Chapter Seventy-Four Knowing What to Take and What to Leave

  Wilson and Lansing of the United States, George and Balfour of Britain, Clemenceau and Pichon of France, Orlando and Sonnino of Italy, Saionji and Makino of Japan. The Paris Conference is for these ten people, and has nothing to do with other countries. Even after Italy and Japan successively "withdrew", there was no room for other countries to intervene.

  The remaining three countries, the US, Britain and France, each have their own small abacus and it is difficult for them to merge, so they can only slowly discuss and revise, letting a lot of time bring about a result that both parties can accept. However, the time it takes to come up with a result will take at least three to five months. Therefore, since the conference opened in May, the Paris Conference has been left with only six people continuing their work, while others wait for at least three months before reassembling at the Palace of Versailles.

  The conference has not had the slightest impact on the progress of world peace, but the world will not stagnate because of it. The sun rises and sets as usual, the earth rotates incessantly, and on the vast roads of the earth, many things happen every day.

  May 18, 1920 was destined to be an unforgettable day. In the first assembly plant of China Aviation Group in Liuzhou High-tech Development Zone, after the last rivet of the prototype was nailed, the first "aircraft" in the autonomous region was officially born.

  Hong Guoyuan, a test pilot who had "flown" countless sorties on the model machine, had long been fascinated by the prototype in the warehouse. From the day the engine was finalized for production, AVIC began selecting flying talents from numerous institutions and enterprises in the autonomous region, including technical colleges, People's Liberation Army, and industrial universities. Hong Guoyuan emerged from among thousands of candidates, overcoming obstacles to finally obtain the qualification as a test pilot. The high-risk task of being a test pilot was something that everyone was eager to undertake, without putting the dangers of flight testing in mind.

  On May 24, after multiple large-scale detailed inspections, the technicians concluded that the prototype was normal, and with the consent of Chief Engineer Wang Zhuo, test pilot Hong Guoyuan could conduct a test flight. Previously, all design drawings for the engine, fuselage, wings, retractable landing gear, etc. had been transformed into physical objects, which were all qualified after inspection, but the controllability of the aircraft still needed to be considered; whether it could fly out of the theoretical design performance remained to be verified. Many questions required actual flight to get accurate answers.

  The pilot flies the plane in the air, and controls the plane by controlling the aerodynamic rudder surface, namely the elevator, rudder and aileron. By deflecting the three control surfaces, it will produce a control torque on the aircraft, causing it to rotate around the longitudinal axis, vertical axis and lateral axis, thereby changing its flight attitude.

  "Can anyone hear me?"

  After the plane was towed to the auxiliary runway of the factory by a tractor, the ground crew began to evacuate the runway. Wang Zhuo, the test flight commander in the tower and also the chief engineer of this aircraft, had his first conversation with the pilot through the wireless system for the first time. The wireless intercom system produced by the Telecommunication College of Industrial University had undergone hundreds of tests before, so Hong Guoyuan on the runway could clearly hear Wang Zhuo's voice.

  "Roger tower, loud and clear, loud and clear!"

  Hong Guoyuan sat in the real cockpit, no matter how high his mental quality was, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous at this time. Although his words were still very smooth, his palms had already begun to sweat profusely. Perhaps it wasn't that he was nervous, but rather the flight suit and helmet, gloves and other gear made him look like an Arctic resident trying to survive the winter. This outfit would probably be very useful in high altitudes, but on the ground, under the scorching sun...

  "001, start taxiing to test your controllability..." Wang Zhu, who had invested a lot of heart and soul into this aircraft model, finally waited for the day to fly into the blue sky, but still hesitated. After thinking twice, he gave the final command before takeoff.

  After receiving the order, Hong Guoyuan quickly began the final test. As the plane flew, the pilot lowered the rudder and the plane rotated around its longitudinal axis, producing a pitching motion. So Hong Guoyuan started to slowly pull the control stick backwards, after which the elevator slowly tilted upwards through the transmission mechanism. If this action were performed during flight, it would produce an additional upward lift on the horizontal tail, resulting in a force that would make the plane's nose rise. Then, Hong Guoyuan pushed the control stick forward, and the elevator tilted downwards, allowing the plane to dive in mid-air.

  Similarly, assuming that Hong Guoyuan has already flown the plane into the air. Pressing the control stick to the left causes the left aileron to move upward and the right aileron to move downward, reducing lift on the left wing and increasing lift on the right wing, producing a rolling moment that makes the plane tilt to the left. To make the plane tilt to the right, simply press the control stick to the right. Pressing the left rudder pedal causes the directional rudder to turn left, creating an additional lateral force on the vertical tail, which produces a turning moment to the left, causing the nose of the plane to turn left, and vice versa for pressing the right rudder pedal.

  But at this time the plane is still on the ground, and all the actions of the flight crew accurately express each component. If it can do so in the air, then the controllability of the aircraft can be considered qualified.

  "001, you can now start the engine, you can start the engine. Autonomous decision whether to fly……” Seeing the plane on the runway with everything normal after ground testing, Wang Zhuo nodded in satisfaction and handed over the flight right to the pilot. He had done his part, and now it was up to fate!

