Rebirth in America

"Mr. Hughes?" Alex asked tentatively.

The man turned around and saw a pale, tired face. He had a mustache and was shirtless. It was very similar to the photos of Howard Hughes that Alex had seen before, except that they were not so pale and aged.

"Alex, when I was your age, I also dreamed of doing something that others couldn't do. However, I am not you after all. You succeeded in doing it, but mine stayed in the fantasy. . On this point, I have to admire you." Hughes still said in his high-pitched voice, probably because of one of the injuries caused by the test flight crash.

Alex shook his head and said, "You did something that others couldn't do. Mr. Hughes, you are the pride of Americans! You are a hero!"

"No, I can't make a perfect movie like "The Sound of Music." After watching this movie, people feel that the people in that world are very real and perfect. I can't help but want to be special. One of the Rapp kids, they’re just so happy.”

Alex then talked about the problems encountered in making this movie, and specifically thanked Hughes for providing the plane. The two of them discussed various problems encountered during aerial photography. For example, how do they solve the problem of lens vibration, the position of the shooting target in the lens, etc.

Hughes once filmed an air combat film called "Hell's Angels". To film this film, he spent US$2.1 million on aircraft usage fees alone and rented 87 aircraft, including French Spartan fighter jets, British SE5 fighter jets, Camel bombers, German Fokker fighter jets, 135 pilots and 2,000 extras. The number of photographers used is so large that it accounts for almost half of the total number of photographers in Hollywood.

When it comes to topics that interest him, Hughes talks excitedly and eloquently. He is not at all as withdrawn and talkative as others describe him to be.

After they opened up the topic, they surprisingly found that both parties were very chatty. Hughes makes Alex feel like an enhanced version of "Sheldon," a nerdy scientist with an eccentric temper and nervousness. Hughes probably has obsessive-compulsive disorder just like Sheldon. As a result, one was ruined by the abuse, while the other lived well because of the care of relatives and friends.

Alex had a similar friend before, and he had experience dealing with this kind of person. When he got along with Hughes, he didn't feel any different. Each of them has their own way of getting along. As long as they adapt to each other's way of getting along, they will find it easy to communicate.

Their discussions first moved from filming movies to the manufacturing and production of aircraft. In this regard, Alex's experience is far less than that of Hughes, but fortunately he comes from an era of information explosion and the Internet era. Some of his aircraft theories were so clear and logical that even Hughes kept nodding in praise after hearing them.

"You mean, using swept wings instead of delta wings, and the slenderer the fuselage, the faster the aircraft?" Hughes excitedly drew what Alex said on a piece of paper, and he found that doing so , which can indeed keep the aircraft flying at high speed.

"Yes, but there is a big problem here." Alex pointed to the fuselage and said: "The slender fuselage can indeed minimize the resistance caused by flight, and the longitudinally designed fuel tank system of the aircraft also It is more suitable for high-speed flight. However, what we have to consider is whether the aircraft's materials can hold up. The slender fuselage means higher material requirements."

Hughes nodded in agreement. He thought for a while and said: "With the rapid development of materials nowadays, we will definitely be able to find suitable ones for use. Your idea is indeed good. I think such an aircraft will definitely be able to be manufactured in the future."

Alex said to himself, of course it is good, this is the design plan for the later Concorde passenger aircraft. When he was looking at pictures online, he saw a strange airplane shape. So out of curiosity, I searched on Baidu and saw the relevant data, and now I can actually use it.

"However, I think that the ultimate human aircraft will be a space shuttle that can fly into the universe. If I have the ability, I must build such an aircraft." Alex sighed.

When Hughes heard what Alex said, he seemed to be reminded. He immediately jumped up and said, "Space shuttle? Tell me what kind of plane that is."

So Alex mentioned the data he had seen. He said: "The space shuttle is a future aircraft. It takes off horizontally like an ordinary aircraft and travels at a speed of 16,000 to 30,000 kilometers per hour. The speed of sound flies in the atmosphere. The flight speed at an altitude of 30 to 100 kilometers is 12 to 25 times the speed of sound, and it can directly accelerate into the earth's orbit and become a spacecraft. After returning to the atmosphere, it lands at the airport like an airplane and becomes a free shuttle between heaven and earth. transportation between.”

