Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 271 CA001 Aircraft Engine Test (Second Update, 5000+ words)

When Ah Lin heard Li Song's words, she didn't ask why, because Ah Lin had heard that Li Song had close ties with the mainland. Anyway, if someone has good relations with the mainland, Taiwan will do this.

Arlene didn't understand before, but now she understands some of it.

The next day, Li Song received feedback from Liu Jiale at the Federal Garden, supposedly because of the movie "Jinling".

However, it is said that the Freelance Workers Union will issue a ban on Hong Kong artists who go to the mainland to perform.

"Brother Le, if Taiwan dares to blacklist our artists, just let me know," Li Song said.

I haven't been able to find an opportunity to develop some products, such as general-purpose helicopters.

If Taiwan wants to break out, then confront them directly, and then you'll have the general aviation helicopter firmly in your grasp.

The reason Li Song didn't bring the general-purpose helicopter with him last time along with the fighter jet was because he wanted to develop it independently.

The helicopter market is huge. Aramco has sold seven or eight thousand Black Hawk helicopters. We only need to get one-fifth of them because we are still rooted in the mainland market.

As for what others do with the helicopters, that's none of my business.

They can also run their own private space program, and they can even sue Taiwan in the International Court of Justice and hire people to criticize them on television and in newspapers.

If anyone dares to step forward, they'll send someone to take pictures of their family's ancestral graves in mainland China, pointing at the graves and cursing these ungrateful bastards.

As for those who are crooked and cunning, that would be even better.

“Boss, I think it’s unlikely. They only dare to bully those minor artists. You’re a world-renowned author now, with influence all over the world,” Liu Jiale said.

Upon hearing this, Li Song said on the phone, "That would be best."

“No matter who goes to Taiwan to film Romance of the Three Kingdoms, once they return to Hong Kong, I’ll have some endorsement contracts for them, and I’ve also acquired several other businesses,” Li Song continued.

"Okay!" Liu Jiale nodded.

Li Song spent the night in Taikoo Shing, and only left Hong Kong Island the next day to return to Guangzhou.

On December 5, 1980, Li Song came to Qiansheng Electronics Research Institute in Guangzhou to check on the progress of his work, as he planned to recruit workers from various schools by the end of the month.

Li Song knew that the heads of several laboratories at the Electronics Research Institute had already been contacted privately. These people included teachers and students who had stayed on at the university.

Of course, these people in charge also know that their research institute is private, and students from the city probably won't come, because most of the students from the city come from relatively well-off families.

This is why BMW prioritizes students from impoverished areas when recruiting for its motorcycle factory.

Many of my classmates in the city had parents who were both employed and didn't lack anything, so they didn't have much financial pressure.

Rural areas are different, and people in rural areas are more likely to endure hardship.

Many people in rural areas don't know what it's like in a workplace. People in the city, influenced by what they see and hear, might not approve of or like the private enterprise model.

Li Song was just there to browse around, have lunch together, and see if the lab directors had anything to do.

After lunch, we went to the BMW motorcycle factory.

The factory's first and third phases produce 90cc motorcycles, while the second and fifth phases produce 125cc motorcycles. The fourth phase workshop can produce an average of more than 2000 motorcycles per day.

The fifth phase has already started production. This is the 150cc road bike, which is what mainland China will later call a cruiser bike.

Just by looking at its design, you can tell this motorcycle is high-end. The lowest-priced configuration of this motorcycle costs 5,000 yuan, which puts it far ahead of the more affordable 125cc models.

The sixth-phase workshop has begun trial production, and this is the road sports car.

The seventh phase of the project is under construction, and this is the 125cc scooter, because there is demand in the overseas market.

Li Songxian would stroll around the factory. Even if he, as the boss, didn't discover any problems, just by walking around the factory from time to time, his subordinates would be more careful unless they were extremely audacious.

Then we arrived at the outboard motor manufacturing plant, where three phases of the plant have been completed and the fourth phase is under construction.

