Picture: Maintenance officers and soldiers enter the field to make advance maintenance preparations.
Ouyang Lingchao photo
Liao Rongmin, a mechanical technician and third-level sergeant major of a regiment of the Air Force Air Force in the Western Theater——
The behind-the-scenes hero who lifts the fighter plane into the sky
Guo Jin's Special Correspondent Yang Jin
Behind them flying in the clouds, there is a group of crewmen who silently guard the health of the war eagle.
Wearing stars and moons, flying and watching are the daily combat postures of the crew.
Liao Rongmin, a mechanical technician and third-level sergeant commander of a certain regiment of the Air Force in the Western Theater Command, is one of them.
On September 4 this year, the Russian Ryazan Cargilleva Airport, after several rounds of fierce competition, the crew of the regiment won the "International Military Competition-2021" "Aviation Darts" project military transport crew championship.
Captain Liu Wei took the trophy from the leadership of the Russian Aerospace Forces and was full of pride.
Stepping off the podium, Liu Wei tightly held Liao Rongmin's calloused hands and said emotionally: "Your hard work and dedication are our strong guarantee for winning the championship. Flying the aircraft you maintain, we can rest assured!"
For the pilots, the crew is the trust of life and victory.
The pilot’s affirmation is the greatest compliment to the crew.
In recent years, as a veteran of maintenance, Liao Rongmin has witnessed the rapid development of my country's air transportation delivery force and aviation maintenance business——
The aircraft to be maintained range from old models to advanced domestically-made medium-sized transport aircraft; the flight tracks range from the hinterland to the high plateaus and seas, from domestic to overseas; the tasks performed range from joint exercises and training to international military competitions, and rescue operations. From disaster relief to anti-epidemic rescue...
"I'm worthy of the mechanic, the more I work, the more vigorous!" Liao Rongmin said.
Lift the fighter plane into the air, willing to be the hero behind the scenes.
Liao Rongmin’s personal experience is an explanation of the People’s Air Force’s entry into the strategic air force threshold in the new era and its acceleration towards the goal of building a world-class air force in all respects. It is also a microcosm of the growth and transformation of the non-commissioned officers in the new era.
"Aircraft is alive. You can understand its words only when you put in more effort and sweat."
"When your starting point is lower than others, and if you want to fly higher, you must keep flapping your wings to ensure sufficient lift." Looking back on his 17-year military career, Liao Rongmin concluded.
"When I was young, I was very excited to see the plane flying across the sky in the fields. I didn't expect that one day I could guard the war eagle soaring in the sky." Liao Rongmin was born in the small village of Shonan by the Xiaoshui River. .
In 2004, Liao Rongmin joined the army and became a glorious crewman.
The veteran squad leader said to him: "The crew is the'doctor' of the aircraft, and our duty is to protect its health."
Standing in front of the mighty and majestic fighter plane, his heart was thrilled.
On that day, he touched his own future space-the blue sky, and found the color of his dream-sky blue.
However, wanting to be an excellent crewman is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Liao Rongmin, who is not well-educated.
Every time he reads professional books and looks at the complicated structure diagrams, formulas and data, he feels a little confused.
So he wrote four words on the front page of the business study notebook: "Learn hard and practice hard."
Behind the word "bitter" is the determination to overcome difficulties.
For more than a month, Liao Rongmin wrote down two large notebooks, each of which was rubbed up. The parameters of hundreds of core parts of the aircraft were hardly remembered by him.
After passing the assessment successfully, he was released for solo flight in advance to work as a mechanic.
"Effort and tenacity are the weapons for the growth of the crew." This kind of hard learning has been maintained by him to this day. Dozens of business study notes marked with various symbols have become the most intuitive teaching novices in the regiment. , The most effective learning materials.
With a little accumulation and insights, he gradually developed a unique skill-to accurately determine the cause of the aircraft malfunction from the details of the engine sound and oil leakage.
"Here is not only knowledge support, but also practical perception, the most important thing is to study hard." Liao Rongmin said.
"Aircraft is alive. You can only understand what it says when you put in more effort and sweat." Liao Rongmin spent more time with fighter jets than his family in recent years.
In 2006, Liao Rongmin and his comrades in arms were ordered to participate in an important flight support mission.
Before the plane was dispatched, Liao Rongmin discovered during a routine inspection that there was an oil leak in the vacuum valve of a certain system.
Liao Rongmin determined that the root cause of the problem was the stuck vacuum valve.
However, to repair the valve, the entire part needs to be removed.
Seeing the plane's take-off time approached, the crew was extremely anxious.
