The train driver in the courtyard

After the experiment.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot and Nanjing Aircraft Industry Group (NAIG) reached a cooperation agreement, and everyone was in high spirits.

"I heard the white rice at your Qianmen Maintenance Depot is especially delicious. Old Teng, it's not like I've come all this way to your territory. You won't even leave me without a meal, will you? You used to steal my watermelon back in the day," the aviation leader said half-jokingly.

"Ahem, you can't even keep an eye on the melons, how can you blame our students?" Leader Teng was also very happy to see his old friend and told Section Chief Xing to quickly prepare the meal.

Because of the sensitive identities of the aviation leaders and General Manager Su of Nanfei, the chubby cook brought the food that was still warm on the stove to the studio, and everyone ate and chatted.

Li Aiguo was particularly interested in the aircraft that Nanfei was manufacturing.

The CJ-6, China's first fully domestically designed primary trainer aircraft, is a very successful aircraft, with a cumulative production of more than 3,000 units and exports to more than ten countries.

It has trained tens of thousands of pilots, and its low-altitude performance, aerobatic capabilities, and safety record make it one of the world's best primary trainer aircraft.

Almost all of our active-duty pilots began their flying careers with the CJ-6.

General Manager Su was more interested in the flaw detection of aerospace materials, especially after learning that Li Aiguo had entered the aerospace research field and was currently in charge of a large-scale aerospace research project. He treated Li Aiguo as one of his own.

Therefore, the two had a very lively conversation.

When Li Aiguo mentioned that the mass production of the CET-6 required the production of 325 different types of screws, he was no longer sleepy.

He recalled a flaw in the scientific research system of this era that he had often discussed in his previous life—the standardization of processes.

Simply put, when manufacturing aerospace parts, each manufacturer, workshop, and even work team develops its own processes based on their own experience and habits, lacking unified technical specifications and quality standards.

For the same type of part, the requirements for dimensional tolerances and surface roughness can vary widely.

This not only leads to extremely poor compatibility of parts, requiring repeated grinding and debugging during installation, but also makes subsequent maintenance exceptionally difficult, resulting in performance differences even among aircraft of the same model.

It's fine if it's an experimental part produced in a small batch.

However, for core, universal components such as engine blades and fuselage load-bearing frames, the waste and potential risks caused by the lack of unified process standards are simply incalculable.

Often, less than half of the parts produced in a batch are qualified for installation, requiring a lot of manpower to rework them.

Li Aiguo wasn't just worrying unnecessarily. At the end of last year, Junwei pointed out that the quality of aviation products had seriously declined, and 238 aircraft were grounded due to a lack of spare parts.

Thinking of this, Li Aiguo was determined to say what he wanted to say.

This is especially important because it relates to the mass production of domestic fighter jets. Even the most advanced fighter jet would be wasted if it couldn't be mass-produced.

Of course, Li Aiguo didn't care about the outcome.

Thinking about this, Li Aiguo scratched his head and asked in confusion, "With so many parts, why can't we standardize them?"

"I don't understand aviation production, but I think that if there were unified standards for forging, heat treatment and machining processes for those common parts, the dimensional accuracy and material properties would be the same no matter which factory they were produced in. They could be used directly when installed on the aircraft without having to debug each part individually, and the quality would be guaranteed."

Just like bolts, we've established a unified standard on our railways. Whether it's the Patriotic Steam Engine or the Great Advance, the screws are the same, which improves efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.

While General Manager Su was still carefully pondering Li Aiguo's words, Leader Teng nodded and said, "The railway standardization that Aiguo has developed is indeed excellent. The feedback from Dalian Locomotive Factory and Changxindian Locomotive Factory is very positive, and the evaluations from the maintenance workshops of various locomotive depots are also very high."

"Patriotism, we have also considered the issue you raised, but aviation equipment is quite complex."

For example, aircraft engines have so many parts, and the standardization process hasn't been fully figured out yet. Do you have any other ideas?

The top leaders of the aviation industry also became interested.

Li Aiguo smiled modestly: "Hehe, this is just my opinion. If I'm wrong, please don't mind."

“For complex systems like engines, which have thousands of parts, it’s not enough to have only the manufacturing standards for individual parts.”

Could we adopt a 'modular process design' approach, dividing the engine into several large modules, with each module having a standardized assembly process and interface?