I took another stroll around the BMW factory. The equipment in the cast iron engine workshop and the aluminum alloy casting workshop has been installed and is currently being debugged.

The stamping workshop is expected to complete equipment installation next week.

The welding workshop and assembly workshop are under construction.

The construction of automobile manufacturing plant workshops proceeds from the most difficult to the easiest, so that once the earlier stages are completed, the later stages will also be finished.

This way, multiple workshops can complete the task together.

Now Li Song no longer needs to adopt integrated stamping technology, that is, the whole vehicle is cast in one piece.

This thing is good, but the maintenance cost is high, so the welding process is already sufficient.

The next day, Li Song flew directly to Chang'an.

It hadn't been long since they last met, but Li Song noticed that the business jet was already taking shape. The fuselage skin was almost completely installed, and the engine and landing gear were also in place.

Some interior trim is being installed; some interior trim was already installed during the installation of the aircraft skin.

All the components used in the installation were brought back from the ship, and countersunk rivets were used.

Modern fighter jets use raised rivets because they need to travel at high speeds and accelerate very quickly, meaning they can reach high speeds in a short time. Civil airliners, on the other hand, travel at subsonic speeds and require a smooth ride.

Li Song had someone take some photos: photos of the engine, photos of the interior, and he was standing next to the plane.

Even though I was wearing a dustproof suit.

"Boss, these two are our company's future test pilots, with at least 5000 hours of flight time." Chief Engineer Ma introduced the two pilots, who were about forty years old. They were retired from the military and were preparing to switch to civil aviation.

Then, coincidentally, the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant needed test pilots, so he was assigned to the company.

"Welcome, both of you!" Li Song said, extending his hand to shake hands with the two men.

"Boss!" The two were still a little unaccustomed to it, but their current status was that of being on unpaid leave, which meant that if they were unhappy with their jobs, they could go back.

"How well have you mastered the flight manual?" Li Song asked.

"Boss, we've mastered it." The two men stood ramrod straight as they answered the question.

"That's good." Li Song didn't say anything more.

"Boss, we have obtained the special airworthiness certificate and special flight permit. We plan to start ground testing on December 20th, and then conduct test flights after the ground testing is completed." Chief Engineer Ma showed the plan to Li Song.

Special airworthiness certificates and special flight permits are issued for new aircraft undergoing testing.

Ground testing tests the aircraft's control systems, as well as other systems, simulating various scenarios.

It also serves as a way to familiarize pilots with the flight manual for the new aircraft.

Ground testing is very, very important. The timeframe for ground testing is hard to say, but if there are no problems, flight testing can begin in one or two months.

If there are problems, it's not uncommon for it to happen within six months, a year, or even two years.

Because of the nature of such a systemic product, if one problem occurs, a host of other problems will follow, and the next step of testing can only proceed once all the problems are resolved.

"What about engine testing?" Li Song asked, as there was more than one engine, and they all needed to be tested.

"We sent it to Chengdu for testing. Our test workshop here is not yet completed," Chief Engineer Ma said.

"Don't worry, boss, our technical team will go there to conduct the testing."

"The testing workshop over there has just been renovated and is said to have reached world-class standards," Chief Engineer Ma said.

Upon hearing this, Li Song knew that after they acquired the fighter jets, they had modified the engine testing workshop, because the engines Li Song produced had been partially optimized according to American standards.

At that time, Ami's standards were the best, and at that time, Ami's manufacturing industry had not yet been infiltrated by the third leader's people.

They haven't yet hired people of color who aren't very capable due to discrimination.

But then again, the third leader's men are truly united.

If a factory has one third-in-command, then after a few years, there will be many third-in-commands in that factory.

Once the third leader has a place to stay, it won't be long before his family and relatives arrive. "Hmm," Li Song nodded.

"Boss, should we do some advertising?" Chief Engineer Ma asked.

