Last year, when the family members came to the army, Zhang Chuang took his mother to visit the camp and learn about the military life. "Although my mother is not well educated, she understands the importance of a strong army to the prosperity of the country." Zhang Chuang said with red eyes. Before his mother left, she left him a letter, which read: "I am proud of your work. From now on, I will unconditionally support your work. You must protect yourself well, and also strive to be a revolutionary soldier of the new era with 'four qualities' as your slogan says."
China Youth Daily and China Youth Network reporter Gong Ayuan
(Source: China Youth Daily)
