Valley Emperor
Vol 2 Chapter 2201: aircraft age
Like many new technologies and new products, electric fans were not invented until Xuanping's 64th year. In fact, this thing appeared in Xuanping's 55th year.
However, that and even the following years were only used as a new gadget, only used in some specific occasions, and could not enter the market as a daily necessities at all.
Because before the Datang Empire, there was no large-scale power supply network at all, and only some factories or special institutions would generate and supply power by themselves.
Not only electric fans, other electrical products are similar, such as electric lights is the most obvious example.
It has not been popular for so many years.
But it is different now. With the second industrial development plan, the application of electricity has been upgraded to a strategic level, and the imperial government has come forward to build a large-scale power supply network, which makes the electrical appliances represented by electric lights begin to truly enter the consumer market. .
In just one year, Zhili Electric Power Company took the lead in completing the basic AC power supply network construction in Shanghai and Jinling urban areas, and began to provide power to various official institutions, commercial institutions, and wealthy businessmen. Although the power supply network at this time was very Unstable, in fact, all major power-consuming institutions still retain generator sets to generate their own power in the event of a power outage.
However, the success of the construction of the power supply network in these two cities is still a new chapter in a new electrical age for the empire!
As a result, in just one year, electric lights have been rapidly popularized in Shanghai and Jinling, and major official institutions, commercial institutions, and powerful residences have begun to install electric lights.
At this time, the relatively cheap electric fans introduced by Jingkai Electric Company have really come into use.
Otherwise, it is useless to buy an electric fan!
After the introduction of cheap electric fans, although the price is still in the category of luxury goods, it is still favored by the market. Even the Palace Affairs Office has purchased a batch of electric fans for use in the palace.
And every move of the Tang royal family has always been easy to follow suit!
Electric lights are like this, and so are electric fans. Therefore, electric fans have become a new thing pursued by powerful people overnight.
Whether it is electric lights or electric fans, the emergence and popularization of these consumer-grade products has changed the empire in just one or two years.
Even many people have such an illusion, as if the whole world is different after they wake up from sleep.
Did you fall behind? Or is the world changing too fast?
No, many people in Jinling City were only shocked by the night view of Jinling City a few days ago, but a few days ago, many people just read the new news from the newspaper, saying that Datang Airlines will soon Its newly developed aircraft has undergone test flight, and it is a large-range test flight!
Many people are full of interest and expectations for the test flight of the airline's new aircraft!
However, many people are also worried that the safety of the aircraft is not good, and that there will be serious flight risks like airships. Many people remember that more than ten years ago, it was Datang Airlines, which was doing airship passenger transport with great fanfare, and it was the first time that the airship was carried. There was an accident in the passenger flight!
The explosion did not explode, but because the propeller power was too small at that time, and the weather forecast was not good. When encountering air currents, the airship would fly around, and it would not be able to fly towards a fixed route at all.
Finally, the first passenger airship in history set off from Jinling with more than 20 passengers, all the way to the east, crossed Zhenjiang, crossed Shanghai, and never returned to the sea...
Until now, people still don't know where the airship was finally destroyed...
This accident directly led to the bankruptcy of the airship passenger transport plan, and the public opinion has a huge doubt about the airship. Even though the technology is more mature now, there are still widespread doubts about the safety of the airship. People would rather take the train and take the steamer. What airship would you like to take.
Datang Airlines subsequently tried to promote the commercial flight plan of airships several times, but all ended in failure... No one wants to travel by airship!
So now, the airships of the Datang Empire are basically limited to the military and scientific research fields, and the commercial passenger airships died as soon as they started.
However, it has been relatively successful in the field of military and scientific research. The military has equipped many airships for reconnaissance and patrol use, but what should I say, it is of little practical significance, because the Tang Empire has no enemies worthy of their use of airships to investigate... …
Of course, this is also related to the emperor's attitude towards the airship!
As a later generation, Li Xuan knows the advantages and disadvantages of airships. If there is no other alternative, airships can actually be used.
But the problem is that when the technology of the airship matures, the technology of the aircraft is almost mature.
Just like now, although Datang Airlines has been able to come up with more advanced and safer hard airbag airships, it has even tested long-distance flight and achieved success.
But the plane also appeared!
Therefore, Li Xuan is more inclined to directly develop the aircraft, rather than the very limited airship!