"There's no rush. We'll promote it on the mainland when the ground tests are completed, and I'll also hold a press conference in Hong Kong at the same time."

"Then I'll prepare to apply for the European airworthiness certificate and flight permit. I'll need to provide various test data, and I'll also need to fly to the UK to apply," Li Song said.

"Mm-hmm!" Chief Engineer Ma nodded.

December was a busy month, with Phoenix TV launching and a private jet officially announced, bringing a perfect end to 1980.

Next year will be another bumper year for automobiles, commercial airliners, and semiconductors.

Li Song plans to strive for mass production of processors next year, and then develop some applications for the processors, such as communication equipment, mobile phones, CNC equipment, and automation equipment.

After having lunch at the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, Li Song flew to Shanghai.

Also, because the roads were slow due to the snow, the plane waited for Li Song for half an hour.

Although Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant did not receive much attention on the surface, its superiors were secretly keeping a close eye on it.

The engine was delivered by Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Company to the engine testing workshop of Shudu Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

This testing workshop is located in a remote mountain valley in Dayi County, because there is a possibility of accidents during aircraft engine testing.

A small reservoir was built in the mountain valley, and the testing platform was not far from the reservoir.

Several dikes have been built below the reservoir for protection, mainly to prevent the water in the reservoir from being polluted in case of an accident.

The testing workshop has just been built, and most of the equipment in the workshop is located inside the mountain.

The control center is located at a slightly elevated position, overlooking the test platform.

The mountain contains chemical agents needed for the fire-fighting system, as well as fuel, lubricating oil, electrical equipment, and other supplies for testing.

The technical level and overall performance of this testing workshop are among the best in the world.

The workshop manager was surprised that the first engine tested would be a small turbofan engine.

In addition, he also worked with the technical team.

The person in charge cannot ask too many questions, because this was directly arranged by the higher-level department.

When the person in charge saw the test content, he was also shocked, because there were too many test items, and in the end, the engine would be scrapped.

The theoretical lifespan of this turbofan engine is 20,000 hours...

Even if it were 24 hours a day, it would take two years and three months to test, but that's impossible because the engine needs maintenance and repairs, and there are at most 18 hours a day.

How much fuel does it consume in 20,000 hours, and how much does the testing facility cost?
This is just the theoretical lifespan; what if it's extended?

Moreover, the initial testing is relatively slow because it requires constant maintenance to determine engine data, the time of the first major overhaul, fuel consumption, and so on.

The testing process will also include various stress tests, such as heavy rain and foreign objects.

Fortunately, a technical team came with the machines. First, the entire testing workshop had to learn the testing process before they could go to the testing station to test.

December 7, 1980, a Sunday with heavy snow.

The CA001 aero engine produced by Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Company was successfully ignited in the Chengdu Aero Engine Test Workshop.

It successfully ran for an hour on the first ignition, and after an initial check, no problems were found, so testing continued.

That evening, information about this aero-engine was delivered to the desk of the higher-ups.

"Good, good!" The superiors looked at the simple line of words: Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant's first civil aviation engine was successfully ignited on the test stand and ran smoothly for 6 hours, achieving the expected results.

The lifespan of turbojet aircraft engines currently produced domestically is very short, and the only domestically produced engines are fighter jet engines.

The Y-10 uses imported engines, and the domestically produced WS-8 turbofan engine is not yet mature. The core technologies of titanium alloy welding and plasma spraying have not been mastered. Although this engine has 170 hours of test flights, it has experienced several instances of blade breakage.

The engine was unfortunately abandoned in history because the technology did not meet the requirements. Originally, it was planned to have six of these engines on the H-6 bomber, but the project could not continue due to the immaturity of the technology.

Furthermore, there is another point: this engine involves too many organizations, including 65 companies and 10 subordinate organizations of the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry.

One can imagine how difficult it must be to coordinate the work of so many organizations.

"Well done, Xiao Li!" The superior was in a good mood, lit a cigarette, and praised him.

