Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 259: Project 258 Aerial Refueling Tanker Shelved; Three Red Army Flight Cadet Elite Assessment
January of the 1th year of the Republic of China.

Because of the airdrop to the Northeast, Fang Wen remained in Yangon to modify Xuanming.

This time, the challenge is an ultra-long-haul flight of 8000 kilometers round trip.

There are two solutions:
1. Replenish supplies by transiting waterways along the route.

2. In-flight refueling.

The Xuanming is a seaplane, and although it is large, it can land in relatively wide waters.

But Fang Wen wanted to use this to solve the problem of aerial refueling.

That's an aerial refueling tanker.

This technology actually appeared during World War I.

The earliest method of aerial refueling was extremely dangerous. It involved a refueling operator climbing from one biplane to another and manually filling five gallons of fuel from a tank to complete the refueling.

It's practically a death-defying acrobatic stunt in the air.

However, with the increasing use of airplanes in warfare, countries are now researching aerial refueling technology that can extend the range of long-range bombers and provide emergency refueling for other aircraft.

According to Fang Wen's understanding, this aerial technology is not complicated. The principle is to connect the refueling aircraft's fuel line with the receiver aircraft's fuel inlet to complete the refueling process.

The difficulty lies in the coordination between the aerial refueling tanker and the receiving aircraft.

Fang Wen believes this could be one of the capabilities of the future elite air force, enabling them to handle some emergencies.

Therefore, he first took on the challenge of developing Taishan's own refueling machine.

To ensure the experiment's effectiveness, he also brought his apprentice, Pan Jiafeng, over.

After Pan Jiafeng arrived, Fang Wen had already finished modifying an aerial refueling aircraft with the engineers from the aircraft manufacturing plant.

Fang Wen brought Pan Jiafeng to visit the aerial refueling aircraft.

Looking at the plane, Pan Jiafeng exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this our company's seaplane?"

Fang Wen nodded: "This aerial refueling tanker is based on the Shuiyun-1 commercial seaplane. After modification, the cabin has been turned into a large fuel tank, and there is a retractable fuel transfer hose at the front. What you need to do is to keep in alignment with the receiving aircraft in the air, and then connect the fuel transfer hose to the fuel inlet. The model of the fuel inlet is like this, a cone-shaped opening with a diameter of one meter."

"Docking in mid-air, Master, that's too difficult, isn't it?" Pan Jiafeng said with difficulty.

Pan Jiafeng is a very honest person. He said it was definitely difficult, absolutely difficult.

Even with the low-speed flight of the Mizuun-1, it is difficult to guarantee that the fuselage can be controlled to make such precise displacements.

"Give it a try, and if it doesn't work, I'll try another method."

The two then began their experiment, piloting the aerial refueling tanker and the Xuanming respectively.

Two planes are flying at high altitude.

Two machines are arranged side by side.

Fang Wen gestured to indicate that it was time to begin.

Pan Jiafeng suppressed his nervousness, controlled the plane to fly smoothly, and then turned the mechanical winch on his right hand.

The oil pipeline slowly extended diagonally for more than 10 meters, then descended.

(Illustrative diagram)

Subsequently, the Xuanming, which flew below the aerial refueling tanker, deployed its top-mounted fuel refueling nozzle, which, under the aircraft's control, moved little by little toward the refueling probe.

The whole process was very dangerous.

There should be no vertical deviation, and the speed must remain consistent.

Pan Jiafeng was covered in sweat, his hands gripping the control stick tightly, fearing that the aircraft might shift and cause a major disaster.

Fang Wen, in a state of mechanical sensing, controlled the aircraft to approach little by little and finally connected.

The front end of the oil pipeline is a flexible hose, which can easily get stuck in the oil inlet upon contact.

Fang Wen pressed down the closing device.

The mechanical ring at the oil inlet locked the oil pipeline, thus opening up the oil delivery process.

Then, the pressurized oil pipeline sprays the oil over.

Refueling takes time, and some of the aerial refueling tankers above experienced unstable power and speed deviations.

Fang Wen, now in a state of mechanical awareness, immediately adjusted his speed to match that of the aerial refueling tanker.

Five minutes later, the refueling was completed. Fang Wen opened the closing device, and the aircraft took off on its own. Pan Jiafeng, realizing that the aerial refueling was complete, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The two planes then returned to their home base and landed on the sea.

The two disembarked from the plane and boarded separate shuttle boats to disembark.

Fang Wen made a rare announcement: "This project is not suitable for the elite aviation team and will be kept on hold."

In his view, aerial refueling was a failed attempt, and implementing this technology on piston-engine aircraft was extremely dangerous.

Fang Wen felt that each refueling trip carried a great risk.

If the aircraft have poor control, the two aircraft may collide.

Oil leaks during the oil transportation process can also cause accidental fires.

This maneuver can only be accomplished by two highly experienced pilots working in close coordination.

