ESL 6
Thirteen Minutes
Between Life And Death
By Yan Yang
My husband is an excellent pilot. He is a person who likes
fishing, hiking and planting. However, he loves flying more than
others. He always enjoys the feeling of flight in the sky even after
something happened.
There was a serious event about six years ago. That day was a
sunny day in May. There were blue skies and white clouds. The
weather was better for flight training. He planned a flight project
that was ready. He entered an aircraft and began taking off about
the same as usual. Suddenly, everyone who was on the ground
heard a loud noise that was an explosive sound from the middle air.
That was one of two engines on fire from unexplained explosions
while his plane only rose to a height of 16 meters, which is a very
low level in the sky. At that time, any inappropriate operations would
cause a terrible aeroplane accident.
After a long time, I asked him what he thought about that
moment. “I said to myself, I must calm down and maybe I should try
my best to save the plane,” he said with a smile. He thought and he
did. He struggled to control his aircraft by just using one fire engine
and another was burning. He flew the plane to make the best
balance and continued rising. He was in control of the plane in the
sky eventually. Then, he landed softly and safely. The whole
process between life and death lasted only thirteen minutes. At the
moment, everyone who was extremely nervous on the ground
settled down their hearts and rushed at him when he came down
from the aircraft. The plane was burning, but his flight was perfect.
I didn't know about the event until it was reported by social media
and newspapers after half a month. He was awarded a gold medal,
the pilot's highest honor.
24
In Our Own Words 2016