Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 155 154 Future Thinking: First-Generation Logic Components, Asia-Europe Flight Takeoff
Before contacting the professor in the Physics Department of Tsinghua University, Fang Wende learned about his basic information.

He led the man to the general manager's office for a private conversation.

Could you tell me about your situation?

"Are you the general manager of Taishan Airlines?" the man asked in surprise.

“Yes, that’s why I said I could definitely help you, but only if what you say is true,” Fang Wen replied with a smile.

"My name is Bai Zeshan. I am from Nanjing. I graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at National Central University and currently work as an electrical engineer at Meisheng Radio Station."

Meisheng Radio Station was established in 21, which is last year.

In fact, the establishment of this radio station is somewhat related to Fang Wen.

Last year, when Fang Wen was surrounded and pursued by Japanese agents in Shanghai, the Chinese host of Merrington Radio angrily expressed his dissatisfaction with the Japanese taking action outside the concession, and then voluntarily announced his resignation on the radio.

The host then and his friends started a radio station for Chinese people called "Beauty Voice".

During the January 28 Incident, Fang Wen was interviewed by this same host while he was in the hangar.

Later, when the host opened the Meisheng Radio Station, he often listened to the broadcasts and even sent people to provide financial assistance to the station when it faced difficulties.

Therefore, he had a good relationship with the owner and host of the radio station.

They immediately called Meisheng Radio to confirm.

"Mi Fazhen, let me ask you something. Does your radio station have an engineer named Bai Zeshan?"

"Yes, he asked for a price today, saying he'd won a prize, and then he disappeared. I'm still looking for him."

"No need to look anymore, the person is with me. They won our company's Asia-Europe Flight Grand Prize."

"Really? 1000 silver dollars! He's made a fortune."

Fang Wen hung up the phone and looked at Bai Zeshan: "I will find a few experts to ask you some questions. If you can answer them all, I will believe you."

"You can only ask about vacuum tubes," Bai Zeshan added, still not entirely convinced.

"Okay. You wait here." Fang Wen opened the door, had Chuncao serve tea to Bai Zeshan, and strode downstairs.

He needs to contact a professor in the Physics Department at Tsinghua University.

Of course, they didn't fly there; they used the simpler method of telegram.

Because of their research on radar projects, the Radar Research Lab of the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University made some radio equipment, including a radio station, which was used to communicate and understand the progress of the research.

Fang Wen sent a telegram at the agreed time, requesting an explanation of the vacuum tube question and the correct answer.

The professors didn't ask about Fang Wen's request; they simply gave a direct answer.

Fang Wen, who had received the questions, rushed back.

Nearly an hour had passed, and Bai Zeshan, who was drinking tea in his office and waiting, was not in a hurry at all because of his studies abroad.

The door opened, and Fang Wen handed Bai Zeshan paper and pen.

"I'll give you two questions, and you can answer them on the spot, okay?"

“No problem,” Bai Zeshan replied.

Fang Wen took out a piece of paper and read out the question.

"Question 1: A crystal radio's key vacuum tube amplifier suddenly experiences a gain drop, causing damage to the entire device's performance. Please analyze the possible causes and propose solutions."

Without a second thought, Bai Zeshan began writing on the paper.

After finishing writing, Fang Wen picked it up and read it.

There are four possible reasons.

[Decreased vacuum: Insufficient vacuum inside the vacuum tube may cause collisions between the electron beam and residual gas molecules, thereby reducing the number of electrons reaching the anode and decreasing the gain.]

[Filament aging: The filament heats the electron-emitting cathode. If the filament ages, its ability to emit electrons will decrease, leading to a drop in gain.]

[Cathode poisoning: The cathode surface may be covered by adsorbed residual gas molecules or substances produced by chemical reactions, leading to reduced electron emission.]

Damage to internal components, such as the gate, anode, or other internal structures, can also lead to reduced gain.

Solution:

Check and re-evacuate: If the vacuum level drops, the vacuum tube needs to be re-evacuated to the specified standard.

Replace the filament: If the filament is worn out, it should be replaced with a new one.

Cleaning the cathode: Use an appropriate cleaning agent to clean the cathode surface and remove any possible contaminants.

Inspect and replace internal components: Carefully inspect internal components and replace any damaged ones.

Wow, that's very professional. It even has one more point than the professor's answer.

Fang Wen nodded and continued asking questions.

But this time the topic comes from the future.

he asked.

"For the second question, suppose we use vacuum tubes to make a simple calculator that can perform basic addition. How do you think we could do that?"

