Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 77, Section 76: Aviation Flight Apprentice - Trading Tung Oil for an Airplane

Golden Buddha statues are extremely precious items, no matter where they are. As the saying goes, "Don't flaunt your wealth, or thieves won't covet it."

Fang Wen carried the round wooden box away from the airport as if nothing had happened, as if the box contained just ordinary pastries.

When he returned to his residence, he saw Shunzi tidying up Shao Sishen's room.

"Shunzi, it's all set. Accompany Mr. Shao to the airport to take a look around and familiarize him with the situation."

"Young Master," Shunzi ran over and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Shao said he's here to teach pilots. Does Taishan Airlines want to recruit flight apprentices? Can I apply?"

"Judging from your performance, how's the security team training going?" Fang Wen asked.

"The instructor said I can do it, and my academic performance is better than others," Shunzi boasted to Fang Wen proudly.

"Keep it up, you have a chance." Fang Wen patted Shunzi on the shoulder and went into the bedroom.

After closing the door, my breathing became rapid.

Carefully open the round wooden box, take out the Buddha statue covered with brocade cloth, turn on the electric light, and it shines with golden light.

These are all just external illusions; the real value lies in what's inside the golden Buddha statue.

Fang Wen held the golden Buddha in both hands and closed his eyes.

That persistent, faint feeling of energy flowing in reappeared.

Yes, that's it—the special energy that enhances one's mechanical perception.

Eager to do so, Fang Wen tried various ways to absorb the energy of the golden Buddha.

The first method to rule out is obtaining the energy of the golden Buddha through non-contact means. Regardless of the angle or direction, as long as there is a certain distance between the non-contact source and the object, it cannot be achieved.

Let's test it by contact.

The simplest way is to touch it with your hands, which ensures energy transfer.

However, energy can still be transferred through contact with the skin and joints of the arm.

Time passed slowly. Shunzi and Shao Sichen returned after taking a walk outside, and also brought back food from the airline cafeteria.

Then, Fang Shouxin returned and knocked on the door, saying, "Young Master, the Citibank draft has been cashed, a total of 2000 US dollars."

Fang Wen then opened the door and took the green banknotes handed to him by Fang Shouxin.

Although these banknotes are all 10 yuan in face value, they come in two designs: the 1929 design is smaller, and the 1922 design is larger.

Wait, there's another one that's different.

Fang Wen pulled out the document to examine it; it was a $20 gold voucher.

"Uncle Fang, what's going on with this?"

"The bank staff said they didn't have any 10-yuan notes, so they would use this instead. They said this thing was more valuable than banknotes and could be directly exchanged for gold of the same value in US dollars."

A note that can be exchanged for gold is acceptable, considering it's only worth $20.

Without giving it much thought, Fang Wen beckoned to Fang Shouxin, "Uncle Fang, there's something I need to talk to you about. Come in."

After Fang Shouxin entered the room, Fang Wen unveiled the brocade cloth covering the golden Buddha on the bed.

The golden light made Fang Shouxin blink involuntarily.

"This is pure gold, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's a golden Buddha statue brought from the south. I've heard it's very efficacious, and I want to take it with me when I fly."

“Young Master is flying in the sky, he should indeed be blessed by the Bodhisattva.” Fang Shouxin nodded.

"The problem is that this thing is too eye-catching; I'm afraid people will see it if I take it out," Fang Wen said, expressing his concern.

"Let's build a Buddhist shrine. If there's a shrine, firstly, thieves won't dare to do anything if they believe in Buddhism, and secondly, the shrine will be covered by a curtain, so ordinary people can't see it from the driver's seat."

Fang Wen nodded. Although the idea wasn't perfect, it was indeed the only feasible method.

After returning from Guangzhou, everything returned to normal.

The Taishan Aviation Security Team was established after training. They usually carry short wooden sticks as security tools, but a batch of long guns are stored in the warehouse to deal with sudden dangers.

The security team is responsible for security at security checkpoints and during boarding, and also for the delivery of airmail.

Shao Sishen was assigned to the airport flight training center as the flight training director.

Currently, he is the only one in charge, without any training equipment or teaching materials.

Therefore, Fang Wen, as the general manager, specially approved 1000 silver dollars for the purchase of teaching aids and textbooks.

Shao Sishen became very dedicated to his work, taking the company shuttle bus into the city every day to buy supplies.

What he wanted to customize was training facilities specifically for pilots.

Rollers, spiral staircases, and swivel chairs.