  Hong Guoyuan quickly re-checked all the instruments in the cockpit, including the oil gauge, oil pressure gauge, altimeter, speedometer, etc. Everything was normal, so he started the engine. After a burst of black smoke and a loud bang, the propeller began to rotate slowly, getting faster and faster. When the rotation speed reached its maximum, Hong Guoyuan finally released his foot from the brake pedal, and the plane quickly accelerated down the runway.

  "We must take off, take off, take off..." Everyone watched as the plane sped up faster and faster, muttering prayers. And Hong Guoyuan, who was driving the test plane on the runway, felt the same way. When he felt that the plane had reached takeoff speed, he slowly pulled back on the control stick, and the plane slowly increased its angle of ascent.

  At 10:37 on May 24, when the lift of the plane was equal to its weight, the plane slowly left the ground. When the last wheel left the ground, everyone cheered, and the prototype could finally be called an airplane because it could truly fly at least.

  As the thrust continued to increase, the plane's flight altitude was constantly rising. When it reached an altitude of 400 meters, Hong Guoyuan, who had been tense and unable to relax, finally leveled off the control yoke, and the plane slowly transitioned into level flight. At this moment, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground with a thud. With sweat all over his head but a smile on his face, he turned around to look at the ground below. The autonomous region's factories stood densely, roads crisscrossed, and the winding Liu River was like a white chain embedded in the earth.

  About two minutes later, after Hong Guoyuan confirmed that the plane was normal in all aspects through inspection, he officially started the second step of the sample machine's takeoff performance, which is "returning to the nest". For an airplane, it must be able to fly up and down. So Hong Guoyuan began to slowly control the plane to turn left, because it was the first test flight, so he could not and did not dare to make a large-angle turning flight. When he saw the runway, he corrected the flight direction after one circle and slowly descended to the flight altitude.

  When sliding down from a safe altitude, the plane's engine was already in a low gear state. Hong Guoyuan opened the flaps to their maximum angle and lowered the landing gear. Under the action of various resistances, the plane began to approach a straight line slide, and only when approaching the ground did he pull the plane level, maintaining a distance of about one meter from the ground for level flight deceleration.

  The flying speed continued to decrease, and Hong Guoyuan continued to pull the lever to make the plane's angle of attack larger. The plane slowly descended in height. When the lift was not enough to balance its own weight, the plane's height further decreased, and the plane almost floated down. After the height further decreased until the wheels touched the runway, a burst of smoke appeared under the wings, and the two wheels also touched the ground one after another. The plane officially entered the taxiing stage, and Hong Guoyuan began to use the brakes to slow down the plane until it came to a stop.

  "001, takeoff and landing have both been successful, both have been successful..."

  Without Wang Zhuo's reminder from the tower, pilot Hong Guoyuan already knew how perfect his takeoff and landing were. After opening the cockpit, he immediately waved his left arm to greet the cheering crowd, and the joy in his heart had already dispelled the previous fear. When the technicians replaced him to manipulate the plane, he finally took off the heavy flight suit on his body.

  After taking off and landing once, many technicians including Wang Zhe in the tower rushed to the runway, more than a dozen people checked every part of the plane again and again, knocking on it. The most worrying thing was that the engine would suddenly stop in mid-air, or the landing gear would not retract during takeoff and landing... But now all worries have become past clouds, and they are just checking the plane with joy, to see if the performance indicators of the plane have changed after flying once, and whether it can continue to fly.

  One takeoff and landing does not bring out all the design performance of an aircraft, next the aircraft will have to fly more than ten times, in subsequent test flights need to bring out the minimum and maximum level flight speed, cruise speed and actual range, static ceiling and other performances of the aircraft. Especially for this future fighter, it still needs to go through many maneuverability tests. A small slope turning with a bank angle less than 45 degrees is not much of a test for the aircraft, while a large slope turning with a bank angle greater than 45 degrees, the shorter the time required to turn around and the smaller the radius, the better the maneuverability, and when doing this maneuver, both the aircraft and the pilot will be subjected to a larger overload, which is undoubtedly a major test for the performance of the aircraft.

  "The Immelmann" is the most demanding maneuver for an aircraft's controllability and performance, and it also poses a great challenge to the pilot himself. The maximum overload factor of this maneuver can reach 6, which is absolutely unbearable for ordinary people. To complete an "Immelmann", the pilot must first increase the throttle to gain speed, then pull up the stick to make the aircraft climb in a curve. After passing the top point, reduce the throttle and continue to hold the stick position, the aircraft will descend in a curve, finally leveling off. The smaller the time and radius of an "Immelmann", the better the maneuverability of the aircraft.

  "Dive" is a maneuver that converts an aircraft's potential energy into kinetic energy, rapidly decreasing altitude and increasing flight speed. A fighter plane must have the performance to pass the dive test in order to possess high bombing or shooting accuracy. However, this maneuver is extremely terrifying, it is a process of drastic changes in height and speed, once exceeded the specified speed and height, the aircraft and pilot will suffer unimaginable overload, pilots may lose consciousness, and the aircraft structure will be severely damaged or even disintegrated. In short, for pilots with inadequate flying skills or poor-performing planes, this maneuver is undoubtedly a suicidal act.