This problem represents the prototype of the first generation of electronic computers in history.

Although Fang Wen was not clear about how the entire device was made, he knew some of the principles, which were simply to express logical operations through electronic components.

Vacuum tubes were the first generation of operational logic components.

He is very much looking forward to seeing how people of this generation will understand this kind of issue.

Bai Zeshan had never encountered such a problem before.

Moreover, it's his specialty—vacuum tubes.

He was stunned. The expert that the general manager of Taishan Airlines had found was incredibly capable; he had even come up with such a question.

Bai Zeshan's research spirit exploded; he picked up paper and pen to write and draw, but then kept revising and rejecting his work.

The few sheets of paper were used up quickly. Bai Zeshan looked at Fang Wen and said, "General Manager, could you give me some more paper? I think I have an idea."

It’s really good!

Fang Wen took out a stack of papers and placed them on the coffee table: "Use them as you like. If you can provide the answer, I will grant your wish to study abroad."

Bai Zeshan nodded seriously and continued.

To avoid disturbing him, Fang Wen went out to wait in Kuang Mingzhu's office.

Kuang Mingzhu looked up and saw her husband coming over. She smiled and asked, "Is he a real talent or a fake one?"

"It should be true," Fang Wen replied, also wondering why there was no such person as Bai Zeshan in the future history of China's electronic technology development.

He is from Nanjing.

Perhaps that's the only reason.

At this point, Kwong Ming-chu asked another question.

"Sir, you're flying a Boeing 247 to Europe. The environment along the way is unpredictable, so you'll need to prepare plenty of water, food, emergency supplies, and medicine. Also, Zhao Jiu doesn't know how to serve passengers, so perhaps we could send another flight attendant?"

“It is necessary. You should make the arrangements. Aren’t you in charge of the flight attendants now?” Fang Wen replied.

“Alright, I’ll have Chuncao accompany you,” Kuang Mingzhu said.

"Chuncao?" Fang Wen subconsciously looked up and saw Chuncao shyly lowering her head.

Chuncao and Qiuju were Kuang Mingzhu's dowry maids; such customs were not common these days.

According to the Kuang family's rules, the maids who accompanied the bride were to become the second wife. Although Chuncao and Qiuju were both good-looking and quite capable, Fang Wen still felt a little uncomfortable.

He immediately mumbled, "Going to Europe is a tough journey, and it might be inconvenient for Chuncao, who is a woman. Let's find a man instead."

He then walked out of the room and went to his office to see if Bai Zeshan had answered the questions.

After Fang Wen left, Kuang Mingzhu sighed, "My mother is right. Men don't want what comes to them; they just like to philander outside. Chuncao, don't worry. The master is just shy. I have a plan when he comes back from Europe."

Chuncao's face turned as red as a ripe apple. "Miss, I'm not in a hurry. Didn't you make this suggestion yourself?"

"I'm teasing you."

Kuang Mingzhu laughed and said, "Sisters who grew up together can say whatever they want."

Fang Wen pushed open the office door and went inside.

He saw that Bai Zeshan had stopped writing.

"how's it going?"

"I made a design, but I don't know if it's right."

Bai Zeshan handed the slip of paper with the answers written on it to Fang Wen.

The text inside is lengthy and very serious, showing Bai Zeshan's seriousness about this design.

Today's question opened my eyes to a whole new world; I never knew electronic devices could be used for computation.

Imagine a circuit where vacuum tubes each have a specific function. Two tubes, named A and B, are used to store non-negative addends. A third tube, named C, stores the result of the addition. These three are the core of an adder.

I've thought about how to implement this idea for a long time, and it's not impossible.

As for the input and output mechanism, a different approach is needed. In some way, values ​​are first stored in transistors A and B. Then, through the operation of the circuit, the result of the addition is presented in transistor C. This process requires both precise control and ingenious design.

Discussion of the Issues
In terms of the number of vacuum tubes required to perform a basic addition operation, at least three tubes are needed. Tubes A and B store the addends, and tube C stores the result.

Taking vacuum tube A storing 5 and vacuum tube B storing 7 as an example, we will discuss the design of an adder. First, the values ​​are read from tubes A and B. Then, the addition operation is performed using vacuum tube logic (which may require a series of complex connections and switches). Finally, the result of the operation is written into tube C.

However, the specific implementation of this design cannot be fully described in words. It requires detailed circuit diagrams and knowledge of electronic engineering. Here, I only present a conceptual design, without detailing the circuit implementation.

