"Captain," said Franklin.
"We were filled. " An eight-thousand-
A mile flight to the jet stream takes 777 away from Mumbai with a full tank, 40-
5,000 gallons of aviationgrade kerosene.
The fuel itself weighs 300 and accounts for almost half of the aircraft's takeoff weight.
They ship fuel to transport fuel, an inherent problem that has long existedrange flights.
Cuse glanced at his watch, a platinum Rolex watch, as a gift from his wife on the day they signed the divorce agreement.
Nine years later, he still doesn't know why she gave it to him.
Or why he kept it. 11:36 p. m.
4 minutes before scheduled departure
They will leave on time.
By Mumbai's standards, they had a pleasant evening, a 70-degree flight, a breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean, driving away the smoke from a garbage fire and diesel --
Small bus.
He looked at the monitor again. Perfect.
Cuse likes to keep the cockpit door open for as long as possible and throw it at once
Back in time, the pilot did not consider every passenger a potential terrorist.
Now, the captain put his head in.
"The cabin ready to push --back, sir.
"Thank you, Carl.
You can close the door. ""Yes, sir.
"The captain opened the cockpit lock and closed the door.
"Captain, the cockpit is locked . " Said Franklin.
In aviation terms, he is "pilot monitoring" and is responsible for talking to the tower and observing the instrument.
Cuse is the "pilot" responsible for handling the aircraft ".
"Thank you, Henry.
"Hello, Flight 49.
I'm Carl Fisher, your follower.
We have closed the hatch and are making final preparations for our flight to Newark.
At this point, United asks you to put your phone in airplane mode.
To make it easier for you and the people around you, we don't allow-flight calls.
But once we take off, you are free to use the approved electronics.
The captain told me that he expected our flight time to be 16 hours.
We recommend that you fasten your seat belt during your flight in case we encounter any bad air, which is common in the Himalayas. . .
Vic was hit in the last text message to his mother.
See you tomorrow on the plane-
Then he turned off his phone.
Even if his stomach calmed down, he wondered if he would sleep.
He was trapped between the walls of the cottage and a chubby child in his twenties.
A woman wearing a Smith University jersey and marijuana pants.
She smelled of onion chutney and thought positively.
She grabbed him and looked at her, reaching out a hand, revealing a dirty and energetic bracelet.
"We will be neighbors in 16 hours and we should know each other's names. Jessica.
Vic shook his arm awkwardly over his seat. "Vik. Let me guess. Yoga retreat? ""That obvious? How about you?
"I came to visit my relatives.
"Great.
Go and see where you are from. ""Sure is.
Even though it was himself, Vik liked the woman.
He wants him to see the country through her eyes instead of his own. It was 11:50 p. m.
Rolex by Cuse, when he put 09/27 on the plane.
For years, the airport here has been trying to operate the second crossover runway, a recipe for disaster.
Complaints from the pilots and their controllers eventually forced it to stop.
09/27 is the only runway at the airport.
At this time, it was empty, extending two miles of concrete to the west of the Indian Ocean.
Four-United Airlines
Nine, you can take off while running. way nine. Wind one-two-Zero, ten. " The air-
The traffic controller here called.
Clear and accurate center English. "United forty-
On the 9 th, take off on the 9 th.
Franklin opened. Like all new-
777 generation jet200 was fly-by-wire.
The computer controls its engines, wings, and flaps.
But Boeing designed the cockpit to keep the pilot's comforting illusion of actually operating the aircraft.
Instead of dialing the knob or pushing the joystick, Cuse pushed the double white oil door handle about half forward.
A response was made immediately.
The General Electric engine on the wing made a sound, shaking the fuselage.
Cuse raised his hand. "N1.
"777 has an automatic for regular take-off
The throttle system for regular takeoff, although he can surpass it at any time. "N1.
Franklin tapped instructions on the touch screen next to the door handle. "Done.
Cuse brake and threehundred-fifty-
Tons of jets roll forward, slow at first, and then accelerate.
They arrived at Section 80 and Franklin announced as usual: "Section 80. Throttle hold. Thrust normal. V1 is one-five-five.
"At 100
Section 5, section 777 will reach the V1 section as the pilot said, and the safety rules stipulate the belt-
The engine will shut down even if it explodes.
Franklin described the number as a form.
The two are as clear as their names. "One-five-
"Five," repeated Cisse, a secular Arab.
Intuitive and agreed tools for Cuse: no problem with V1.
The engine runs very well.
He seems to be wearing a blindfold.
Cities, terminals, and even transportation --
The control tower no longer exists.
Only the track in front of him and the metal skin that surrounded him.
The cut mark.
They passed 100 thirty, one forty, one Fifty, almost a race.
The speed of the car, although the jet is so large and stable, Cuse wouldn't know without the meter telling him ---
Franklin said, "V1.
Just a second later: "spin.
Triple now
Has reached 60-100
Five knots, about 100 miles per hour.
As soon as Cuse raises its nose, the elevator under its wings will let it fly.
Cuse feels nervous and relaxed at the same time, as he always does at this moment.
Engineers at Boeing, mechanics at United and everyone else did their best.
It's his responsibility.
He pulled the chains back.
The nose of the jet rose and flew into the sky.
The miracle of human invention.
"The positive rate," Franklin said . ""Gear up.
Cuse press the button to recover the landing gear.
Now their altitude is rising fast, almost 40 feet metres per second.
In less than a minute, they will be higher than the tallest building in the world.
They will be able to clean up a good one in 5 minutes
Mountain size. "United four-
Nine, you know.
Move on-seven-zero --""Continue two-seven-
"Zero," said Franklin. "Good-"Goodbye," said Cuse.
The last sentence is not absolutely necessary, but as long as the take-off is copassay-style, there is a trace of humanity in the middle of the project, he likes to include it
Goodbye, revoir, adios ami-
Don't worry, I will come back.
They broke through 400 feet and the city bloomed around them.
"Flaps," Franklin said . ""Flaps up. Climb power.
Vic leaned his nose against the window and looked down at the bright lights of the terminal.
He regretted the accident.
If you give him another chance, maybe he should stay a little longer.
He might see it again.
Once he gets married and has children, it is impossible to travel like this.
Unless he is married to a yoga lover like Jessica and has been insisting on a trip to India.
Alex Berenson wrote 12 days.
Alex Berenson Copyright 2015.
Excerpts from Penguin Group permission.