This allows different manufacturers to specialize in producing modules, which can then be directly integrated during final assembly, improving production speed and facilitating subsequent maintenance and replacement.

General Manager Su asked, "The equipment precision and worker skill levels of different manufacturers are different. If we force a uniform process, can we guarantee that they will all meet the standards?"

Furthermore, the cost of upgrading old production lines is not low.

Li Aiguo answered quickly: "First, the standards must be grounded in reality and cannot be decided on a whim."

We need to organize experts to conduct research at advanced manufacturers, extract mature processes, and then adjust them according to the actual situation of each factory to form a model of 'basic standards + flexible details'.

For example, core dimension tolerances must be uniform, but processing equipment can be selected independently as long as the accuracy requirements are met.

"Second, establish a process certification and training mechanism."

After the manufacturer makes the modifications according to the standards, an expert team sent by the ministry will inspect and certify them. Only if they pass the inspection can the manufacturer accept orders.

At the same time, regular training sessions are organized for workers and technicians to ensure they thoroughly understand the standards.

As for the cost of the renovation, it seems higher in the short term, but in the long run, the reduced scrap rate, less rework, and easier maintenance mean the savings far outweigh the initial investment.

Then, Li Aiguo gave an example from his own experience.

"Take the water-cooled wall in the furnace of our patriotic steam engine as an example."

The processes used in Datong and Dalian factories are different. Datong factory uses high-temperature quenching, while Dalian factory uses isothermal annealing.

The resulting furnace performance was significantly worse, and the two companies even had a fight about it.

Later, the ministry organized them to conduct unified experiments and determine the optimal heat treatment standard.

Now, regardless of the manufacturer, the water-cooled walls produced are of consistently high quality, significantly reducing subsequent maintenance costs and increasing production speed.

This statement has the implication of praising the ministry, but it's not exactly flattery. Both locomotive factories are very powerful, and it was indeed Teng who personally made the decision to unify the standards.

The words were spoken.

The eyes of everyone present lit up. The aviation leader raised his glass and said, "Aiguo truly deserves to be called the one who developed the ultrasonic flaw detector. His technology is superb. I've learned a lot."

Li Aiguo modestly raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The aviation leader raised his glass again and looked at Leader Teng: "Old Teng, if our aviation industry achieves standardization of parts, you'll have to send people to support us."

"That's only right." Leader Teng's expression remained unchanged, but he was overjoyed inside.

Laughter filled the laboratory as the simple work meal ended amidst cheerful conversation.

When the aviation leaders left, Leader Teng personally saw them off.

Upon reaching the car, the senior leader said to Senior Leader Teng, "Old Teng, you have a talented person under you. If you don't use him, I'm going to snatch him away."

"Of course, such a talented person is too precious for us to handle." Leader Teng was in a good mood.

Before liberation, the top leader always had the upper hand over him, but now he has finally regained his footing.

My child is really something else, haha!

The aviation sector acted swiftly; the top leader returned to the ministry and convened a meeting to discuss a standardization plan for aviation parts.

The proposal was submitted to the higher-level leaders.

Since the higher-level leaders presided over a large-scale quality overhaul of the aviation industry last year and put forward the principle of "quality first", they have planned to rebuild quality standards.

Upon seeing the plan, he nodded: "Very good, very good. You've all worked hard these past few days."

"We owe this to the railway department's help." The aviation department leader explained the whole story of how the standard aviation parts came about.

"It's Comrade Li Aiguo. No wonder, wasn't it him who proposed the plan for the high-altitude aviation station last time?"

The superior smiled; he was no longer as surprised as he had been about the train driver's situation.

When the topic of the high-altitude airborne station was brought up, the superior looked at the aviation department leader and asked, "Has the location for the high-altitude station been determined?"

"We have already sent an 18-person team to Sichuan, and we expect to be able to pinpoint the location of the high-altitude monitoring station soon," the aviation leader replied.

"The high-altitude monitoring station is crucial to the future of our aviation industry, so we need to get this done quickly." The superior leader said, picking up a pen and signing his name on the proposal.

"Furthermore, I suggest that your aviation department hold a meeting to unify thinking and understanding, and do a good job of ideological work."

"Yes." The aviation department leader took the report and was about to leave.

The higher-ups spoke up again: "Let Comrade Aiguo attend the meeting."

The aviation leaders were taken aback.

This decision may seem meaningless, but it is actually of profound significance.

