Chapter 50: Challenge the Limit! (Recommended, Collected)

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  The Lockheed 14 was a twin-engine, low-wing monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the late 1930s. It was capable of carrying 12 passengers and featured two Pratt & Whitney engines. Under the auspices of the H.S. Technical Group, this aircraft underwent significant changes.

  Firstly, the aircraft adopted all-welded technology to reduce air resistance. The cabin was improved and unnecessary parts were removed and replaced with fuel tanks.

  Then the 'heart' engine of the plane also made a lot of modifications, in order to maintain the ability of continuous operation of the engine, H.S. company technical team leader Otikak proposed the use of water and wind two kinds of cooling circulation combined method to extend the life of the engine.

  The main body of the engine adopts the upgraded version of the original F4U 'Baofeng No. 1' engine, 'Fengsu No. 1'. This engine is specially designed for the long-range capability of aircraft, not only has more powerful power, but also has ultra-long range, it is a rare transport-type aircraft engine.

  The last plane was equipped with the world's first airborne radar and long-range navigation instruments, becoming a true long-haul aircraft.

  Ground crew members are strictly checking various indicators of the aircraft.

  Before Hughes and Hone, two other aviators had attempted to break the record for a flight around the world but both were unsuccessful. One was Wiley Post who crashed and died shortly after takeoff in Alaska; another was Amelia Earhart who disappeared over an isolated island in the South Pacific.

  So Hughes placed even greater emphasis on the safety of this flight, and after multiple checks on all parts of the aircraft, confirmed that there were no problems before accepting it from Hughes, so this aircraft was absolutely the most advanced wisdom and the perfect combination of industry in this era.

  At 6:00 am, Hughes and his party appeared at the airport. Hughes wore a brown hat, wrinkled gray pants with patches, and a white shirt. People were surprised by his outfit. The attention of the crowd was immediately drawn to Sun Xiang and others because they were all wearing US Air Force uniforms. This move received applause from the crowd. Hughes pulled his shirt down in embarrassment.

  The Mayor of New York City again spoke words for Hughes and his crew and held a grand departure ceremony for them.

  "Bob asked, 'Mr. Hughes, what are your thoughts now?'"

  Hughs took out a small piece of paper from his pocket with trembling hands and read: "First, thank you to all the journalist friends. Although I know that everyone must want to ask me many things, but I can only say sorry. Last night, I spent the whole night collecting weather forecasts from around the world. The only thing I care about is the weather." His voice was a little shaky, revealing excitement and tension.

  Bob: "Steve, what's your take on this?"

  Sun Xiang: "I hope we can complete a perfect flight, I firmly believe that the development of technology will enable us to achieve more incredible things, this is just one of them, our mission is to accomplish it."

  The plane took off at 6:45 with cheers from the crowd! The global flight officially kicked off!!

  The plane took off, the first leg was flown by Hughes, and the party flew over Newfoundland, Canada, across the North Atlantic. He used only half of Charles Lindbergh's time that year, 16 hours and 38 minutes to fly across the Atlantic. The first stop landed in Paris.

  During this time, they encountered a strong air current, and the plane slightly deviated from its route. Under the prompt of "Square Head", Sun Xiang calmly corrected the flight path, heading straight to Paris, France from above Newfoundland.

  At Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, at least 5,000 people spontaneously came to watch the round-the-world flight.

  Tower: "Globe Airlines, read back!"

  Huse: "Tower, please speak."

  "Global Flight 1, please land on Runway 2. Maintenance personnel are ready."

  Huse: "Understood"

  Among the cheers of the crowd, the plane landed steadily at the airport, and the ground crew arranged by Hughes immediately carried out maintenance and refueling work, everything was going on in an orderly manner.

  After a twenty-minute rest in Paris, they ate some snacks and took off again amidst the cheers of the crowd. The destination for this leg was Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union.

  The pilot of this section is Rich, who has flown fighter jets and finds flying commercial airliners to be like playing with toys. Rich keeps the plane at a slightly slower speed in order to conserve fuel.

  The plane shuttled in the night sky, flying until the sky brightened, and around noon everyone saw the Moscow city area. At Moscow Airport, a group of people were warmly welcomed by the Soviet government. The happiest one was Sun Xiang, because among the welcoming crowd, Sun Xiang saw his old captain Turyaev, who had not been seen for a long time, and the two tightly hugged each other at the airport, telling each other what had happened.

  The ground crew at Moscow airport once again serviced the plane, refueling and replenishing water and supplies.

  The head of the Soviet airport and the mayor of Moscow presented a large batch of precious food.

  Hughes declined the host's gift of caviar, saying: "Even if it were caviar, I'm afraid it would add a pound to the plane. To ensure a smooth flight, we have to give up these delicacies. Next time we come to Moscow, as hosts, you'll have to stock up on these mouth-watering foods."

  The two smiled and agreed to Hughes' request, 15 minutes later, the plane refueled and took off again. Sun Xiang and Turiyev reluctantly bid farewell, their next target was Omsk in Siberia.

  Omsk Oblast in the south of Western Siberian Plain, is the center of the largest state in the Soviet Union. In this cold city of Western Siberia, Hughes and his party continued their brief stay. At each stop along the way, Hughes had made arrangements beforehand, including setting up ground wireless stations, refueling, emergency repairs, etc.

  The plane soared into the sky again, this time heading for "Ice City" Yakutsk. Located at 62° north latitude in the heart of Siberia, Yakutsk's winter temperatures often drop to -60°C and summer highs can reach 40°C, with a temperature difference of 100°C, making it one of the most typical examples of a continental climate in the world. Due to its proximity to the Arctic Ocean and being built on permafrost, Yakutsk is also known as "Ice City".

  After a brief stop, the plane took off again. The continuous flight made all six people extremely tired, but as they got closer and closer to their destination, infinite passion rose up in their hearts.

  This time, the plane flew over the Bering Strait into US territory in Alaska. Their destination was Fairbanks, a central city in Alaska, which is also an American airbase. This time they landed at Fairbanks Air Force Base, where they were met by a group of American soldiers. After a sumptuous meal, the Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft took off again.

  The plane flew over Canadian airspace and appeared at Minneapolis Airport, where the on-site crazy atmosphere scared Sun Xiang and others, everyone was frantically shouting several names, because they knew that as long as they took off and landed once again, these few good guys would create a new record!

  The plane took off from Minneapolis and flew over Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Detroit, Lake Erie, and finally arrived in New York.

  A few people on the plane saw the Statue of Liberty in the sky, and the goddess's gesture of holding a torch is estimated to leave an indelible mark in their hearts. Several people hugged each other excitedly and cried, and the journey of several days made them suffer greatly. The continuous flight was devastating to the mind, and this spiritual pain was even more severe than physical pain.

  Brooklyn's Bennett Airport is already faintly visible...