As Fang Wen watched, Bai Zeshan showed a forlorn expression.

"General Manager, I can't do that. I'll exchange the plane ticket for silver dollars instead."

Fang Wen was quite surprised at that moment.

Although Bai Zeshan did not offer a real solution, his thinking and the ideas he presented were correct.

Isn't this exactly the logic circuit concept of future electronic computers?!

If Bai Zeshan were sent to Europe for further studies, he might be able to implement these technologies ahead of schedule after completing his studies.

This is an absolutely worthwhile tech talent to invest in. Investing in him will not only save him from disaster but also make some changes to the future technological landscape of the world.

Fang Wen smiled and extended his hand.

"Congratulations, you got it right. This question itself doesn't have a definite answer, but your idea is correct. I can grant your request and give you more funding, as long as you promise me one thing."

Bai Zeshan was immediately delighted: "General Manager, please speak."

"How about returning to China and joining Taishan Airlines after completing your studies?"

“Okay.” Bai Zeshan agreed without hesitation.

Subsequently, Fang Wen immediately had someone draft a contract for Taishan Airlines to send Bai Zeshan to Europe to study electronic technology.

The contract stipulated that Taishan Airlines would pay for round-trip expenses and provide Bai Zeshan with a monthly allowance for study and living expenses, allowing him to focus on his studies.

At the same time, the contract also requires that after completing his studies, Bai Zeshan will join Taishan Aviation Company as a special electrical engineer.

Bai Zeshan had no objection to this and readily agreed.

Everything is ready, time to go.

March 6, 20 am.

Surrounded by reporters, Fang Wen, Zhao Jiu, flight attendant Cheng Dayou, and passengers Bai Zeshan, Gu Xingzuo, and Dai Shimao boarded the plane.

Fang Wen waved from the cockpit, and after the staff at the front of the runway gave the signal that it was ready to fly, the Boeing 247 accelerated on the runway and took off into the sky.

After the plane took off, flight attendant Cheng Dayou began his professional service.

Make hot tea for the three passengers and Zhao Jiu.

Then, a presentation was given.

"Hello everyone, this Asia-Europe flight will be the world's first commercial flight with a range of over 1 kilometers."

"According to the plan, we will take off and land at three airports every day, with an average daily flight distance of 3500 kilometers, and arrive in Europe in three days."

Bai Zeshan was reading a book and had no interest in the long journey. The reason he wanted to take a plane was to get to Europe as soon as possible to study.

Zhao Jiu also had no idea how the flight would proceed; he only trusted the general manager.

The other two passengers, Gu Xingzuo and Dai Shimao, were different. They bought their tickets at a high price because they wanted to have a different experience so they could go back and brag about it eight months later.

Therefore, they place more importance on the flight process.

After flight attendant Chen Dayou finished his presentation, he immediately began to inquire.

In the cockpit, Fang Wen had a complete understanding of everything inside the aircraft through mechanical sensing, and while flying, he also kept an eye on the situation behind him.

According to Cheng Dayou, the Boeing 247 will fly exactly along the intercontinental flight routes designed by Taishan Airlines.

The route this time is...

Day One

A direct flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou Airport, 1200 kilometers.

The distance from Guangzhou to Kunming is 1100 kilometers.

The distance from Kunming to Kolkata is 1500 kilometers.

It can be said that the first day's flight is the longest, requiring a flight of 3800 kilometers and approximately 12 hours.

This is also a test for the writer.

However, this type of flight is currently the most suitable international route for Taishan Airlines, at least until 1937.

For Taishan Airlines' future international route plans, Fang Wen must fly this leg of the journey well. Only by flying well can he have the opportunity to sign international route agreements with countries along the route.

Time passed little by little.

Around 9 a.m., the Boeing 247 landed at Guangzhou Dashatou Airport.

The downtime is the time for refueling and engine cooling.

About 30 minutes.

While providing refueling, Taishan Airlines also offered a gourmet experience for this long-haul flight.

Several waiters from a local Guangzhou restaurant brought over steaming hot breakfast dishes, just in time for breakfast.

While having dinner, he also gave an interview to a local Guangzhou newspaper.

All of this seemed novel to Gu Xingzuo and Dai Shimao, who enthusiastically cooperated by taking photos to commemorate the occasion.

Even Fang Wen was pulled over to take a group photo.

Fang Wen chuckled inwardly. The climate in China was pleasant, but once they left Kunming and crossed the border, they would have a hard time. He wondered what these two would think of this long-distance flight across Asia and Europe.

(End of this chapter)