In the 60th year of Xuanping, Li Xuan, the Son of Heaven, personally visited the first test flight of a manned aircraft, and gave great praise and support after the successful flight.
After the Son of Heaven clearly expressed its support for the aircraft, Datang Airlines put its main energy on the research and development of the aircraft!
After four years of careful preparation and many previous test flights, Datang Airlines is finally ready to make another big move, ready to conduct a large-range flight test!
Prepare to take off from Jinling, then go to Zhenjiang for a lap and come back, the entire air voyage will last more than 300 kilometers.
In fact, before the public flight, they have secretly conducted a dozen experimental flights, all of which have been successful, otherwise they would not have launched the public flight with great fanfare.
For this flight plan, the high-level performance of the empire has paid great attention to it. In addition to the military, which has been paying attention to the development of the aircraft, the Son of Heaven will once again visit and watch the test flight in person.
Li Xuan went to watch the test flight in person, which undoubtedly raised the political height of this flight test by several levels.
Before the start of the flight test, many imperial dignitaries were inquiring about the aircraft, not to say that they were interested in this shit, but to show that they understood aircraft in front of the Son of Heaven and were not behind the times...
Even the grandson is no exception!
Although he had heard Li Xuan talking about planes many times in the past few years, and learned the importance of planes from Li Xuan's mouth, he still had certain doubts about the practicality of those simple planes.
However, even if it is skeptical, it is still necessary to understand what should be understood, and what should be paid attention to.
Who let the Son of Heaven personally pay attention to the matter of the plane?
On May 26, Xuanping 65 years, Li Xuan, the Son of Heaven, along with his grandson Li Hongyi and other high-level imperial executives approached the airport of Datang Airlines, ready to watch the flight test event!
The southern suburb of Jinling, where Datang Airlines is located, is also the location of the aircraft research institute jointly established by them and the Royal Institute of Technology. Li Xuan, accompanied by several principals of the company, visited the joint aircraft research institute of their company and the Royal Institute of Technology. !
After watching this for a while, it gave Li Xuan a good feeling. There are hundreds of researchers in the institute, and most of them are professionals from the Royal Institute of Technology.
With a lot of contemporary most advanced instruments and equipment, the overall research conditions are quite good.
In several laboratories in their research room, Li Xuan also saw some aircraft models that they are still developing.
Among them, there are many wooden biplane models, but there are also monoplane models, and even metal monoplane concept models. There are also various power layouts, including two-wing propeller layouts, nose layouts, back layouts, and even tail layouts.
More than a dozen experimental aircraft models, large and small, have covered most of the elements of the propeller aircraft era in Li Xuan's view.
Of course, Li Xuan also knows that most of the above are just concepts and models. It is not easy to create them at present, and it can even be said to be impossible.
The technology is not at that point, and the concept is useless no matter how good it is.
Then Li Xuan visited their core R&D department, which is the engine R&D department. This R&D department is much more important than the simple airframe design.
Whether the plane can fly, how far and how high it can fly depends on the engine.
As the saying goes, as long as the engine is good enough, bricks can fly to the sky.
Datang Airlines' aero-engine research and development began with automobile engines.
But until now, aero engines are already very different from those used in automobiles.
The engine that Li Xuan saw in front of him was a very special fixed-cylinder radial engine with air cooling. This is also the engine of the No. 16 test machine that is expected to fly today.
According to the designer, the horsepower of this engine reaches 150 horsepower, but the weight and volume are extremely small, and the thrust-to-weight ratio is higher. Combined, it is enough to push the No. 16 test machine to a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the fuel consumption of this type of engine is relatively low, which can allow the aircraft to fly for a long time, thereby increasing the range.
The speed of 200 kilometers per hour and the range of 350 kilometers of the No. 16 test plane were brought about by the greatly improved performance of this engine.
In the previous No. 15 and No. 14 test machines, the speed was only more than 100 kilometers per hour, and the cruising range was only more than 100 kilometers.
As for the earlier test machines, such as the No. 1 test machine that can be loaded into history, it only flew in the air for a mere fifty-six seconds!
In just a few years, Datang Airlines has been conducting research and development tests from the No. 1 test machine to the current No. 16 test machine!
The most difficult part is actually not the body design, but the design and development of the engine!