Hughes' adrenaline surged when he heard that. He clenched his fists excitedly, walked back and forth, and said: "Yes, yes! Alex, you are very good. Our plane must be able to be free like you said." The earth is in and out of this planet! The earth is the cradle of our humanity, but now we are still like babies, still lying in the cradle and unable to get out. As long as we cannot fly out of the earth for one day, we still have not grown."

Alex's words are simply groundbreaking for people of this era. At this time, there were not even satellites, let alone a space shuttle capable of flying beyond the earth.

The important thing is that Alex is not just talking nonsense, his description is very realistic. Even the most imaginative people cannot accurately describe such a specific scene. Those science fiction novelists can only give some vague and unclear fantasy fragments, just like looking at the future through a layer of frosted glass. .

However, Alex's description allows those who are most concerned about this technology to see the future path clearly. Hughes keenly saw the future direction from it, and the scene in his mind had never been so clear at this moment.

However, Alex knew that it would take at least decades, or even half a century, to achieve this path. Seeing how excited Hughes was, he took a shot and said, "We probably won't see this kind of situation again. After all, the development of science and technology is not magic. It can only be achieved step by step."

Hughes thought about it carefully and felt that Alex's words made sense, but he still said: "The future you describe may not come soon, but someone has to take the first step. Just like in my time , traveling around the world by plane is still an elusive thing. When someone takes that step, this kind of thing will become easier and simpler. Now even ordinary Americans can spend You can travel around the world on TWA in just a few days.”

After hearing this, Alex agreed very much with what he said. It was the pioneers of global flight such as Hughes and Lindbergh who popularized the idea of ​​flying around the world. In their day, not to mention flying around the world, even flying was an extremely dangerous thing. Many people are afraid of accidental crashes and are extremely resistant to this novelty.

Hughes bit his nails and walked back and forth. He thought for a long time and said, "Alex, do you want to cooperate with me on something big? Something that will shock the world."

Alex asked strangely: "What? What needs to be cooperated with me, but you can't do it alone?"

"Let's start an aerospace company together! Yes, it's called an aerospace company. Our goal is the universe. It's not an aircraft company that stays in the atmosphere. If we want to start one, we'll start an aerospace company."

Alex didn't expect that his nonsense would make Hughes think like this. This is really unexpected. Just a little hint gave Howard Hughes such a grand vision.

However, if Alex really understood Hughes, he would not be surprised at all that Hughes would want to build an airplane that can travel into and out of the universe. In fact, American aerospace technology is one step ahead of the Soviet Union precisely because of Hughes.

Hughes regards talents as valuable assets of the enterprise and often uses high salaries to recruit outstanding scientists, engineering and technical experts and senior corporate managers to establish a world-class team of scientific, technological and corporate managers. He never rests on his laurels or rests on his laurels. Continuously forge ahead and innovate, striving to catch up with the rapid and extremely violent wave of scientific and technological revolution. This is another Howard Hughes trait.

After he founded Hughes Electronics Industrial Company in the 1950s and achieved great success, UU Kanshu www.uukanshu.net has been looking for challenges in new fields. When the Soviet Union launched its first artificial satellite in 1957, it shocked the world and shocked Hughes. At the same time, it also pointed out a direction for Hughes, that is, the vast universe. Not just Hughes, almost everyone in that era looked up at the sky, hoping to fly into the universe one day.

In the 1960s, Hughes sold all of his shares in TWA. He used the money to establish Hughes Aerospace and Communications Company, which soon launched the world's first geosynchronous satellite in 1963, the world's first geosynchronous weather satellite in 1966, and the Explorer in 1966. The No. 1 lunar landing module has since kicked off the grand plan of human beings landing on the moon.

It can be said that Hughes was indispensable for the United States' successful landing on the moon in 1969. Now Hughes actually wants to take Alex with him, which is really unexpected.

"What do you think?" Hughes was still waiting for Alex's answer, his eyes showing eagerness and enthusiasm. He likes Alex, and he hopes that Alex can join his path, fight and struggle together.

Alex didn't notice this. His thoughts had already drifted far away. He was imagining space and the moon. Now there is still nothing there, unlike the American flag flying like in later generations, and the outer space of the earth is not yet filled with man-made objects.

The current universe is like a wilderness, waiting for research and development by people on earth. The age of spaceflight has not yet arrived. Should he join Hughes' plan?