If it is disassembled and repaired and then reinstalled, it will take at least more than an hour, which will inevitably affect the progress of the entire task.
"Suck with your mouth!" Liao Rongmin found a hose, sucked in the hose and then blew out, repeating more than 10 times, successfully eliminating the jamming failure of the vacuum valve.
Picture: Work photo of Liao Rongmin
The volley attack, the chic and heroic attitude of the pilot, made many people fascinated and yearned.
Such a move moved the pilot on the side very much, and quickly took his water bottle to let Liao Rongmin rinse his mouth.
At that moment, Liao Rongmin felt that the value of the crew was affirmed.
Although they can't fly a plane soaring in the sky, their every move is closely connected with the flying career.
"Regardless of your status, you must strive to create extraordinary in ordinary positions." Liao Rongmin said.
The main wheel of a certain type of transport aircraft exceeds the weight of Liao Rongmin, and it requires very high physical strength and skills to smoothly disassemble and assemble.
One winter, the regiment organized on-the-job training.
On the eve of the event, Liao Rongmin practised disassembling and assembling the main wheel for more than a hundred times outdoors in the severe cold and wind and snow.
During the competition, unloading nuts, fetching parts, rolling wheels... a series of dexterous and skillful actions won rounds of applause on the spot.
In 2016, in the mass post-training contest organized by the Air Force, Liao Rongmin successfully won the personal first place in the wheel disassembly and assembly project.
When his comrades asked him about his winning secrets, he smiled and said: "No matter whether life is good or bad, every day's hard work counts. For this day, I am always prepared, and when the opportunity comes, I will immediately exert my strength."
"The creed of the maintenance crew cannot stop at being responsible, but being extremely responsible. Behind the word'extreme' is the responsibility and the love of the whole body and soul."
One spring, Liao Rongmin followed the troops to a military factory to pick up a certain type of domestic transport aircraft.
Careful Liao Rongmin found that certain parts of this aircraft need to be disassembled and assembled repeatedly during routine maintenance, which is very inconvenient to operate.
After careful study, he suggested to "graft" the maintenance experience of a certain type of aircraft previously maintained to this type of aircraft.
"According to the original design, the task can be completed, but every second counts. If we use practical thinking to consider the maintenance and support efficiency, we must use our brains and work hard on every detail." Liao Rongmin said.
Faith will move mountains to open.
In the beginning, Liao Rongmin's plan did not get enough attention.
However, under his insistence, the reasonable suggestion finally got the support of the factory leaders and technical experts-the design of relevant parts of this type of transport aircraft is currently using Liao Rongmin's improvement plan.
In Liao Rongmin's phone book, the phone numbers of many manufacturers and academic experts are recorded.
If you have any questions, please call immediately for advice; if you don’t understand the principle, it will take a long time to figure it out.
"The creed of the maintenance crew cannot stop at being responsible, but the extreme responsibility. Behind the word'extreme' is the responsibility and the love of the whole body and mind." In the maintenance position, Liao Rongmin often thought: Why do you do this? Is there no better way to improve?
Over the years, Liao Rongmin’s pace of innovation has never stopped. He has integrated the knowledge he has learned with practice and constantly innovated and improved maintenance methods.
"Actually, the idea at the beginning was very simple. I wanted to make the maintenance work faster and more standardized." Speaking of his "small inventions, small creations", Liao Rongmin believed that as long as he uses his brain to think about the problem, the hard work will eventually return. There will be gains.
During an outfield support mission, Liao Rongmin found that the refueling port was too small when filling a certain component with hydraulic oil. Not only was it impossible to grasp the amount of oil, but the refueling efficiency was also very low.
Seeing the scales on the water cup he carried, he had the idea to remove a faucet from a waste water dispenser, and then tied the faucet to the water cup with a ballpoint pen holder, and aimed the faucet at the narrow fuel filler opening.
Fill the water cup with hydraulic oil, open the faucet valve, and the hydraulic oil will flow in automatically.
In this way, there is no need to carry a long-mouthed oil can for dumping, which not only improves the efficiency of refueling, but also can observe whether the refueling amount meets the standard at any time.
Small innovation, big use, this bold innovation was recognized by superiors.
Soon after, Liao Rongmin's improved results were promoted and used throughout the group.
Since then, he has taken another step forward on the road of innovation.
At the beginning of last year, the new crown pneumonia epidemic broke out.
Seeing the newly added infrared body temperature gun in the regiment, an inspiration flashed in Liao Rongmin's mind: "People's body temperature will change when they are ill, and there will definitely be changes in the aircraft's failure. Can you also take a'body temperature' for the fighter?"
