All Chapters of Wings of Payback: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The smile on Jason Zimmerman's face froze.He lowered his head and looked at the file I slid back to him before casting his gaze upon me."Mr. Lowe, what… do you mean you won't approve it?""I mean it literally."Jason tugged at his tie and continued, "Why don't you go through it again? Yasmin Sullivan's total flight hours exceed the required 300 hours, making her eligible for the promotion. "She got an A for the simulator assessment. She scored full marks for the three emergency procedure executions last year. You can never get another co-pilot in the country of the same age with comparable achievements.""Mr. Zimmerman, as the chief examiner, I have the right to reject any record that I find suspicious without the airline's permission."Jason's hand was still placed on top of the file."Mr. Lowe, how about this? I've booked a table at Beston Club for tomorrow night. Why don't we—""Take the file back."He remained silent for a moment, and the faint smile on his face disapp

Chapter 2

That night, I called Uncle Peter.He was working the night shift, and I could hear the swishing sound of wipers in the background."Uncle Peter, have you eaten?""Yeah. Why are you calling all of a sudden?""Nothing. I was just asking."He chuckled and didn't probe further.Before he ended the call, he reminded me, "The day after tomorrow is your mom's death anniversary. Don't forget.""I know."That night, I opened up the safe.There was a brown paper bag inside, and the tape sealing the opening had turned yellow.There were two documents in the paper bag.The first document was a weather assessment report signed and submitted by Zachary 20 years ago. The remarks column stated, "Not suitable for takeoff."The second document was from the same day. It was the hourly weather observation record by the National Meteorological Department's Southon Observation Center."Visibility: more than six miles. Cloud ceiling: above two miles. Wind speed: five knots."The sky was clear.

Chapter 3

Zachary glanced at me. Instead of getting mad, he scrutinized me apathetically.Wynnie, who was beside him, suddenly said, "Mr. Lowe, Yas has shown talent as a pilot since she was young. She got her license when she was 18. At 22, she has already outperformed many experienced pilots. She's made it this far through her own efforts."Wynnie's voice was as gentle as her smile in the photo from 20 years ago."Ms. Sullivan, I wasn't assessing her talent. I was reviewing her record.""Tell me, what's wrong with her record?""The review comments will be delivered to you through a written statement.""I want to know it now."Zachary raised his hand, and Wynnie held her tongue.He took out an envelope from his pocket and slid it over."This is the offer letter from Zach Airways. We'd like to hire you to be the chief pilot. The annual pay is three million dollars, and you'll also be given stock options."He leaned against the chair."It's too tiring for you to be in this position. You

Chapter 4

The day after I was suspended from my position, someone I never expected to see came to me.It was Yasmin.She didn't make an appointment; instead, she waited in front of the Federal Aviation Administration building."Mr. Lowe, hello," she greeted. "I know nothing about what my dad did. The only thing I know is that my skills are real. I flew every hour myself." I cast my gaze upon her. "Does he know you're here for me?""Nope.""There was no QAR data corresponding to 120 flight hours in your record." She seemed baffled and didn't get what I meant. "What?""The flight hours were recorded in your file and the airline's system. But there was no record for 120 flight hours in the QAR data folder. The data was uploaded at one go later.""That's impossible. I flew every—""I'm not questioning if you operated the aircraft or not. I'm asking if the record was tampered with."She clenched her fists. Her lips twitched, but she said nothing.At last, she turned around and left.Af

Chapter 5

"I didn't say that the data was fabricated. I simply followed the procedure and didn't sign the record that I found suspicious. This is my right as the chief examiner," I said. Just then, Zachary stood up.He walked to the middle aisle, facing the head table. "I'm here today, not as the chairperson of Zach Airways, but as an experienced pilot who has worked for more than 30 years."I watched Yasmin grow up. She's always dreamed of becoming a pilot. Her talent, dedication, and piloting skills all stand up to scrutiny."But today, someone has stood in her way."He turned around and finally met my gaze. "That person is Ethan Lowe, and he's my son."Everyone started whispering.Zachary continued steadily, "I ended things with his mother 20 years ago. I've never carried out my duty as his father over the past 20 years. It's my fault. But…"His tone grew slightly serious. "As the chief examiner, he denied Yasmin's upgrade to captain, not because something was wrong with the record,

Chapter 6

The next sentence of the recording echoed through the speaker."Wynnie asked me to make another round. It's Yas' birthday. I'll scatter some flower petals. Just wait for a while more. There's no need to hurry."It was Zachary's voice.The person on the other end of the line was his co-pilot at the time, Tony Zink."Zach, they've been calling from the hospital—""Tell Lily's family to figure out another solution. I'm not flying today.""But the weather—""I told you I'm not flying today. Don't care about them."The recording was cut off at that point.The meeting room fell into deep silence. It was so quiet that even the faint hum of the air conditioner could be heard.Wynnie clasped a hand over her mouth.Jason's general counsel froze on the spot while holding a pen. He didn't even write down a single word.Mike was the first to ask, "Ethan, where did you get the recording?""The co-pilot back then was Tony Zink. He is 61 years old this year and has already retired. He rec

Chapter 7

"Zach said the weather was bad. But the weather was perfectly fine. I checked the condition at the airport and informed him, but he refused to listen to me."I only found out later that he had flown the aircraft over the city with Wynnie and even scattered some flower petals for Yasmin."I wanted to report him, but I had just been confirmed as a permanent employee at that time. I was the sole breadwinner of my family, so I didn't dare to do it."I secretly recorded the conversation and kept the tape for 17 years until Ethan came to me."The thing I regret most in my life is that I didn't try to take control of the aircraft that day."After Tony gave his statement, the investigation team proceeded to the second step. They retrieved the flight plan record for Zach Airways' Cessna 172, B-10YZ, from that day.According to the policy, it was mandatory to declare a flight plan to the air traffic control center before operating an aircraft.But no flight plan from that day was found in

Chapter 8

"What did they tell you to change?""The date was moved forward by six months. There was a time the aircraft was operated after the annual inspection had lapsed.""When was it?"Hank fell silent for a while. "I don't remember the exact date, but I remember the main lobby of the headquarters was scattered with pink flower petals that day."…That night, I compiled the three files and submitted them to the investigation team.After going through the documents, Andy set them down and stared at me for a long time. "Ethan, you let them make a scene at the review meeting on purpose."I didn't reply."If Zachary hadn't filed a complaint against you at the Federal Aviation Administration, the case would have remained an old case. But now, it's an issue that concerns flight safety. "The Federal Aviation Administration's Safety Inspection Center has the right to retrieve the original flight records of all the pilots across the country under Zach Airways."He closed the file. "How long

Chapter 9

Uncle Peter held a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and a pack of snacks Mom loved when she was still alive.He squatted in front of the tombstone and placed the snack on it."Lily, Ethan did it." His voice was slightly hoarse. "You're finally getting justice. Everyone will know the truth."Then, he fell silent.I stood behind him, shielding him from the wind.On the same day, Zachary's introduction and profile were removed from Zach Airways' official website.His photo and name tag were also removed from the "Wall of Honor" for meritorious captains in the company's lobby.His golden badge was also taken back.The reputation that he had spent 30 years building was reduced to nothing in a day.…On the third day after the announcement, Yasmin came to the Federal Aviation Administration.She didn't come for me. She came to meet the disciplinary inspection team.Later, Mike told me that she had voluntarily handed over the original copies of her flight records and had also reque

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