Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 161, 160, d.332: Modification of the forward-swept wing, Engineer's Lease Agreement

“You can solve this problem?” Emil de Vatina stood up in surprise, speaking in English.

The major flaws of d.332 were a thorn in his side, yet he struggled to find a solution.

As he himself said, the wings of the d.332 had been modified many times, and each modification had not yielded ideal results, with some resulting in a significant reduction in speed and others in poorer stability.

In this era, without computers and wind tunnels, every modification to the wing had to be tested in flight, which was dangerous, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive.

Devatina simply cannot afford the expenses of extensive modification and testing; such an approach could even lead to the company's bankruptcy.

Therefore, when Fang Wen offered to help solve the problem, Emil de Vatina was incredibly excited.

And I still can't believe it.

Fang Wen understood the other person's feelings.

I also roughly understand the situation Emil de Vatina is facing.

However, he will not waste his precious time on the lengthy aircraft modification in Devatina.

We must directly point out the problems he has discovered and benefit from them.

Fang Wen thought for a moment and replied:
“Emil Devatina, if I solve this problem, your D.332 will have the opportunity to compete with the Boeing 247 in the global passenger aviation market, which will absolutely propel your career to its peak. But for me, it will bring no benefit whatsoever.”

“What do you want?” Emil de Vatina’s heart raced as he awaited the other party’s offer.

"A stake in Devatina, or designing a completely new aircraft for me."

Fang Wen suddenly stopped. Sharing his knowledge of future aircraft with Emil de Vatina was not a good idea. What if the other party used the design ideas to build an aircraft that was then used in a situation he didn't want to see?

He immediately changed his tune.

"No, I don't need you to design the aircraft. I only have two requirements, and you can choose one of them: one is shares in Devatina Company, and the other is to send five professional aircraft engineers to my aircraft repair and manufacturing plant to work for me for the next five years."

Emil de Vatina was stunned. Which of these two requests should he choose?

What pained him most was the shares in Devatina Corporation, as they involved the ownership of important aircraft such as the D.332 tri-engine passenger plane, the D.27 paraglider fighter, the D500, and the D510, which was under development.

Comparatively, it would be more acceptable for the company to send five aircraft engineers to be stationed at the other party's aircraft manufacturing plant.

After a brief moment of thought, Emir de Vatina made his decision.

"I choose option two."

Fang Wen smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with Emir de Vatina, reaching a cooperation agreement, and added:

"Contracts are essential for protecting the rights and interests of both parties."

The contract signed with Devatina was signed in the name of Taishan Airlines.

These days, the legal effect of transnational contracts is only valid in European and American countries. Fang Wen signing this contract is simply gambling on the other party's credibility.

Since I've only pointed out the problem and haven't made any substantial contribution, I'm not afraid of being renege on my debt.

The French contract, in duplicate, stipulated the rights and obligations of both parties.

Fang Wenyao offered constructive suggestions regarding the wing modifications of the D.332.

Five months after the successful modification, Devatina will send five qualified Devatina aircraft engineers to the region designated by Taishan Airlines in Asia. All expenses and salaries of the five engineers in Asia will be borne by Taishan Airlines.

The contract also stipulated that...

Once the modification is successful, Fang Wen will pilot the modified new D.332 across the Atlantic Ocean to New York.

Furthermore, they will purchase five modified D.332 passenger planes in the future at three-quarters of the original price.

This contract has both constraints and benefits.

The purchase of five aircraft, as well as the elimination of potential aircraft hazards, were very attractive to Devatina.

Therefore, on the very day the contract was signed, Emir de Vatina couldn't wait to discuss it with Fang Wen.

Only Fang Wen and Emil de Vatina were in the hangar.

Emir de Vatina asked earnestly:
What are your suggestions for modifying the wings of the D.332?

Looking at the wings of the d.332, Fang Wen organized his thoughts.

"You designed the d.332's wings to be forward-swept, right? You wanted to improve the stability of long-haul flights."

Emil de Vatina nodded: "The D.332's engine is not very efficient. From the beginning of the design, I wanted to build an economical long-haul passenger aircraft that was not fast, but maintained flight continuity and stability. The forward-swept wing design can provide better low-speed flight performance because it can generate a higher lift coefficient."

