King of the Wilderness

Chapter 520: Chapter 280: A Score That Shocked the Examiner!

"I need someone who can teach me how to fly through the turbulence in valleys, judge landing points on glaciers, and take off and land on snowy runways without a control tower, a real Alaska pilot."

"And you, Hank, you’re the best here." These words hit right at the pride deep inside Hank.

Hank didn’t immediately refuse as Lin Yu’an had anticipated. Instead, he picked up his glass, took a big sip, then looked at him with a mix of humor and seriousness in his eyes.

"Lin, there’s two things wrong with what you said."

"Oh?" Lin Yu’an listened with great interest.

"I’m not much better than those ace instructors in Anchorage, because I have decades in Alaska, surviving experiences snatched from the hands of the Death God."

"We’re friends. Between friends, we don’t talk about hiring, we talk about cooperation."

He heavily placed his glass on the table and presented his proposal, "So, here’s the situation, I, Hank, as a certified flight instructor partner."

"Agree to provide you with the highest level of bush flying training. During the training, you cover all the direct costs of the aircraft, which is fair."

"As for my coaching fee," he grinned, "I don’t want your hourly rate. Too much hassle calculating, and it feels distant."

"How about this, after you get your license, help me fly ten times for free. Whether it’s fishing, hunting, or delivering a damn load for me."

"For these ten flights, fuel and time are on you. How about it, is this deal worth it?"

Lin Yu’an looked at the seemingly rough yet clear-minded old friend before him and burst out laughing.

This condition is just so Hank.

It both maintained the friendship and, in a more long-term and valuable way, gained returns far beyond a regular hourly rate. This is bartering of the wilderness.

"Hank, you’re truly a genius businessman," Lin Yu’an said with a smile, raising his glass.

"Likewise," Hank smugly clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one go.

Then, from the bulging inner pocket of his flight jacket, he took out a wallet, pulled out a slightly worn certificate, and slapped it on the table.

It was an FAA-issued certified flight instructor certificate.

Hank, with a hint of pride, said, "Look closely, I graduated properly from flight school back then, with a legitimate teaching qualification."

"For each of your flight trainings, I will sign your flight logbook. FAA fully recognizes it."

"As for the plane," he pointed to the Cessna 185 quietly parked under the moonlight outside the window, "It’s a bit old, but better maintained than me, and all the teaching equipment is complete."

"Using it to teach you is enough. It can teach you more real skills than those weaklings (Cessna 172) in flight schools!"

Thus, an unprecedented wilderness flying academy crash course officially began in the remote town of Wiseman.

Before dawn, Lin Yu’an drove the powerful Ford F150, with Hank, speeding along the ice-sealed Dalton Highway.

Their destination was Fairbanks, a city more than two hundred miles away, with an FAA-authorized exam center.

"Lin, are you sure you don’t want to study a few more days?" Hank yawned and took a sip of hot coffee.

"That damn written test bank has thousands of questions. Every word is like a hypnosis symbol. My first time taking the exam, I almost fell asleep at the test center."

"It should be enough, no need to look anymore." Lin Yu’an’s answer was calm.

At 10 AM, at the FAA exam center next to Fairbanks International Airport.

Lin Yu’an walked into the test room with only a few computers, while Hank, like a nervous parent sending his child for college entrance exams, paced anxiously outside.

The exam time was two and a half hours, sixty questions. Hank estimated that with Lin Yu’an’s intelligence, he would probably be out in about an hour.

However, only fifteen minutes had passed.

The exam room door opened, and Lin Yu’an came out with a calm face.

What’s wrong? So fast? The computer broke?" Hank immediately approached, with a foreboding feeling rising in his heart, "Was it too hard, you just guessed a few and came out?"

"No." Lin Yu’an shook his head and handed him the freshly printed, still warm score report.

Hank took it with doubt, and when he saw the numbers on it, he was completely stunned, almost spilling his coffee.

"A hundred... points?" Hank’s voice changed tone, "Used time... fifteen minutes?"

He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. But that glaring 100 was still there, as if mocking his own embarrassment from back then.

At this moment, the exam proctor, an old man with white hair, also quickly came out.

His gaze at Lin Yu’an was no longer that of an ordinary examinee, but as if looking at a treasure enough to cause a scramble worldwide!

He didn’t pay attention to the still-shocked Hank beside him but went straight up to Lin Yu’an, with a hint of excitement and solemnity in his tone.

"Young man, my name is John Miller." He proactively extended his hand.

"I’ve been the FAA-authorized chief examiner here for fifteen years, and under my supervision, I’ve seen future stars from various military academies and geniuses sent for training by major airlines."

"But you are the first to make me feel like my intelligence has been offended." He shook Lin Yu’an’s hand tightly, eyes burning, "Fifteen minutes, perfect score!"