Invite teachers from colleges and universities to explain the principles of temperature guns, search for equipment information online, and demonstrate feasibility based on maintenance experience... More than a month later, a set of fighter aircraft maintenance infrared thermal imaging technology application programs was born. Used in system inspection.
Bearing maintenance device, hub fairing assembly and unloading device, touch-screen fluid constant pressure control system... Now, Liao Rongmin has obtained 6 national patents, and these innovations have been widely used in the practice of maintenance maintenance.
A few years ago, Liao Rongmin discovered that a certain type of aircraft had defects in refueling.
He carefully studied the advanced experience of foreign military aviation maintenance, summarized the current maintenance work, designed improved equipment, and effectively improved work efficiency.
"The windshield wiper of this type of aircraft works for a long time, and it may malfunction. Just adjust the installation position to avoid this problem..." Liao Rongmin found that a certain type of aircraft windshield wiper had a design flaw, and immediately called the manufacturer and reported it. Suggestions for Improvement.
A few months later, Liao Rongmin was invited to participate in the quality review meeting organized by the manufacturer.
At the meeting, he reported based on the first-hand information and detailed data accumulated in the work, and was unanimously approved by the experts at the meeting. In the end, the manufacturer optimized and improved according to the plan he proposed.
There are many more "micro-innovations" like this.
In the past, it was Liao Rongmin who found out the problem and put forward suggestions for improvement to the manufacturer.
Nowadays, before designing products, manufacturers take the initiative to call Liao Rongmin for advice.
A leader of an aircraft manufacturer heard that he had put forward a series of optimization design suggestions during the assembly process, and took the initiative to call the regiment to ask for his work.
"The maintenance work seems ordinary, but in the journey of chasing dreams and strengthening the army, the small people also make great achievements!" said Hu Yuqian, the deputy head of the regiment.
In August of this year, as a maintenance personnel, Liao Rongmin and his comrades set foot on the field of the "International Military Competition-2021" "Aviation Darts" project.
To stand out in the international arena, it is a great test for the ability and quality of maintenance personnel.
Liao Rongmin worked closely and closely with his comrades, carefully analyzed data and video materials, and innovated guarantee methods to help my participating crew win the championship.
"In my military career, I need to find the right coordinates in my life. Holding a fighter plane to fly is the direction of my struggle."
Although Liao Rongmin is just an ordinary non-commissioned officer, as a teacher, he has taught more than 40 apprentices over the past 10 years. Chang has accelerated joint growth and embarked on a higher command post.
In the eyes of the apprentice Ye Guocai, Liao Rongmin is extraordinarily rigorous and true, and critics never show any affection. "Thank him for his strict requirements. He taught me many good working habits and allowed me to take the first step in military life."
"What should be the first step? Why do you do this? What better way?..." That year, the regiment organized newcomers to perform a single assessment. Liao Rongmin put aside the theoretical question bank, but based on the front-line maintenance guarantee case. question.
Why did Ye Guo fail the test for several consecutive times?
"Theory is the foundation, and practice is the key. In our work, we must not copy theory. We must combine theory with practice and use a winning yardstick to measure work standards." For many years, Liao Rongmin has always taught his apprentices. His work notes and experience are all public information, and every unique skill and every experience will be shared with everyone.
Eight years ago, the inspection specifications for a certain type of aircraft maintenance only had text instructions issued by the superior.
"Is there a way to improve it so that everyone can understand it at a glance and learn it?" After repeated exploration, Liao Rongmin had an idea-take a camera of every part that needs to be inspected, and check the need for inspection on the photo. The positions are sorted and marked, and then accompanied by concise text descriptions.
"If the battle breaks out suddenly, even a novice can follow this instruction to'follow the picture' to ensure that the fighter plane is launched." A leader spoke highly of Liao Rongmin's approach.
"Main Landing Gear and Main Landing Gear Compartment Inspection Routes and Standards", "A Certain Type of Aircraft Engine Inspection Route Atlas Standards"...The maintenance inspection specifications made by him are still in use today.
Not long ago, he also filmed the maintenance procedures, parts disassembly and assembly process, and work specification process into teaching videos, which he shared with the whole team for learning and research.
"I like a sentence in the movie "The Great Master"-'See the world, see myself, and see all beings'. The iron-fighting camp and the running soldiers, it is very meaningful to write down all my work experience and pass it on. The matter." At this point, Liao Rongmin's eyes shone with light.
In the 17 years of enlisting in the army, Liao Rongmin has successively secured Type 6 aircraft, ensuring a safe flight time of nearly 10,000 hours.
Behind these brilliant data is Liao Rongmin's persistent pursuit of flight safety.