This suggests that Li Aiguo is being brought into the aviation industry.

Actually, think about it.

It's one thing that Li Aiguo is now in charge of the research and development of armed helicopters, but the key point is that the two proposals he put forward in succession directly addressed the shortcomings of the aviation industry in this era.

It's quite normal for people above to have this kind of thinking.

On Monday morning, the aviation department held a seminar on the standardization of aviation parts in the auditorium.

The participants came from various research institutes, several aircraft factories, leaders from ministries, and representatives of front-line technical personnel.

The atmosphere was very lively.

That's how seminars were back then; everyone could speak freely, without even giving the leaders any face.

When Li Aiguo received the notice to speak at the conference, he hesitated a bit.

After all, it was an aviation department meeting, and for him to appear there as a comrade from the railway sector would be too conspicuous.

Originally, Li Aiguo planned to have Professor Qi attend the meeting in his place, as Professor Qi's level would make the report far more effective than his own.

Professor Qi has been helping with the standardization of parts these past few days, learning the details, and has already agreed to it. The top leader of the aviation department also personally recommended him.

"Patriotism, you go yourself. It's said to be the order from above."

"Above? Which above?"

Professor Qi did not answer, but pointed in the direction of the lake.

Li Aiguo didn't say much. He picked up the documents, slung his canvas bag over his shoulder, and took Professor Qi to the aviation department.

The meeting had been going on for two days, and Li Aiguo had been sitting and listening for both days.

The aviation experts and technicians of that era were highly skilled. Although there was no complete system in place, they were able to build the foundation of the aviation industry from scratch, which demonstrates their capabilities.

Li Aiguo also felt that he benefited a lot, and he could now understand many things that he had not understood before.

The following afternoon, the meeting's host announced: "Next, Comrade Li Aiguo from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot will give a report entitled 'Basic Theory of Railway Parts Standard System'."

Originally, Professor Qi and Engineer Su had planned that the report would be related to aviation parts standards, but Li Aiguo rejected this idea.

Li Aiguo doesn't think his knowledge of aviation is superior to that of these experts and technicians; he simply stands on the shoulders of history and has a broader perspective.

The attendees were visibly taken aback for a moment before they began to applaud.

As soon as Li Aiguo stood up and walked toward the podium, the room erupted in discussion.

"Comrades on the railway? What's going on?"

"It is said that our aviation parts standards this time were based on railway parts standards, which is why the leaders invited the drafter of the railway standards."

"This person is too young."

"It is said that he is a national model worker and has been commended by name by the higher authorities."

"No wonder."

Most people in the venue were surprised to see railway officials there, but they were relieved once they understood Li Aiguo's identity. They just felt he was too young, unbelievably young.

Li Aiguo wasn't nervous at all; after all, he had attended New Year's tea parties before and had seen all sorts of grand occasions.

After Li Aiguo stood still, he did not start speaking immediately. He waited until the crowd quieted down before calmly giving his report.

As Li Aiguo continued his report, the aerospace experts and engineers looked at him with increasing skepticism and then with astonishment.

"So that's how this whole system was built."

“There’s something here. There are some things I’ve thought about, but I always felt like there was a layer of paper between us, and I just couldn’t figure them out. Now it’s all clear.”

"This method of standard setting is not only scientific, but also particularly practical."

"No wonder the leader invited him to give a report."

"Don't talk, everyone study hard."

"Write it down quickly."

Li Aiguo's report focuses on the system established by railway component standards, covering aspects such as standard setting, quality control, technological innovation, and redundancy protection mechanisms, with an emphasis on theory.

Although the report was limited to railway parts standards, it made inferences that it was sufficient to deduce the standards for aviation parts. This complete set of theories greatly impressed the participants.

Furthermore, since the report does not cover aviation parts standards, it is unlikely to be accused by those with ulterior motives of meddling in other people's work.

The aviation leader immediately understood and laughed, "No wonder Old Teng said this kid is particularly cautious."

Li Aiguo finished his report quickly.

As the last word faded, the hall fell silent instantly, as the experts and engineers seemed to think he was going to continue his presentation.

The aviation leaders then stood up and applauded, and everyone else realized what was happening and stood up as well, with enthusiastic applause filling the room.

The aviation leader shook hands with Li Aiguo and said, "Comrade Aiguo, you spoke very well. You should come to our side more often to exchange ideas in the future."

