Great Power Technology

Imperial Capital, Daxing International Airport.

In this highly modern airport, a very traditional ceremony is taking place at this time.

Of course, this kind of ceremony is not about worshiping ghosts and gods or offering sacrifices to the sky, but about passing through the water gate.

Yes, a new aircraft has been delivered to Air China, and today will be the first flight of this aircraft.

Two fire trucks sprayed out high water jets, and the highest points of the water jets were connected together. The colliding water flow spread out and fell like a waterfall onto the plane that was slowly passing through the water gate, bringing a dazzling light. rainbow.

The aircraft passing through the Watergate is the first large passenger aircraft to be officially delivered for use, the C969, which is produced under the leadership of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, with the assistance of XAC and Fengfei Aircraft Corporation.

This passenger plane is equipped with two Qilian-2 aero engines with a total thrust of 320 tons. The fuselage uses a large number of composite materials and the wingspan reaches 63 meters.

Like the Boeing 787, the largest passenger aircraft in service in the world, the cross-section shape of this aircraft adopts a double arc shape, and adopts the design of smooth wings, streamlined nose, and shark fin-shaped wing tips and tails to optimize the head space. On the premise of ensuring the aerodynamic layout, the cabin space utilization is greatly improved, and it can accommodate up to 410 passengers at the same time.

This data exceeds the Boeing 787 by nearly 20%. Because of this, there have been many voices of doubt internationally.

For example, excessive pursuit of cockpit width may lead to damage to the overall lift structure, dense arrangement of seats leads to narrow space, complex electronic design reduces flight safety, etc.

But when the aircraft was actually publicly displayed and officially put into service, all these doubts seemed to disappear overnight.

the reason is simple:

One country issued an airworthiness certificate for this aircraft at the speed of light.

For the senior officials of COMAC and Air China, this airworthiness certificate is not a timely help at all, not even the icing on the cake, because according to their plan, regardless of whether the other party wants to issue an airworthiness certificate, in fact, this first flight All can fly.

However, with recognition in the traditional sense of the industry, their work will become a little easier.

At this moment, Cai Jianjiang, COMAC's chief engineer in charge of the C969 project, was standing in the shadows on the tarmac not far from the water gate, and next to him was Air China's chairman, Song Zhiyong.

“It’s really not easy to come this far.”

Cai Jianjiang sighed with emotion and said.

"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there has never been an easy time. But now it's better. At least we have our own big planes. From now on, our road will become wider and wider."

"That's what I said, but no one dares to guarantee it until the end. It's not like we haven't experienced the honeymoon period, but what's the result? After we let them slow down, they beat us harder than anyone else."

"The past was before, and now is now. Okay, let's not talk about this kind of topic today. How about we make the first flight soon, and you will go too?"

After hearing Song Zhiyong's words, Cai Jianjiang nodded slightly and replied:

"Of course I want to go. If the big plane I made with my own hands can't even make its first flight, then my past decades will be in vain. As for you, there is no need for you to go. You are a high-ranking person after all. The weight, if something goes wrong, I can’t afford to explain.”

Song Zhiyong smiled and said:

"After I bought a car, I had to test drive it myself. Now that I have bought such an expensive big plane, it would be a bit unreasonable not to let me take it for the first time. Don't worry, I believe in your level and test it all It’s been done so many times, what else can go wrong?”

"It's not about whether you believe us or not, it's a matter of principle."

"alright."

Song Zhiyong waved his hand, interrupted Cai Jianjiang's words, and then continued:

"I know the principled things in my heart. However, what I consider is not my own safety, nor the stability of the aircraft's performance. As the chairman of Air China, I must and must consider more. Lots of stuff.”

"You know, this is the first real delivery of our domestically produced large aircraft. No matter how much confidence we have in this large aircraft internally, in fact, whether it is internationally or domestically, we have no confidence in the safety of this aircraft. I still have my doubts.”

"This suspicion will not change because of a bunch of data, nor will it change because of an airworthiness certificate. What they are looking for is a more perceptual understanding."

"This is a very simple psychology. If your manufacturer doesn't dare to drive a car, then no one else will dare to drive it. If a chef doesn't dare to eat a plate of food, neither will anyone else. If an airplane doesn't I don’t dare to sit, and many people don’t dare to sit.”

"We can't accuse these people of being stupid, nor can we say 'let time prove everything', because time cannot prove such a thing."

"We can only follow their wishes and do what they want to see."