The rollers are used to simulate acceleration and attitude changes during flight, helping pilots improve their spatial orientation and anti-vertigo abilities.

Rotary stairs and swivel chairs: These are used to improve a pilot's vestibular balance and spatial awareness, which are crucial for maintaining body balance and correctly judging flight attitude in the air.

As for the teaching materials, Shao Sishen personally compiled them, incorporating his own experience and what he had learned.

Fang Wen, on the other hand, had a Buddha statue placed in the driver's seat.

Company staff and passengers alike are saying that the Buddha statue is very efficacious and can protect the plane from crashing.

Because of this promotion, some people who were originally afraid to fly have also chosen to travel by Taishan Airlines.

And so, the uneventful days passed, until August 1933.

It's time to deliver the goods.

8 month 10 day.

The cargo ship, fully loaded with tung oil, arrived at the Nanjing dock and unloaded all the tung oil into the warehouse.

Near the dock warehouse, Fang Wen and Neil Toledo watched this scene.

"The tung oil has been stored. What about the plane?" Fang Wen asked.

"Expected arrival in ten days, Mr. Fang. Is it just a $2 transaction?" Neil Toledo looked at Fang Wen, revealing his desire without reservation.

Fang Wen knew perfectly well what was going on, but he pretended not to understand.

"What do you mean?"

Neil Toledo quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I want more tung oil. Our country currently exports a large amount of industrial products to the world, and shipbuilding and weapons preservation require a lot of tung oil. And you are the world’s largest producer of tung oil.”

"How many do you want?" Fang Wen asked.

“1 tons per year,” Neil Toledo stated his vision.

Fang Wen quickly performed calculations in his mind.

1磅0.1美元，2000磅1吨，也就是每吨200美元，1万吨的话就是200万美元每年的贸易量。

The dollar of today is completely different from the dollar of the future. The gold standard dollar was very valuable and strong, and its exchange rate hovered around 1 dollar to 1 gram of gold.

Even without my involvement, the Nationalist government and the US government would eventually reach a tung oil trade agreement.

But what would happen to that money in the end? Fang Wen guessed that most of it would end up in private pockets. If that was the case, why not do it himself? At least that would guarantee that the income from the tung oil trade could be allocated to support the war effort.

However, achieving a trade volume of 10,000 tons is no easy feat.

Fang Wen said with a serious expression, "Neil, I'm also willing to cooperate with you, but this involves very complex transaction issues. Do you know how many people are in the tung oil business?"

"I don't know," Neil Toledo answered frankly.

"Come, let's sit down and talk."

Fang Wen sat down on the stone pier at the dock, and Neil Toledo sat down next to him.

He slowly recounted the information Fang Shouxin had gathered about the tung oil business.

"As far as I know, the tung oil business is divided into two parts: market makers who purchase from the production areas and traders along the coast. Inland areas mainly include Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan-Guizhou, where there are large-scale tung oil plantations, but the geography there is complex, so the purchased tung oil can only be transported by water. This leads to the tung oil ultimately being sold in Shanghai and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area. Traders in these areas will sell some of the tung oil to local workshops for processing, and the other part will be sold abroad."

After saying this, he looked at Neil Toledo.

continued.

"This is already a well-established channel. What I can provide you is just a few scattered sources of goods within this channel. For larger quantities, we would need to establish our own integrated purchasing and sales channel."

When Neil Toledo proposed the long-term tung oil trade, he actually had no plan in mind. He knew nothing about the tung oil business in China and had no confidence in Fangwen. He relied entirely on a spirit of adventure.

But at this moment, after listening to Fang Wen's words, he felt that the chances of success had increased.

So he asked eagerly.

"How can I do what you say?"

“We need to create a big news story to attract enough attention. Then we need to tell them about the huge interests involved and entice those people to join in.”

Neil Toledo didn't understand; most businesses in this era were simple and straightforward, not complicated at all.

But after listening to Fang Wen's plan, he suddenly felt that it made a lot of sense, and then agreed to cooperate with the plan.

8 month 13 day.

Several Shanghai newspapers simultaneously published a news item, or rather, an advertisement.

Taishan Airlines is recruiting flight apprentices.

The content is as follows:

Aviation is the foundation of a nation; let us soar high and forge ahead with determination.

Due to the booming business, we urgently need to expand our pilot pool. However, there are very few people who can fly, and they are not people our company can recruit. Therefore, we are publishing this notice to recruit several flight apprentices.

Our company seeks apprentices regardless of background, selecting only those with talent.

