“Have you guys been to South Africa?”

“Have you driven a helicopter?”

“Have you ever driven a helicopter in South Africa?”

"Today, Brother Xu invited a pilot, and helicopters who drove a helicopter during the South African Civil War time!"

Ding Xu introduced today's guest and smiled at the camera, "Please invite Yuu!"

"I had the dream of being a pilot since I was a child and joined the Air Force after graduating from university. Because I didn't have the opportunity to become a pilot when I was in the Air Force, I went to a German flight school to learn to drive a helicopter after retirement."

"The original plan at the end of the semester was to work as a flight instructor at the branch of this company, but unexpectedly, the branch was unable to land because it did not find a suitable partner. At this time, the company happened to win the bid for the International Red Cross project, and it would provide them with one-year flight services and assist them in carrying out humanitarian rescue work in Sudan."

"For me who loves flying, this is a very rare opportunity. First, I can accumulate considerable flight time and flight experience, and second, I can help others and gain a very meaningful life experience. So I submitted an application to the company."

Ding Xu said curiously: "Do you know South Africa?"

"Actually, I knew almost nothing about South Sudan at the beginning, only I knew it was in Africa, so after registering, I started to search for information online."

"It is located in northern Africa, about 10 degrees north of the equator. Because it is located in the tropical zone, it is hotter than 40 degrees all year round."

"That country was independent from Sudan after a long war. The reason for its division was an ostensibly religious issue. North Sudan believed in *** religion and South Sudan believed in Christianity. What I learned later was that the area where South Sudan is located had abundant oil resources, and it fell into war and division in order to compete for this part of the resources."

"I only had more than four years of establishment in the period when I went there. This was the kind of underdeveloped countries you could imagine. The products were not abundant, but most of the animals were fierce. Even in the city center of the capital, huge lizards, cockroaches and geckos could be seen everywhere."

"There is no clean tap water system in the local area. For foreigners, brushing their teeth requires bottled mineral water, because the water there can cause serious health problems only when the entrance is in. Similarly, local salads and meat patties are not suitable for outsiders."

"The entire country has a low level of modernization and weak infrastructure. There are only a handful of asphalt roads in the country. It is one of the poorest countries in the world."

"A country does not issue travel visas to the outside world. People who come here are generally the United Nations and various organizations, such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, have offices here to carry out humanitarian rescue work in the local area."

"Because local transportation is inconvenient, the transportation of staff and supplies needs to be completed by helicopters, which is why the Red Cross publicly recruits flight service providers."

"In South Sudan, my position is the Flight Operations Coordinator, responsible for arranging flight plans according to the Red Cross mission requirements. When the crew pilot encounters safety or physical problems, I will also serve as a pilot to temporarily rescue the field. In addition to me, three colleagues, a captain, a mechanic and a customer relationship director were also taken with me."

"Before leaving, we had a rough understanding of the local situation, and most of us have had experience as soldiers or police."

"Looking from the plane, the capital Juba is a large area of ​​yellow land, dotted with small houses with trees and blue roofs. The houses are also dilapidated, mostly the most primitive earthy houses built with cow dung and straw."

As the cabin door opened, I smelled the unique smell of South Sudan, mixed with the rural atmosphere of sand and plants, and was swept by the heat waves.

After arriving at the residence for a short rest, I started working formally. The main content of the work was to transport personnel and daily necessities to various cities near Juba.

Because there is no industry in the local area, daily necessities are basically imported, such as washbasins, tables and chairs, clothes, pens, etc. Once, we transported five Shanghai Phoenix 28 bicycles. In that environment, I saw a series of domestic products that I have been familiar with since I was a child, and I felt wonderful and proud.

It is said to be a pilot, but in fact our role is very similar to a courier, but our daily work is carried out in a more extreme and dangerous environment.

“Did you have the most impressive one?”

When he heard Ding Xu ask, the other party said, "I still remember the day we first performed a flight mission. We drove a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle assigned by the Red Cross, which took about three or four minutes."

"Just about to turn from a small dirt road to a main road, when I turned around, I saw a man lying on the sidewalk beside the street. He was wearing a white shirt, gray trousers and leather shoes. The crowds who came and went turned a blind eye to him and almost stepped over him."

"My first reaction at that time was that this person might be sick, so he lay there motionlessly and discussed with his colleague whether to get off the car and see him."

"But our account director colleague at that time, he was over 50, gray-haired and had social experience, so he advised us not to get off the bus first. First, because we can't delay the flight mission, and second, we don't know enough about it. If this is a scam, we may be at risk of being robbed."

"So we didn't get off the car at that time, but instead reported the situation to the Red Cross Base Camp with the onboard telegraph. After the mission that day was over, we received a reply from the Red Cross, saying that the person was actually stabbed to death the night before, and that he might have been robbed by the road."

"I just arrived in South Sudan at that time, and the whole thing shocked me. My first impression was why South Sudanese people were so indifferent to life? A dead and injured person fell on the side of the road and everyone turned a blind eye?"

"But when I understand more, I understand the root of this phenomenon. Such reactions are caused by the environment. People here witness death every day. Such cruel scenes are used to them."

Ding Xu sighed. Violent incidents, local riots, and regional wars may occur at any time. No one can know for sure whether he can live until the next day.

Therefore, not only treat other lives, but also many people seem very indifferent to their own lives.

"One thing that was very impressive was that when the war broke out, we were trapped in the middle of the war, bullets were flying all over the sky on our heads, and we were going to retreat to a refugee camp."

"At that time, there was a South Sudanese civilian not far away, so we called him over and hid with us to a relatively safe place, but to our surprise, he actually refused?"
Chapter completed!