Chapter 13: Target 700km! (Vote and Recommend)

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  Sherry had been fascinated by the fact that Sun Xiang was an aircraft designer since she heard about it, and at the same time, she was also grateful that Sun Xiang joined the army, otherwise, how would they have met? Hughes continued to drive professionally without interrupting the conversation between the two in the back seat. Sherry asked, "Where did you learn aircraft design?" Sun Xiang opened his mouth to say something and then stopped, Ah! How should I explain it? Alas, I can only continue to weave lies, even if I tell the truth, no one would believe me anyway. "Uh...Sherry, you know, my father was an excellent pilot, aircraft and flying have always been my dream, uh...my father's friend is a designer at an aircraft company, I learned design from him for three years." Women in love are all silly, Sherry didn't notice Sun Xiang's abnormality, and they chatted all the way to Hughes' institute. At the airport of the institute, a group of staff were arguing about something, and when they saw their boss's car return, they immediately surrounded it.

  "Boss!! Test flight is extremely dangerous, you can't go!" a staff member said.

  "Right, right! We have professional test pilots, you don't need to go yourself." Some staff members echoed in agreement.

  Hughes looked a bit angry: "Do you know why I set up this institute? It's because I love airplanes, love flying, they're my everything. Do you know how cruel it is to deprive someone of pursuing their dreams? The new plane shows too many strong points, it's so perfect, in any case, I must test fly."

  Everyone tried to persuade him, but to no avail. They all retreated with a helpless expression on their faces. Sun Xiang didn't say anything either, because he knew what kind of person Hughes was - once he made up his mind about something, he would stick to it unwaveringly. Although Sun Xiang also wanted to try flying the plane, seeing Hughes' resolute attitude, he could only silently wish his friend good luck. Shirley on the side also wished Hughes success.

  Hues pulled back the curtain on the plane, and a brand new aircraft appeared before everyone's eyes. It was army green, with inverted seagull-style wings, a three-bladed propeller, a sleek fuselage, and retractable landing gear. This was the new model airplane. Sherry looked at this new type of airplane in shock, having stayed on the base for two years already, she had never seen such a beautiful plane before. The previous planes were either biplanes or looked too cumbersome. As soon as Sherry saw the shape of this plane, she fell in love with it. The airport staff conducted the final inspection and maintenance work, while Sun Xiang stared blankly at the plane, lost in thought.

  Hughes' face was filled with excitement as he rubbed his hands together, eager to experience the performance of this aircraft. He quickly changed into his flight suit and after the plane's inspection and testing were completed, he boarded the aircraft, gave a thumbs up to Sun Xiang, and then focused all his attention on the plane. The airport staff removed the chocks from in front of the plane's wheels, the ground crew began waving flags, and the propellers started spinning with great force, generating massive wind pressure that blew backwards. Everyone watched the plane's movements with bated breath, while the best doctors and firefighting equipment were on standby at the research institute just in case. The F4U began to accelerate down the runway, picking up speed as it went, first lifting its front two wheels off the ground before finally taking to the air entirely. A suppressed cheer erupted from the airport staff, and Hughes' conversation with the control tower was broadcast:

  "Hughes: 'Everything's okay, guys, don't worry.'"

  Tower: "Begin testing the aircraft's climb speed, boss, be careful!"

  Hues: "Roger!" The plane started to climb vertically, and the speed of ascent was very fast. Soon the plane disappeared from view, but Hues' voice still came through the radio in the tower, "The plane is flying really fast, hey buddies! You don't know how awesome this thing is, I'm sure it's at least over 600 kilometers per hour, oh~~! I love you Steve!! You gave me such a lovely baby!"

  "Boss! Boss! Your top speed just now was 667 kilometers per hour, and your climb rate was 967 meters per minute. Oh my god, it's truly perfect!"

  Hearing the voice from the tower, Sun Xiang suddenly jumped up from the ground. This data is much stronger than the original pirate. If it's modified again and equipped with 2 machine guns, Sun Xiang thought of this and his mouth began to water. This plane would absolutely be the overlord of the sky.

  Another voice came from the tower: "When we designed the plane, its maximum range was 1,800 km. Boss, take a look at the fuel status now."

  Hues: "Alright...the current fuel usage is around 1.7%."

  Tower: "Got it, boss... Hey, buddies, it seems to be more fuel-efficient than we thought. I'm really speechless now, it's just too perfect! Boss, try some special moves and see."

  Hughes' plane performed a series of rolls and other maneuvers that tested the aircraft's structure, and everyone found that the plane was still a bit unnatural when turning, but the plane's structure had no problems. Hughes was having a great time in the sky, while the ground crew were busy recording data. Suddenly, Sun Xiang rushed up to the tower and said to Hughes over the radio: "Hughes, this is Steve. I estimate that the plane's maximum speed can reach 700 km/h or more, but it's not certain yet. Try testing the plane's maximum speed now and see if you can reach that speed."