"When will that temple movie from Hong Kong Island be shown here? I'll go see it when it's shown."

"Let's see what movie caused such a huge uproar within the Third Leader's faction." The temple incident involving the Third Leader has escalated and has now developed into a conflict between multiple religious sects and Hinduism.

There are too many sects and too many ethnic groups in the country, and there are also conflicts between the local and central governments. This temple incident has caused a large-scale upheaval.

The three leaders have more than a dozen official languages ​​in different regions. These are ethnic languages ​​of one or several states, so there are some differences in culture.

The temple incident exacerbated the conflict between the third-ranking princely state and the central government.

The main problem is that there's so much gold in the temple; it's said to weigh several thousand tons now, but I don't know if that's true.

"It will start playing on New Year's Day." Upon hearing this, the secretary knew that the leader was not just going to see a movie, but also making a statement.

There is still considerable controversy surrounding this issue, especially regarding cultural aspects.

There are still quite a few concerns. Temple Run doesn't have much political leaning; it's just a simple adventure movie.

"Make arrangements in advance."

"Furthermore, this good news must be reported properly, so that certain companies can see our technological strength." The superior was referring to McDonnell Douglas's cooperation with the mainland.

McDonnell Douglas offered very favorable terms, including the transfer of all the technology for the DC-10 series. However, the price they asked for was also very high. They not only wanted to buy the DC-10 orders that had been cancelled by other airlines, but also wanted to purchase the production line and transfer the technology for an additional $12 billion.

McDonnell Douglas is planning to develop a new generation of aircraft, and it will certainly need to convert its non-performing assets into cash.

Although some of the production lines can still be used in the future, the new aircraft designs have not yet been completed, so these production lines are non-performing assets.

We can establish a production line once the new aircraft is designed.

As for why?
McDonnell Douglas CEO: I can't be CEO forever. As long as I get through this crisis and the financial reports look good during my time here, that's all that matters. What happens after that is none of my business.

However, the mainland is now somewhat disgusted with the DC-10 because the aircraft has been grounded, and buying it would be like selling it to someone who is stuck with it.
Moreover, the core technology of Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant is even more advanced than that of the DC10.

However, some people are worried that Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant will become too dominant, since the aircraft manufacturing plant is entirely foreign-owned and the aircraft patents and other related matters are held by foreign companies.

So if it's cheap, I'll buy it; if it's expensive, I'll pass.

In other words, your DC10 already has a bad reputation, and we might be in a mess as well. We're willing to offer a huge discount, but nothing else is negotiable. Anyway, we already have a domestic supplier, so we're not worried.

"Okay!" The secretary quickly went to relay the instructions.

Li Song went out with Zhu Ling in Shanghai. Zhu Ling asked, "I heard that Hong Kong Island is very prosperous, is that true?"

“Yes, how about we go to Hong Kong Island? The weather there is quite nice.” Both Li Song and Zhu Ling were wearing scarves, hats, and trench coats.

"I'll go after I finish filming here." Zhu Ling also wanted to see how prosperous Hong Kong Island was.

"Okay!" Li Song knew that Zhu Ling was busy right now. They would first film scenes for the movie "Jinling", and then immediately film the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The next day, when Li Song returned to Guangzhou from Shanghai, Ma Shengli asked for Li Song's opinion: "Mr. Li, the higher authorities want to promote the first aircraft manufactured by Chang'an Aircraft Factory and want to ask for your opinion. They also hope that you can come out of the country, as it is inconvenient for other technical staff to appear on camera."

"Moreover, this will greatly help Mr. Li recruit people from various universities. If Mr. Li is willing, he can also give speeches at various universities."

Upon hearing this, Li Song said, "I can appear on camera for the airplane news, but there's no need for me to give a speech. With my level of education, giving a speech would mislead people. Besides, I think the ivory tower should be about academics, not about money."

"Because there are very, very few cases like mine."

(End of this chapter)