Li Aiguo looked at the aviation leaders, then at the experts and engineers below, and seemed to understand what they meant.

This is to let him get to know the public first, haha.

The leader cleared his throat and said loudly, "Everyone has heard Comrade Aiguo's report. The railway department can establish railway standards, and we, who fly in the sky, cannot lag behind. We must also establish our own standards. I think we should call these standards 'navigation beacons'."

"Now let's move on to the next item."

As the next speaker took the stage, Li Aiguo stepped down, and along the way, experts and engineers frequently reached out to shake his hand.

After the meeting, as is customary, the aviation department invited the experts and engineers to stay for a meal.

The airline's meal standards are much higher than those of the railway, and many of the meals are unavailable even if you have the money, so Li Aiguo naturally stayed.

During the dinner, experts from the airport and aviation research institute would occasionally come over.

Some greeted him, others asked him questions, and Li Aiguo also met many faces that he would only see in newspapers in later generations.

After this report meeting, Li Aiguo's name gained some recognition within the aviation system.

Two months later, the aviation department announced the first domestic standard for aviation parts, referred to as aviation standard.

That year, it saved at least 20 percent of the funds and reduced a lot of losses.

Of course, these are all things for later.

The camera then shifts to Li Aiguo's side.

Li Aiguo also knew that the establishment of the aviation industry was a difficult process, and that few countries in later generations possessed a complete aviation industry system. We paid a huge price to develop the large aircraft.

However, with its own butterfly, perhaps it can change the course of events.

After the dinner, Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle back to the courtyard house into the night. As soon as he entered, he ran into Yan Jiecheng carrying a basin of food and walking towards the central courtyard.

"Brother Aiguo is back."

"What?"

"Hey, this is today's wash water. My dad insisted that I go to the backyard to water the vegetables."

As they talked, the two walked toward the central courtyard.

The compound was really lively today. Before I even passed the crescent gate, I saw Xu Damao stopping a young girl and gesturing wildly as he said something.

Xu Damao also saw Li Aiguo and Yan Jiecheng. His face stiffened, and he quickly said, "Brother Aiguo is back. Cough cough, this girl is looking for Qin Huairu. I'm giving her directions."

At that moment, the girl also turned around.

Li Aiguo looked up and realized it was Qin Jingru.
It seems that Qin Huairu is about to give birth, and now that Jia Zhangshi is no longer available to help, Qin Huairu has no choice but to invite her cousin.

Li Aiguo was still thinking about going home, so he nodded to the two of them and left.

He vaguely saw Yan Jiecheng enter the central courtyard and sneakily head towards the Xu family's house.

Yan Jiecheng has developed a big mouth these days. He can't keep anything to himself, and without even asking, he always goes to Liu Lan to complain.

Sure enough, a short while later...

Yan Jiecheng came out and winked at Li Aiguo: "Just wait and see the show."

Immediately afterwards, Liu Lan came out of the house in a menacing manner, carrying a stick.

Li Aiguo was delighted; there was juicy gossip to enjoy.

At this moment, Xu Damao was unaware that he had been targeted and was excitedly bragging to Qin Jingru.

“Miss Qin Jingru, we’ve been comrades-in-arms in the war against the Jia family. Where were we? Oh right, I’m the film projectionist at the steel mill. Even if the factory manager wants to watch a movie, he has to invite me over.”

"Really? You're amazing!" Qin Jingru, a naive girl, exclaimed, her eyes shining. Then she asked, "Are you even more amazing than Li Aiguo?"

"Ahem, that's not the same thing. Patriot Brother is an industrial worker, and I'm a cultural worker, understand? I'm similar to a poet."

Xu Damao coughed twice and continued, "Our steel rolling mill is showing a movie this weekend. I'll save you a front-row seat, okay?"

"Great, your wife's here," Qin Jingru said.

"She's not cultured enough to understand movies," Xu Damao continued, spitting as he spoke.

"Your wife really came." Qin Jingru pointed behind her.

"Huh?" Xu Damao turned his head and saw Liu Lan rushing over with a stick in her hand, and he was completely dumbfounded.

Liu Lan really hit her hard.

Then came the sound of rolling pins hitting flesh and Xu Damao crying out for his parents.

The residents in the compound were quickly alerted.

The woman in the lead was an older woman who was initially thinking of stopping them, but when she saw Qin Jingru standing nearby, she understood what was going on.