  "Hughes: "Alright Steve, let's go watch our baby perform.""

  Hughes' plane reappeared in everyone's sight, accelerating non-stop, whizzing past the airport, and the control tower transmitted an excited voice: "Boss, the fastest speed... 713KM/h! It's too powerful, too great!" The guy in the control tower was speechless. The airport erupted in cheers, and the success of the new plane indicated that their efforts over the past few months had not been in vain. The new plane has foldable wings, even faster speeds, a range advantage, plus the original large wing load, making it the master of the sky. Hughes was having a blast in the air, and after the engine preheated, the speed increased again to 721KM/H, almost reaching the limit of propeller-driven aircraft. The test results showed that the maximum altitude reached 11,790 meters, with a range of 1,850 kilometers, a climb rate of 967 meters per minute, and an initial armament of four 12.7mm Browning machine guns. After the flight test ended, Hughes stopped the plane and received thunderous applause from everyone. Sun Xiang was also very excited, and Sherry had been watching the test flight anxiously, finally letting out a sigh of relief when the plane landed safely. With his tense mood relaxed, Hughes jumped off the plane and ran towards Sun Xiang: "See? Its performance is absolutely top-notch, even better than my H1! It will create an era for fighter jets!" Looking at Hughes' non-stop chatter, Sun Xiang knew that his dream was about to come true - flying around the world! With a new engine and several auxiliary fuel tanks installed, they could start this legendary flight. For a flight enthusiast like Hughes, there was no better news than this.

  The plane stopped at the hangar, and several engineers gathered together to summarize today's flight data. Sun Xiang, Sherry, and Hughes also listened to their conversation on the side:

  Engineer Pama: "The test flight of the plane was very successful, but there are also many problems to be solved. First, let's listen to the boss's feelings."

  Hughes: "The plane has strong power, acceleration, climbing and diving are all very powerful, but I found that the pilot's field of vision is not very wide because the plane has folding wings, so it is the best choice for carrier-based aircraft, but the limited visibility will make the takeoff and landing more difficult."

  Engineer Otika: "Boss is right, a powerful plane like ours has its performance limited due to visibility issues, that's indeed an important problem. So boss, does the plane have a large amplitude of vibration when making big movements?"

  Hughs: "The amplitude of the vibration is small, but the steering isn't very agile." Then he asked the engineer, "Is it because the speed is too fast that limits the agility of the plane?"

  "Practically speaking, this shouldn't happen. I think the new plane's rudder might need some further adjustments."

  Sun Xiang said: "The wing load of the aircraft needs to be tested further, the new engine has exceeded my original expectations, its performance is much stronger than I imagined. So we can put more effort into the weapons and armor, and as for the visibility issue Howard mentioned, I think we can change the cockpit to a bubble canopy, which will greatly expand the pilot's field of vision. A fighter like this is what pilots need most, and it's also the war machine the country needs most."

  Several engineers nodded in agreement, these Massachusetts Institute of Technology high-flyers were deeply impressed by Sun Xiang. The two engine design drawings and the aircraft design drawing completely convinced this group of engineers who had high expectations. After Sun Xiang finished speaking, several people took notes, and Sherry raised her suggestions on the safety of the aircraft at this time.

  Shirley said modestly, "I just made a small suggestion. After Mr. Hughes got off the plane, I went to take a look at the plane and found that the pilot's cockpit was very large but the seat was extremely narrow, not enough to block bullets from behind for the pilot. Would making the seat bigger affect the performance of the plane, Engineer?"

  Several engineers were stunned by Shirley's question, and after some discussion, they found that this was indeed a design error.

  Sun Xiang looked at Sherry with a new gaze, and when he saw Sun Xiang's surprised expression, she wrinkled her cute little nose at him, with a proud look on her face, making Sun Xiang laugh. Suddenly, Sun Xiang thought of a big problem! How do pilots escape? The plane is speeding up, and the strong airflow makes it impossible for the pilot to open the cockpit door. Even if they manage to open it, they will be blown towards the tail by the strong airflow. If they are hit by an enemy plane at high speed, the pilot has no choice but to die.

  Sun Xiang raised a question to several engineers, who attached great importance to it. After Sun Xiang explained the concept of ejection seats in later generations, everyone praised him as a genius, and Sherry's eyes were also shining with stars. This made Sun Xiang feel embarrassed to bring out more inventions from later generations. However, deep down, he was secretly delighted. In the end, everyone named the new piston engine "Baofeng-1" (暴风-1), meaning an engine with powerful energy like a storm.