His dedication to his career, his apprentice Mao Xin has a deep memory——
One winter, Liao Rongmin followed the troops on a mission somewhere in the northeast.
It was icy and snowy, the wind was biting, and the outdoor temperature dropped sharply at night.
During the preliminary maintenance work, Liao Rongmin found that a balance valve was unstable, and the cover had to be unscrewed to eliminate the fault.
Mao Xin whispered to him: "Master, the cover has been frozen and cannot be opened. It doesn't matter whether this function is used or not, can the pilot manually balance it?" Hearing what the apprentice said, Liao Rongmin said with a serious expression, "This will save trouble. , Something big will happen sooner or later!"
"Never let the fault stay overnight." Liao Rongmin took off his gloves and immediately began to troubleshoot the fault. The icy screws were not easy to screw, and the fault was handled overnight.
After troubleshooting, the sky was already white. He crawled out of the cabin with difficulty, his hands turned purple with cold.
Uneasy, he checked the plane again.
"It is because of his tens of thousands of uneasy people that have the pilots' reassuring time and time again." Speaking of Liao Rongmin, Tang Shaocong, captain of the regiment's maintenance squadron, repeatedly praised him.
One year before the National Day holiday, comrades-in-arms followed Liao Rongmin to make pre-engineering preparations. Liao Rongmin found an extremely subtle crack on the inside of the gear housing of a certain system of the aircraft.
At that time, there were still 5 minutes before the end of the class, and everyone was looking forward to the sumptuous meal in the cafeteria.
Liao Rongmin decided not to participate in the crew and must immediately carry out troubleshooting.
Some people don't understand this and think he is making a fuss.
And he knew best in his mind that 0.01% of failures could lead to 100% of serious consequences.
After further inspection, the crack depth is as long as 70% of the shell. It is not easy to find because of the paint layer. If it is not ruled out, it will produce unpredictable consequences.
Liao Rongmin led everyone to fight for more than 3 hours and successfully eliminated the fault.
Afterwards, the regiment reorganized a dinner for them.
"Six times of third-class merits, five of them were obtained from the discovery of major faults!" said the regiment leader Jia Yun. Not long ago, Liao Rongmin had another meritorious service when installing a certain type of aircraft. The party committee reported him the seventh third-class merit.
"I need to find the right coordinates in my life in my military career. Lifting a fighter plane to fly is the direction I strive for." Liao Rongmin said that flight safety is the basis for the formation of military combat effectiveness. In the face of mission responsibilities, his pursuit is: to be a good "guardian" of flight safety. .
The dream of a strong army leads the growth of non-commissioned officers
■Sun Rui
Chairman Xi pointed out at the Central Military Commission’s Talent Work Conference that it is necessary to strengthen practical experience and encourage and guide officers and soldiers to experience wind and rain, see the world, strengthen their muscles, and develop their talents in fiery military practice.
At present, our army is accelerating towards the goal of the centenary of the army, the speed of weapons and equipment upgrades is accelerating, and the requirements for professional positions are getting higher and higher. There is an urgent need to forge a team of combat-oriented non-commissioned officers to provide talent support for the transformation and development of the army.
The "pawn" can top the "car" by crossing the river, and the non-commissioned officer can use it to take the lead.
If soldiers in the army are the "pawns" in chess, those outstanding non-commissioned officers who have grown up from soldiers are comparable to "pawns who cross the river."
It should be said that to grasp the noncommissioned team is to grasp the combat effectiveness, and improving the construction level of the noncommissioned officer team also improves the combat effectiveness of the troops.
What kind of people are needed for combat power generation.
To create a new high-quality non-commissioned officer talent phalanx that is compatible with the future battlefield, it is necessary to keep an eye on the key elements, key links, and key positions of combat effectiveness, and coordinate the adjustment of scale and structure, stabilizing the team, and stimulating vitality.
Adhere to the selection of talents according to the contribution rate of combat effectiveness, strict evaluation, open selection, and competition for posts to ensure that talents are selected and the backbones are retained.
The base of the army is at the grassroots level, the base at the grassroots level is the soldiers, and the backbone of the soldiers is the non-commissioned officer.
To make good use of the "non-commissioned officer power" in a strong army, it is necessary to let them play the leading role and take the lead, so as to achieve the right people and the best of their talents.
Especially with the gradual deepening of reform and strengthening of the army, the responsibilities and missions, development space, and status of the noncommissioned officer team are undergoing historical changes. It is necessary to persist in setting up platforms, ladders, and seats to create a talent for everyone. The strong atmosphere of becoming talents creates a vivid situation where talents are emerging and vitality is bursting out.