"Ahem, this is a family matter for the Xu family, and it's not appropriate for us to interfere."

Although Liu Lan had a bad reputation before, she had always behaved herself after entering the compound and liked to help the residents.

Now that the residents see that Xu Damao's bad habits have relapsed, they naturally won't step in to stop him.

“That bastard Xu Damao deserves to be beaten.” Yan Jiecheng also chimed in.

Li Aiguo smiled. He spent the whole day in meetings and then watched a couples' showdown at night. This was truly a wonderful life.

Needless to say, Xu Damao gave Liu Lan a severe beating.

Qin Jingru was somewhat confused about the situation.

After returning to the Jia family, he asked Qin Huairu, "Cousin, why did Sister-in-law Xu hit Brother Xu?"

Qin Huairu was both amused and exasperated. This cousin of hers was very naive. If there hadn't been absolutely no other way, she wouldn't have asked Qin Jingru to come to the capital to take care of her.

“Jingru, that Xu Damao is no good. You should stay away from him in the future.”

"Okay, sis, I'll listen to you." Qin Jingru nodded repeatedly.

Looking at Qin Jingru, Qin Huairu was still a little worried. This girl was so determined to marry into the city that she could be tricked out of even a piece of candy.

If Qin Jingru were to lose her health in the capital, how could she explain it to her family?

The next morning, Qin Huairu made an excuse to send Qin Jingru back to her hometown.

In this way, Qin Huairu's side will be left without anyone to take care of her. Besides, Banggeng and Xiaodang are both grown up and it's not a good idea for them to cause trouble in the compound all day long.

Qin Huairu could only consult with an old man. Yi Zhonghai was willing to let an old woman take care of Qin Huairu, but he was a little afraid of the stick.

For some reason, he always felt that Bang Geng's gaze towards him was a little strange.

"Huai Ru, don't worry. I'll talk to Hai Zhong and Lao Yan tonight and they'll definitely help you solve the problem."

Li Aiguo was unaware of these matters, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

Today is the day the studio will hold a meeting to discuss ultrasonic flaw detectors for aviation.

Early in the morning, Li Aiguo got up very early and carried an enamel basin to the central courtyard to wash his face.

When I passed by the Xu family's house, I immediately saw Xu Damao huddled at the door.

"What's wrong, Brother Da Mao? Did your wife not let you into the house last night?" Li Aiguo greeted him with a chuckle.

"Ahem, I just got up too. How dare she? I'm a man." Xu Damao was a little embarrassed, shaking the dew off his hair and puffing out his chest.

"I was just pointing out the way to Qin Jingru, I really had no other intentions."

Li Aiguo didn't believe Xu Damao's nonsense. He just smiled and went to the pool without responding.

In the morning, the studio held a meeting and finalized the development plan for an aerial ultrasonic flaw detector.

Unlike flaw detectors used on railways, those used in aviation have higher precision, reaching the micrometer level.

This requires higher power and shorter bands, narrower beams, concentrated energy, and the ability to detect smaller defects and locate them more accurately.

With the help of the engineers from Nanfei, the research and development did not encounter any problems.

Before leaving get off work at noon, Li Aiguo invited General Manager Su into his office, lit a cigarette for him, and handed him some documents.

"Old Su, we're friends, right? Now that your friend is in some trouble, shouldn't you try to help?"

General Manager Su picked up the materials and looked at them carefully. Suddenly, he laughed and said, "Old Qi told me that you never suffer a loss. So this is what you were waiting for me to do."

"We're exchanging resources, helping each other, and making progress together!" Li Aiguo, now considered a creditor, spoke with a firm tone: "Can you get these batteries?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. I'm in charge of the mass production of Nanfei and have business dealings with Torch Factory. Here's what I'll do: I'll contact them for you now and have Torch Factory send over a batch first." General Manager Su stood up, picked up the phone, and started making the contact.

Seeing this, Li Aiguo knew that his initial choice was correct.

Although both President Su and Professor Qi are experts in aviation, there are significant differences between them.

Professor Qi focuses on the technical aspects, and his connections with military factories are far less close than those of President Su.

When Torch Factory received Mr. Su's call, they readily agreed to send two hundred batteries over as soon as possible.

Considering the tight schedule, Li Aiguo contacted the railway transportation department there and asked them to take charge of the transfer.

(End of this chapter)