African Nationhood

Chapter 335 Pull-in Plane

Jingougang, Aircraft Research Institute.

The sun was shining and the sky was clear.

Otto Lilienthal sat at his desk and looked at the photos in his hands.

The photo showed an airplane, with its front propeller, fairing, and aluminum-alloy-skinned wings, which made him feel very unfamiliar.

Their team went from glider to "Shi's Plane No. 1", and from "Shi's Plane No. 1" to "Shi's Plane No. 9".

These aircraft all use rear-mounted engines, which rely on the powerful thrust of the propellers to continuously propel the aircraft soaring in the sky.

Moreover, the previous metal frame of the aircraft only accounted for a small part, and the main body was still an overall design of wooden boards, linen and canvas skins, which took more than five years.

Now that there has been a sudden transition to aluminum alloy skin, Otto Lilienthal feels that the span is a bit too big.

In the past, the total weight of the aircraft was mostly less than 500 kilograms. Now, after using aluminum alloy metal-skinned wings, the total weight of the entire fuselage has exceeded kilograms.

For the engines they currently use, this weight is seriously overweight.

However, Boss Shi sent someone to deliver the latest engine, with a horsepower exceeding 100 horsepower.
  Because the horsepower of this engine was strong enough, Otto Lilienthal became more confident.

However, the design of the front propeller still worried him, but Boss Shi insisted and asked his team to test fly this new model as soon as possible.

Otto Lilienthal could only comply with Boss Shi's request.

They have tested new models and front-mounted engines in wind tunnels, and the experimental results are indeed better than rear-mounted propellers, but they have not yet conducted aerial test flights.

The weather is perfect today and there is no strong wind.

Otto Lilienthal decided to test-fly a new aircraft, so he rang the bell and summoned his followers.

This was equipped for him by Nanhua Company. In Nanhua Company, there were dedicated people responsible for his food, clothing, housing and transportation, so he seldom had to worry about this aspect.

And after he succeeded in the Shi's No. 1 experiment, he decided to bring his family to Southwest Africa.

His wife and children are very satisfied with the climate and conditions in Southwest Africa, and there are many German immigrants here, making their lives very satisfactory.

As they conducted more experiments, there were more and more students in the laboratory.

Most of the new students are proud of the Chinese test pilot Wang Long and regard him as a role model for learning.

……

His entourage is only 18 years old this year. He is a Chinese boy who works seriously and can speak German fluently.

"Mr. Lilienthal, what are your orders?"

"I want to test a new aircraft today. You go and inform the other members of the team. We will meet at the hangar in an hour."

"Okay, Mr. Lilienthal."

……

The members of the test flight team gathered together. Otto Lilienthal specially put on a full set of equipment this time. Today he planned to be the test pilot of the new aircraft.

Wang Long couldn't help but feel happy when he saw this, "Mr. Lilienthal, what you did is a bit unethical."

Lilienthal smiled and gave Wang Long a blow. "You were always the first in previous test flights. It's my turn this time."

Wang Lung and the other members all laughed. This German was very diligent and trained very hard, but his luck was not very good, and he lost to the smaller Wang Lung every time.

Since there have been no problems in previous flights, everyone does not have too much worry about flying into the sky.

Moreover, the equipment Boss Shi equipped for the test pilots was enough to ensure the safety of the test pilots. In the past, test pilots had failed test flights due to unskilled operation or strong winds.

The parachutes they carried still played a certain role. There were no deaths among those who failed the test flight. At most, they suffered physical injuries.

After all, their test flights were in desert areas, and their helmets and joint protection were in place.

Everyone laughed for a while, and everyone began to make preparations for the test flight.

Every process is meticulous and must not be sloppy. After all, this is a major matter involving human lives. Soon, all the work was ready, and the aircraft they were going to test fly today had been pulled out of the hangar.

Thanks to the great development of automobile engines, the Mercedes-Benz automobile factory has now launched a heavy-duty truck. The 100-horsepower engine has greatly improved the load-carrying capacity of the truck.

Their test aircraft was named "Penguin One" because the entire aircraft was painted black and had a somewhat clumsy attitude.

With all preparations in place, Wang Long and others gathered around Otto Lilienthal, checking various equipment for him, such as helmets, sunglasses, parachute backpacks, maps, pistols, daggers, etc.

"Everything is OK, ready for test flight."

Olin Lilienthal made an "ok" gesture to the team members, and then climbed onto the driver's seat of the aircraft through the ladder.

After so many years, the cockpit has changed the most. It has been an arduous journey from the previous position where you were facing the wind to the current one where your lower body is tucked into the cockpit.

After a brief inspection, Otto Lilienthal made the "ok" gesture again to the team members below, and Wang Long climbed up the ladder to help him push the propeller.

As the engine ignited successfully, black smoke came out of the engine, and noise and vibration gradually came.

After the engine warm-up was completed, Otto Lilienthal made the "ok" gesture again.

The people on the runway quickly evacuated, and the people below waved a red flag to him to indicate that he could take off.

Otto Lilienthal pushed the throttle, the engine spewed thick smoke, and then the entire plane began to move forward.

As Otto Lilienthal supplied more fuel, the engine's power became more and more powerful, and then the lift of the front propeller became greater and greater, and the entire fuselage began to gradually lift off the ground.

Otto Lilienthal directly pushed the throttle to the maximum, and then the entire fuselage flew directly into the air.

The crowd below began to beat, and Otto Lilienthal could no longer see it. All he could see was the clear sky.

Because he cannot measure the advantages of this front-mounted propeller at high altitude, he needs to fly a fixed route when flying in the air so that people below can measure his flying speed.

So after Otto Lilienthal flew in the air for a while and became familiar with the performance parameters of the aircraft, he controlled the rotors and ailerons and began to turn around and fly towards a fixed route.

After he adjusts the direction, he needs to fly 30-50 times continuously on a fixed segment, so that the people below can calculate the average speed.

……

Wang Long and others below watched the new aircraft fly over the fixed flight segments again and again.

After summarizing the statistics, Wang Long and others all had smiles on their faces.

This front propeller design allowed their aircraft to successfully exceed 100 km/h, which is 112 km/h.

Previously, the speed of their aircraft could only hover around tens of kilometers per hour. Now that the speed has been greatly increased, it shows that this new design is successful.
  Of course, it could also be due to the new engine, but Boss Shi is still as reliable as ever.

He doesn't know how long his brain is, and new ideas are always one step ahead of others.

While they were still groping and summarizing their past experiences, Boss Shi thought of a more novel and unique design in advance.

I have to say that working with Boss Shi is very comfortable!

"Signal to Mr. Lilienthal so he can do other test items."

The people below waved their reflectors to Otto Lilienthal, who was still flying at low altitude.

Otto Lilienthal on the plane received the signal and took off decisively.

Just when he was about to try a roll, a strong wind suddenly hit him, causing him and the plane beneath him to shake violently.

The team members observing below all exclaimed.

Otto Lilienthal panicked for a moment. He tried hard to control the plane and wanted to turn the fuselage over.

Unfortunately, the strong wind brought him into an updraft group, and the complicated airflow made his control even more futile.

The fuselage swayed from side to side, making Otto Lilinta slumped, and he began to debate whether to skydive.

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  (End of this chapter)