Several ground crew members were carrying tools in hand and doing daily routine inspections. Every part of the fighter must be carefully inspected.
Next to a P40BC Tomahawk, an instructor was lying on a recliner wearing sunglasses, chewing gum, and holding a magazine with a beautiful girl on the cover, reading it with gusto.
Zhou Zhihan knew at a glance that this was a special arrangement by the United States, because it was this fighter jet that was about to assist China.
The first-generation model of the P40 was handed over to the British in 1940 and is now mainly used for training. Zhou Zhihan once flew the first-generation P40 Tomahawk while supporting the British operations. Compared with the current fighter, it lacks two wing thrusters. The machine gun, self-sealing fuel tank, bomb rack, cockpit steel plate, and speed are also not as good.
Seeing three Chinese people jumping out of the car, the instructor, Second Lieutenant Wayne Brady, knew that the buyer of the P40BC Tomahawk was coming. After a brief self-introduction by both parties, Second Lieutenant Brady began to walk around the fuselage, giving Zhou Zhihan They explained in detail the airframe parameters and airborne weapons of the P40BC.
The P40BC Tomahawk uses Allison's "Charge" 33 engine and is equipped with six machine guns. Two 0.5-inch caliber machine guns are arranged on the engine hood. One 0.3-inch machine gun on each wing. The maximum speed is 585 kilometers, 4500 The maximum speed over meters is 540 kilometers,
After the weapons explanation, Lieutenant Brady began to introduce the use of various instruments in the cockpit.
Brady knew that his students were from China, so he taught very patiently. There was no language barrier between them and Zhou Zhihan, who spoke English. After half an hour, everyone became familiar with each other. During the lecture, he was interspersed with chatting about the two countries. The customs and customs are very pleasant.
Throughout the morning, the instructor explained the performance of the fighter planes and various military regulations in the base. He clearly explained where to go and which areas were prohibited, and asked Zhou Zhihan and the others to sign and confirm each item. Everything was done in a very standardized manner.
At noon, Lieutenant Brady brought Zhou Zhihan and the others to the restaurant. After preparing the buffet, the four of them sat down to eat and chat together.
After a morning of getting along, Zhou Zhihan knew that Brady had a just and kind heart. He seemed carefree, but in fact he was meticulous at work and humorous, so he tentatively asked:
"Brady, are you interested in coming to China to be a flight instructor in the future?"
"China?" Lieutenant Brady moved his eyes away from the waitress's butt, "No, no, no. You China is too backward, the infrastructure cannot keep up, the equipment is old, the living standard is poor, there is no swimming pool, no gym, There is not even a place to take a normal bath.
I heard from friends who have been to China that many Chinese soldiers have small bugs on their bodies. Once these small things crawl on their bodies, their offspring will be hidden in your clothes, armpits, and hair within a week. "
Zhang Mufei almost laughed out loud: "That's called lice."
"Okay, okay!" Lieutenant Brady shrugged. He didn't know what lice looked like. "The most important thing is that it's very unsafe there. You are often bombed by the Japanese. Your planes are too backward. There is no need to fight the Japanese." He curled his lips and spread the palm of his right hand, "It's not safe. The main reason is that it's not safe, you know, gentlemen?"
Zhou Zhihan took a sip of lemon juice: "If you are willing to go to China to be an instructor, we will guarantee your safety and satisfy your quality of life to the best of our ability. The salary will be twice your current salary, and you will have weekends and holidays just like you." .
And for every enemy plane your student shoots down, we will give you a reward of US$100. You can also introduce your friends to go to China to work as instructors, pilots, mechanics, and ground staff, and the salary will be more than twice your current salary. "
Second Lieutenant Brady put down his knife and fork and chewed the steak in his mouth: "From what you said, it seems okay. But twice the monthly salary is a little short of a week. After all, we are traveling across the ocean. Of course, this is just my personal opinion."
"What I said is just a preliminary plan, and the salary and rewards can still be adjusted." Zhou Zhihan skillfully cut the steak and said with a smile, "In short, the conditions I will give you will be very generous, very suitable for a bachelor like you. Of course, If you go to China to be a pilot, your monthly salary will be three times what it is now, and you will be rewarded 400 US dollars for every enemy plane shot down and 200 US dollars for damage."
Lieutenant Brady's eyes widened: "400?"
Zhou Zhihan: "It's 400! Let's do the math. If you go to China and shoot down one enemy plane a year, you can get nearly 1,000 US dollars. Oh, by the way, you can also introduce your friends to go with you."
At this moment, several pilots wearing sunglasses walked in from outside. One of them, a tough and handsome lieutenant, chewed gum and greeted Wayne Brady loudly from a distance: "Hi, Brady." Di, with your listless look, you can tell which girl you were fooling around with last night."
There was a burst of evil laughter and teasing all around.
Lieutenant Brady scolded him with a cold face: "You damn bastards. Shut your stinky mouth, Best. I have guests here."
Watching the pilots leave with a smile, Second Lieutenant Brady said to Zhou Zhihan and the others: "A bunch of bastards from Reconnaissance Team 6. The bastard just now is named Richard Dick Best, and he is the squadron leader."
Zhou Zhihan felt that this name was very familiar:
"Richard Dick Best?"
Scouting Team 6? "
Lieutenant Brady: "Zhou, do you know him?"
Zhou Zhihan finally remembered who Dick Best was and looked at his back: "I think I've heard of him. He's a pretty awesome pilot."
Second Lieutenant Brady: "He is awesome, nicknamed Dick Best! My good friend. A self-righteous, but indeed the best pilot."
Zhou Zhihan asked casually: "The base has a ribbon-cutting test flight. Does the 6th Reconnaissance Team also have fighter jets for a test flight?"
Second Lieutenant Brady said: "Best belongs to the task force, and their SBD Destroyer dive bombers will follow the USS Raider aircraft carrier to participate in this ribbon-cutting ceremony. They will have a wonderful on-board performance by then."
Zhou Zhihan watched Dick Best and several other pilots carrying plates and walked to another table to sit down. Dick Best happened to look over here, so Zhou Zhihan nodded to him.
Dick Best turned a blind eye. Zhou Zhihan was wearing a rookie flight suit, which did not attract Best's attention.
Because Zhou Zhihan and the others needed to be familiar with various aircraft types first, they wore student uniforms, otherwise the flight instructor would be stressed when teaching a colonel.
This guy is too proud, Zhou Zhihan thought to himself.
Second Lieutenant Brady had finished his meal and took a napkin to wipe his mouth: "Oh, by the way, the F4F Wildcat fighter jet you applied for test flight will also have pilots flying on the "Raider" to perform takeoff and landing performances. But initially you have to First practice on the simulated aircraft carrier model at the base. Since the time is too short, I estimate that it will be difficult for you to fly this fighter to take off or land on the aircraft carrier."
Zhou Zhihan, Zhang Mufei, and Gong Yeti followed Lieutenant Brady to the storage area with empty plates, passing by Best and the others.
"Hey!" Dick Best suddenly said, "Which one of you is called Zhou Zhihan?"