Fang Wen nodded. Forward-swept wings do have this advantage, but that's not all. Based on his mechanical perception, he also made two other judgments: at higher speeds, forward-swept wing aircraft might even be more maneuverable.

Of course, that refers to future supersonic aircraft. Current piston-engine aircraft and forward-swept wing aircraft have significant drawbacks.

He replied, "Have you considered that because the wings are swept forward, they are more susceptible to air resistance, which can cause the wings to twist or deform? Therefore, forward-swept wing aircraft require more complex structures and materials to ensure wing stability."

Emil de Vatina wholeheartedly agreed, “I’ve considered these things, which is why I added fixing devices inside the wings, but obviously it hasn’t worked well. Are you suggesting I convert the forward-swept wings to backward-swept wings?”

Fang Wen nodded. Converting the forward-swept wing to a backward-swept wing and then increasing the wing area was indeed the safest approach.

The difficulty lies in recalculating the aircraft wings and designing a matching wing structure.

That requires repeated modifications, revisions, and flight tests.

Things seem to have come full circle, turning into a situation that Emil de Vatina doesn't want to face.

Just when he thought it was hopeless again, Fang Wen actually took out a charcoal pencil, walked under the wing of the airplane, and started drawing.

Drawing alone wasn't enough; he also used cardboard to fill in the wings.

This is a way of creating a wing model on-site in response to Emil de Vatina.

Emil de Vatina was quite surprised, but he didn't disturb them; instead, he called the engineers over to help.

With the help of engineers, it took an afternoon to change the wings of the d.332 prototype from forward-swept to backward-swept.

(Forward-swept wings and backward-swept wings)

This was an optimized design based on Fang Wen's mechanical perception; he felt that this wing mechanism was most suitable for the d.332.

Not only him, but Emir de Vatina, a genius aircraft designer, also had a sudden realization after seeing Fang Wen's wing model.

"That's it, that's the curve, that's the aerodynamic torque ratio."

To confirm his judgment, he personally measured various data of the wing model, drew it into blueprints, and then performed calculations.

After calculations, even before any modifications or testing began, Emil de Vatina had a feeling that the design could pass inspection on the first try.

Therefore, a wing modification project began under his leadership.

Five days.

Based on Fang Wen's wing model, the existing materials were assembled, welded, and shaped to create a one-to-one replica.

The leading sweep angle of the wing has changed from an acute angle to an obtuse angle.

The width is increased, and the wing area is increased.

These days, aircraft wings aren't as compact and precise as they are in the future; they're mainly about size to maximize lift. After converting the forward-swept wing into a backward-swept wing, Fang Wen conducted test flights.

He entered the plane, and the test pilot followed nervously.

"Fang, are you sure there won't be any problems with this wing modification? I have a two-year-old child and a 70-year-old mother."

"I'm sure there won't be any problems," Fang Wen replied. But seeing the test pilot's clenched fists, he could understand. After all, for an experienced test pilot, flying in a plane whose wings had only been modified in five days must have been very frightening.

“Then go down and tell them I’m driving alone,” he replied.

“Okay.” The test pilot turned around and jumped out of the plane without hesitation, running to report to Emil de Vatina.

At the same time, Fang Wen sat in the pilot's seat and started the plane.

He was the only person on the plane, so activating the mechanical senses felt very natural.

First, the aircraft was controlled to accelerate on the ground, and then a brief nose lift was attempted to simulate takeoff.

During these processes, the wings did not experience any problems.

Fang Wen basically has a good idea of ​​what's going on.

He controlled the plane to accelerate, raise the nose, and fly into the sky.

At high altitudes, they perform basic maneuvers such as altitude changes and hovering.

The previously discovered wing problem has disappeared. After the forward-swept wing was converted to a backward-swept wing, the speed was even improved, from 300 kilometers per hour to 320 kilometers per hour.

However, in terms of lift, despite the increase in wing area, there was little change compared to before the modification.