"Don't think this is a compromise. Like I said, this is the first large aircraft purchased under my personal decision and organization. It is also the first large aircraft to fly on our own routes in the history of our republic. I don’t want to miss this historic moment.”

"So, subjectively, I want to sit, but objectively, I have to sit, so why should I hesitate?"

"Okay, don't think so much, let's go witness history together."

Two hours later, Song Zhiyong and Cai Jianjiang took off from Daxing International Airport on the C969. After two hours of flight, they crossed half of China and landed at Chang'an International Airport.

There were no accidents during this flight. It was so uneventful that it didn't feel like a first flight, but rather as if they had flown this road countless times.

Reporters who had been waiting at the airport for a long time swarmed the two as soon as they stepped out of the cabin. One of the female reporters jumped up and asked loudly:

"Mr. Song, how was your flight this time? Is our big plane comfortable?"

Song Zhiyong looked at her movements, couldn't help but smile, and then answered:

"Very comfortable! After a two-hour flight, I experienced the first class, business class, and economy class of C969. I can responsibly assure you that the flying experience on this aircraft is definitely far superior to that of most current airlines."

"In addition, our passenger entertainment system is also very advanced. I can even access the game lobby through the airliner network in the air and play Landlords in the same room with my friends on the ground."

"Believe me, this is an experience you won't get on any other airliner."

After hearing his words, a male reporter suddenly shouted:

"Mr. Song, I heard that the redundant thrust of this aircraft is close to 40%. Does this mean that if the aircraft is in danger in the air, the thrust of only one engine can bring the passengers back safely?"

"Perhaps it would be more appropriate for you to ask Mr. Cai this question."

Song Zhiyong looked at Cai Jianjiang who was standing aside. The latter pondered for a moment and then answered:

“This question must first be answered in two parts.”

"First of all, what is the probability that our aircraft will have an engine problem in the air? But it is very small, so small that it is unlikely to occur within the flight life of this aircraft."

"Secondly, whether the aircraft can return safely on a single engine. In fact, unlike what you think, this is not only an issue related to the engine, but also an issue related to the flight control system."

"Here, I can answer you responsibly: At this stage, our aero-engine technology and flight control technology are among the best in the world. We are the first in the world, not the first echelon."

"So, we can do things that other aircraft can do; we can also do things that other aircraft can't do!"

Hearing his words, there was a burst of exclamation in the crowd, and then someone continued to ask:

"Chief Engineer Cai, I have another question here. As the Chief Engineer of COMAC, what are your expectations for the future development of our civil aviation industry?"

As soon as this question came out, the originally noisy reporters immediately fell silent. After looking around for a week, Cai Jianjiang said solemnly:

"This is a big issue and I can't go into too much detail here, nor can I reveal all the details due to confidentiality requirements."

"But just from the scope of publicity, I can answer your question from several angles."

"First of all, we will establish the world's largest and densest international freight and passenger routes in the future, and build China into the world's largest air port."

"Secondly, we will continue to update large aircraft models, pursue improvements in the three dimensions of mileage, fuel consumption, and speed, and improve the efficiency of international air mobility."

"Third, we will further deepen the reform of the aviation industry, train a large number of industrial workers, experts, engineers and related practitioners, create jobs and assume social responsibilities."

"These three strategies complement each other and will continue to enhance our utilization of the sky in the future and establish our own aviation network."

"As everyone knows, we now have plans for a new Silk Road and a Maritime Silk Road, and after our C969's first flight, the Air Silk Road plan that has been disclosed to everyone will officially enter the implementation stage."

"In history, there was once a country called the 'Empire on which the Sun Never Sets.' We do not have such ambitions for hegemony, but we will establish our own 'Route on which the Sun never sets' through the development of the aviation industry."

After hearing his words, the faces of many reporters present showed expressions of anticipation. After a moment, the short female reporter who was the first to ask questions asked:

"General Manager Cai, I heard that we will establish a route that circles all major countries in the world. Will this route be called the 'Aerial Silk Road' in the future? Or, internally, we will have other plans for these routes." call?"

A mysterious smile appeared on Cai Jianjiang's face. After a moment of pause, he replied:

"This is a good question. In fact, we have also discussed this issue internally. The original name was 'The Route on which the Sun Never Sets', but most people objected to this name because they thought, well, it was unlucky."

"So, after taking some input, we gave the route a new name."

"However, today, I cannot announce this name to everyone because it is closely related to another major achievement in the aviation field."

"Please wait patiently. Soon, maybe in a few years, this name will be known to everyone."