As for the airframe, although there are many disciplines involved and complex, but looking at the dozens of different types of airframe models in the airline laboratory, you can see that they are actually in an advanced state in terms of airframe design, and manufacturing is also in an advanced state. Very simple, the current body uses steel, wood, and skin as materials, no matter whether it is processed or assembled, it is not difficult for the contemporary Datang Empire.
But the engine thing is not very easy to do, not to say that it can't be designed, but that it can't be designed and produced.
It is just the engine development in front of me. According to them, it has been tossing for four or five years. Since the establishment of the United Aircraft Research Institute, this engine has been regarded as a key research project, and the basic design has been completed a long time ago. It could not be produced, or it was barely produced, and there were many failures. It was only in recent months that it was barely successfully developed and was ready to fly.
With the strong technical support of the Royal Institute of Technology, the United Aircraft Research Institute has made it so difficult, and it is estimated that it is even more difficult for several other domestic companies that follow suit.
Datang Airlines can get the technical support of the Royal Institute of Technology, not because their company is awesome, but because of the attention of the Son of Heaven, otherwise, the Royal Institute of Technology would not have put most of the staff of the entire Aeronautical Institute. It was moved to the United Aircraft Research Institute.
Before Datang Airlines started the aircraft, the Aeronautical Research Institute of the Royal Institute of Technology had been researching it more than ten years in advance. It was precisely because of their strong technical reserves that they could develop the aircraft to the current No. 16 test within a few years. machine.
After carefully visiting their Joint Aircraft Research Institute, Li Xuan took people to the test flight field outside.
This test flight field doesn't look like a primitive aircraft factory at all. There is a kilometer-long runway in the huge open space, and this runway is still run on asphalt and gravel, but it is not primitive grass or mud.
There is a large open space on the side of the run, and there are more than 20 different styles of aircraft on it, some of which are very primitive aircraft, and some are more decent-looking biplanes.
These are different test planes from No. 1 to No. 15. Li Xuan has no interest in these early test planes. He focuses on the two biplanes parked in front.
In appearance, it is much more perfect than other early test aircraft parked at the airport. In Li Xuan's opinion, it is very consistent with the early biplane in his memory.
Li Xuan also stepped forward to take a closer look, and personally wished the pilot a successful flight!
When the young pilot heard Li Xuan's personal encouragement, he was quite excited, and gave Li Xuan a standard military salute: "I will definitely live up to the emperor's grace, and I will complete the test flight mission successfully!"
Li Xuan looked at the young pilot. Under the thick leather jacket, was the army uniform with the army captain's collar pin on it!
The flight mission of Datang Airlines, regardless of whether it is a flight or an aircraft, has always been the responsibility of the military pilots.
Because airships have always been military equipment in the Tang Empire, both the army and the navy have equipment. The army is currently equipped with more than ten medium and large rigid airships, and the navy also has several.
However, the main tasks of these airships are not combat or bombing. They mainly conduct training tests, explore some experience, and occasionally conduct some experimental air supply and transportation, which is regarded as a kind of experimental equipment.
Although the role of airships is not very big for the time being, the military actually has certain hopes for them, or else they would not take risks and have been experimenting with equipment.
Airships are like this, and so are planes!
When the plane was first produced, the army had already come to the door and offered to provide personnel to help with the test flight. The army also trained pilots and maintenance personnel in advance to prepare for the subsequent establishment of a formal aircraft force.
After the simple condolences ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Li Xuan and others waited aside, waiting for the official test flight of the plane.
It didn't take long for the No. 16 test aircraft to be ready. One of the No. 1 aircraft took the lead to start taxiing on the runway. After taxiing for a while, the No. 1 aircraft slowly lifted off the ground. After an interval of about 30 seconds, The second plane also took off successfully.
Li Xuan kept watching the two planes take off with a telescope, and watched them fly towards the east after a simple circle in the sky.
After the plane went east, Li Xuan and others naturally waited!
After a long time, it was reported that Zhenjiang Airport reported that the test machine had successfully arrived and landed. After a brief inspection, it will be launched again and return to Jinling City.
After waiting for another hour, two small black spots appeared in the sky again, and soon the black spots expanded rapidly. Finally, they entered the airport and landed smoothly on the runway!
Watching the plane land in the forest, Li Xuan was not as excited as the people around him, but said calmly to the grandson next to him: "A new era has begun!"
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