It can be said that this kind of modification is just right; too much will cause the aircraft speed to decrease, and too little will result in poor aircraft stability.

Fang Wen couldn't help but feel a little smug.

He is now essentially a humanoid computer, plus a wind tunnel facility, using mechanical perception to generate data that would otherwise require extensive simulations to obtain for future large aircraft.

Doesn't this mean that as my abilities improve in the future, I'll be able to design even more advanced aircraft?
Dispelling his illusions, he continued his test flights until he had used up a third of his fuel before finally landing on the ground.

After the plane came to a stop, Emil de Vatina rushed over and asked loudly through the cockpit window.

"Can I have an answer?"

Fang Wen smiled and got up, exiting the plane.

"I feel great and haven't found any major problems."

“Really? Can you fly again? I want to experience it with you,” Emil de Vatina requested.

“How about flying to Paris? I’m going there to pick up a friend,” Fang Wen replied.

“Sure.” Emil de Vatina happily agreed, and at that moment, he felt a strange trust in this amazing Eastern pilot.

Subsequently, De Vautina applied to Paris Airport for landing clearance for the aircraft.

Then the plane, carrying one passenger, took off again, flying from southwestern France to Paris in the north.

Emil de Vatina was experiencing this on the long-haul passenger plane he designed and built.

He also noticed the various changes brought about by this modification, and the effects of these changes meant that his d.332 had the potential for large-scale release.

Two hours later, the plane arrived in Paris and requested to land via radio.

The plane landed on the airport runway and, guided by airport staff, entered the adjacent parking area.

Fang Wen said, "Emil de Vatina, can you wait for me on the plane? I'm going to find a friend."

“I’ll be waiting for you on the plane.” Emil de Vatina was still carefully inspecting the plane and had no interest in anything else for the time being.

So Fang Wen didn't say anything more, got off the plane, and headed outside the airport.

At the telephone exchange outside the airport, Fang Wen dialed the hotel's number.

These days, the number you dial only corresponds to a region, and you're connected with an operator who asked you in French.

"Hello, where do I need to be transferred to?"

Fang Wen replied in broken French, "The front desk of the Kimberley Hotel."

The call was transferred, and after a while, another woman's voice came through the phone, still in French.

Fang Wen communicated in English this time: "I am a guest in room 405. Please help me contact my companion in room 403 and ask him to come down and answer the phone."

The other person switched to English: "Okay, sir, you'll need to wait."

While waiting, the telephone's mechanical meter kept spinning, and Fang Wen had to add coins to it.

After a while, we finally got down.

Lin Shuiwang: "General Manager, you're back?"

"Yes. Have their studies been arranged?"

"arranged."

Has Indiana contacted you?

“He was right next to me. I let him answer the phone.”

"Hey Fang Wen, this is Indiana. William has agreed, and I've taken leave too. How's it going on your end?"

"I've got everything sorted out here. You and Lin Shuiwang come to the airport."

The call ended there, and Fang Wen waited outside the airport.

Half an hour later, Lin Shuiwang and Indiana, carrying a luggage bag, appeared, and Fang Wen led the two into the airport.

The plane took off again and flew back to Toulouse in southwestern France.

The transatlantic flight has not yet started; the Devatina company is contacting the media in advance to promote and generate buzz.

Fang Wen, Lin Shuiwang, and Indiana are going to another place in the south of France to retrieve the hidden True Cross.

William has already told Indiana the exact location.

In order to bring the True Cross back, Fang Wen also borrowed a small repair truck with a load capacity of 2 tons from the Devatina Company.

(First-generation Opel truck, 2 tons)
This thing only has two seats, but if you squeeze in, three people can sit there, but it's too stuffy.

Indiana offered to lie down in the back seat, which relieved Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang.

To be honest, many Europeans and Americans have a certain odor. Although Indiana uses perfume, he still has one. In the poorly ventilated cockpit, it was a bit too much for two Asians with normal sense of smell.

An Opel truck departed from Toulouse, with Indiana, holding a map, guiding the way from behind.

“William said the cross was hidden in the basement of a house in Lacaune.”

Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "Where is Lacaune? Which way should we go?"

(End of this chapter)