Anyone aspiring to soar through the skies, aged 18 to under 30, is welcome to give it a try.

Only those who are physically and mentally healthy, have exceptional eyesight, possess extraordinary courage and insight, and are literate can be competent for this position.

During your apprenticeship, our company will provide comprehensive flight training, including mechanical operation, flight skills, weather observation, and physical fitness training. We also employ experienced flight instructors who will provide meticulous guidance and share their knowledge. Upon completion of your apprenticeship, you will have the opportunity to become a full-fledged pilot with our company, soaring through the skies and enjoying panoramic views.

Our company offers excellent benefits, including free room and board, and promotion opportunities. We welcome ambitious individuals to apply. Interested candidates, please register at Taishan Airlines Shanghai Airport headquarters or mail your resume to our company. We will arrange an interview as soon as possible.

May you all embark on the dream of flying high, join hands with Taishan Airlines, and create a brilliant future together!

Please share this widely, thank you very much.

Taishan Airlines
August 13, 1932
This news has attracted widespread attention.

Before Taishan Aviation, learning to fly was a difficult but accessible path, and most people were kept out of the game.

Now, there are finally aviation technology learning opportunities open to the public, and there are no requirements regarding family background. As long as you can pass the interview assessment, you can be admitted.

People are paying close attention to this.

Subsequently, several newspapers published interviews with the general manager and flight training director of Taishan Airlines.

Through exclusive interviews, people learned that the general manager of Taishan Airlines was the air hero who sank the Izumo, and even the training director was a brave warrior who survived the air battle despite being wounded.

This has made people even more interested in it.

Subsequently, a large number of people from Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and even those from the Central Plains and from the south and north, signed up.

These applicants arrived at the Taishan Airlines office outside the airport and lined up in order.

After filling out their personal information and boarding forms, they immediately began the preliminary selection process.

The preliminary selection process is required.

1. The written cultural test does not require advanced literary skills, but you must be able to recognize the basic characters on the test paper and be able to read and write them.

2. Math exam. Many applicants don't understand this. Taishan Airlines staff explained that if you don't understand math and science, you can't read maps, calculate flight routes, and naturally you can't become a flight apprentice.

3. Visual acuity test, balance test, and spatial reasoning test.

This stage tests whether the flight apprentices have the talent in this area.

After their eyesight was checked and found to be satisfactory, they were taken to the backyard.

There are wheels in the backyard.

The basic structure of a roller consists of a central shaft and a ring-shaped portion around which it rotates.

Pilots stand on rollers and simulate various maneuvers in flight by controlling their body posture and movements. This training helps pilots become familiar with dynamic changes such as turbulence, rotation, and tilt during flight, thereby enhancing their sense of balance and spatial awareness.

But the assessment is different. Applicants enter the roller, stand firmly with their feet on the ground, hold on tightly with their hands, and the staff next to them start to push the roller to rotate.

During this process, applicants with poor balance and spatial awareness may not be able to withstand the dizziness and nausea and will be disqualified.

Through a series of tests, the first batch of twenty aviation flight apprentices were selected.

And this was just the beginning; Taishan Airlines actually allowed several newspapers to enter the training ground for continuous follow-up interviews.

These articles, which interviewed participants about the training process of aviation flight apprentices, successfully attracted many readers, and the interest has remained strong ever since.

At this point, a major news story was reported in the newspapers.

That is, a Boeing subsidiary's trading company signed a contract with Taishan Airlines to exchange aircraft for tung oil.

According to the contract details reported, Taishan Airlines was responsible for supplying a large amount of tung oil to Boeing Trading Company, in exchange for the trading company providing an equivalent number of aircraft annually.

The series of reports, which already attracted a great deal of attention, immediately drew the attention of tung oil traders and market makers in Southwest China after the tung oil business emerged.

That was Fang Wen's idea.

These days, business information is scarce, everyone does their own thing, and how much you can sell depends entirely on your individual abilities.

Many tung oil business owners only have one partner in their entire careers.

It's not that they don't want to increase sales, but it's difficult; they're afraid of being scammed and having trouble getting their money back.

Fang Wen's idea was to make Taishan Airlines a nationally recognized brand, a brand that represents strength and credibility.

Then, the news about tung oil was leaked through the newspapers, so that everyone knew that Taishan Airlines was going to do business with tung oil.

Even if Taishan Airlines doesn't have a single drop of tung oil now, tung oil merchants from all over the country would still be willing to cooperate with him.

(End of this chapter)