  "The prototype is in excellent condition, taking off and landing very smoothly..."

  Wang Zhuo was extremely delighted to report the test flight situation to Zhang Yu on the other end of the phone, and today's prototype performance was undoubtedly close to perfect. From 2016 to now, nearly four years have been spent wandering around the aviation industry, and today he has harvested the first results of his hard work, which is worth his joy, and also makes him more confident in the subsequent experimental work, and naturally full of expectations for the smooth development of this aircraft.

  "Everything is based on caution, important places must be checked and confirmed multiple times before flying again..."

  Zhang Yu was also delighted that the Chinese people's aviation dream could be rekindled. Feng Ru's passing was undoubtedly a huge loss for China's aviation industry, but Wang Zhuo, Ba Yumo and other precious talents have once again taken up the Chinese people's flying dream, which is a very meaningful move. Therefore, Zhang Yu was extremely worried that due to minor mistakes, another tragedy would occur, even if it wasn't Wang Zhuo and others who were test-flying.

  "When is the flight test schedule for the prototype of the second project?"

  Overjoyed, Zhang Yu asked another question about the two projects being carried out simultaneously by China Aviation Group. One project is the single-seat light aircraft that Hong Guoyuan test-flew today, which can later be used as a basis to develop an entire series of aircraft, especially fighter jets. The other project is a large aircraft controlled by multiple crew members, which can evolve into transport planes, bombers, civil aviation planes and more.

  "Next month at the beginning of the month, although the engine cooling problem was solved, we still want to test drive for some time to verify the correctness of the improvement. From today's prototype flight test results, our technology is trustworthy..."

  "No matter what, don't rush to achieve results, we have plenty of time." Zhang Yu said, picking up a telegram and taking another look before continuing: "The people you're looking for have been found. Sikorsky and Cohen have already boarded a ship in France and set off. Two others have been confirmed dead on the battlefield, and the rest are nowhere to be found!"

  "It's already good to find two, this..." Wang Zhuo held the phone and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should say something or not. After some deliberation, he mustered up the courage to say: "Within the group, including the Aviation Engineering College, many people are discussing whether the group is going to set up a new project? Will helicopters and jet planes be the next phase of the group's focus? Although the spiral aircraft has no great future, what is the group's development strength for piston aircraft..."

  These issues are not only for the researchers of China Aviation, including students from the Aviation College of Northwestern Polytechnical University, and of course, Wang Zhuo himself. Sikorsky is very famous for making large aircraft, but he is indeed a persistent helicopter enthusiast. After being recruited into the group, he will inevitably organize a helicopter research and development institution with the help of the group. Compared to Sikorsky, Cohen is even more aggressive, focusing on jet engines. If no specialized research institution is arranged after his arrival, it would be extremely unwise.

  So, students and teachers of the College of Aeronautical Engineering are concerned about their future employment prospects and the development direction of the aviation industry. In fact, they are also very concerned about the development direction of China Aviation Group. After graduation, they will inevitably follow the development of China Aviation Group, so the attitude of China Aviation Group determines the career prospects of thousands of people, and even affects the future of Chinese people's aviation dreams.

  But China Aviation is a state-owned group after all, and the attitude of China Aviation still depends on the government's attitude. The one who dominates this aspect of the government is naturally Zhang Yu, so when Wang Zhuo encountered such a thorny problem, he could only seek help from Zhang Yu.

  "This issue, still depends on you. I know that not only in the group, but also in the college, many people have their own preferences. In the past, because of a liquid-cooled or air-cooled engine, you were able to divide into two factions with different results. Later, it's no big deal if we split further, piston engines can only be divided into large and small, liquid-cooled or air-cooled, and jet engines will have more types in the future, each with its own unique use. In short, the aviation industry can be competitive, but not maliciously so. If you're interested in helicopters or jet aircraft, you can also join in..."

  "This... actually I'm also interested in jet planes, but... never mind. When the prototype of item 2 is ready for test flight, I'll let you know. These days we're all busy with the test flights of one item's prototype. If everything goes smoothly, we'll soon shift our focus to item 2. In short, given the shortage of manpower, we can only do our best."

  Regarding questions about jet planes, Wang Zhe hesitated for a long time and still didn't know what to say. He couldn't express his thoughts perfectly, which was not as good as his accomplishments in aviation, so he changed the subject directly.

  Because he was a "trustworthy" person, whether in the autonomous government or in the industrial university, the authorization level of the library was relatively high. He had seen many things that should not have appeared in the 1920s when he was free, so naturally, he had some ideas in his mind. Without theoretical calculations, he knew that the future of propeller aircraft was limited, but he was still uncertain about the thoughts of the higher-ups and did not know how to express his own meaning. However, now that he had obtained Zhang Yu's approval, he naturally knew what to do next.

  When Wang Zhu knew what to do, somewhere in far-off France, there were people who no matter how they discussed and pondered, racked their brains for half a day, still didn't know what to do.

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