Based on this consideration, he decisively abandoned the attempt, even though future successes may have limitations in different eras.

The elite pilots we selected are not meant to be wasted on such dangerous accidents.

But it's not completely useless. The test just now showed that it can still work. In special circumstances, it can be a killer move.

With the aerial refueling project shelved, Pan Jiafeng, who had been under immense pressure, finally relaxed.

He and Fang Wen ate and chatted in the cafeteria.

"Master, it's a good thing you stopped this project. Just now, our planes were only a dozen meters apart. If the speed had been out of control, even by a little bit, we would have crashed. By the way, Master, this is the latest intelligence compilation, I brought it to you."

Intelligence collections are useful; they allow you to understand recent world changes.

Fang Wen took the bag from Pan Jiafeng, opened it, and took out a stack of documents.

Far East intelligence summary, January 1st - January 15th.

[Recent sharp declines in silver prices have led several Japanese trading companies to sell off their silver holdings. These companies, which had accumulated large silver reserves, are reportedly suffering significant losses, contributing to economic turmoil in Japan.]

The Shanghai Cultural Circles Salvation Association's declaration proposed 12 demands, including ceasing all civil war, severing economic ties with the enemy, and releasing all political prisoners. However, it was not accepted by the Nationalist government.

This month, a US laboratory announced the invention of a pulse radar with a detection range of 40 kilometers and a resolution of 457 meters, primarily intended for detecting aerial targets such as aircraft. Separately, regarding radar, the first research radar station was established in the UK this month.

Fang Wen stopped reading. The United States had taken the lead in completing the radar development. Although its resolution was only 457 meters, it still achieved positioning capability ahead of schedule.

This left Fang Wen somewhat disappointed. Today, first the aerial refueling project was shelved, and then the radar project fell behind.

But he quickly adjusted his mindset, realizing that the competition was about computational ability. Tsinghua University had no shortage of mathematicians, and in the days before computers, Chinese people were no less capable than Americans in terms of computing power.

“Pan Jiafeng, go back and tell Chief Accountant Liu to go to Beiping and increase funding for the radar project, and have them recruit more mathematicians.”

"Understood, Master, I've remembered it." Pan Jiafeng took out his notebook and wrote down what Fang Wen had told him.

Fang Wen continued reading this month's intelligence summary.

This month, King George V of the United Kingdom fell seriously ill. According to internal British reports, the old king is beyond saving, and Prince Edward is the first in line to the throne. Upon becoming king, he will be known as Edward VIII.

"There have been a lot of big events this month," Fang Wen remarked with some emotion.

Fang Wen knew Edward VIII, the future Duke of Windsor. He seemed to have only reigned as King of England for a year before abdicating in favor of his brother.

It was precisely because of his abdication that another series of royal members came into being.

And for the rest of his life, he was completely unaffected by World War II, and could even freely travel to and from Germany, living a luxurious life.

He shook off his thoughts and continued reading.

The German government has organized a Far East economic delegation, headed by Köpp, to visit China to understand the state of China's commercial economy and seek ways to increase trade between China and Germany. The delegation is expected to arrive in February. Furthermore, the delegation intends to sign a barter trade contract with the Nationalist government for raw materials in exchange for arms.

The Berlin Olympics will be held from August 1st to August 15th this year. The Republic of China government is recruiting athletes to form the Chinese national team to participate in this Olympics.

Fang Wen had to see the Republic of China Olympics, so he kept this in mind and continued reading.

Of the remaining intelligence reports, one piece caught his attention.

This month, Japan announced its withdrawal from the London Naval Disarmament Conference, and its delegation has left London and returned home.

The person attending this meeting is Japanese Navy Admiral Osamu Nagano. He has returned, and Yoshida will also be returning.

The spies I planted within the Japanese army can finally be put to use.

It's unclear whether Yoshida will stay with Nagano Osamu after returning, or go somewhere else.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen took Pan Jiafeng's notebook and wrote down some incomprehensible numbers on it.

"Hand this over to our undercover operation in Shanghai; they'll know what to do."

Pan Jiafeng realized the importance of this and carefully put his notebook away.

Then, Fang Wen smiled and talked about his plans for him: "I'm planning to establish an elite air force team to fly military fighter jets. Would you like to join?"

Pan Jiafeng's face immediately lit up with joy: "Of course I want to!"

"Then when you return from Shanghai, you should report here."

Time passed little by little.

It's almost the end of January.

During this period, George V died and Edward VIII succeeded to the throne.

With increased funding, the radar positioning calculation team in Beiping recruited a group of math experts to begin a new round of calculations.

Meanwhile, a telegram also arrived from Xiangxi Airport.

The Red Army requested that supplies be airdropped into Tangyuan County, Heilongjiang Province, on the evening of the 28th, in the upper reaches of the Songhua River.

Upon reading the telegram, Fang Wen immediately took out a map and designed a flight path.

Heilongjiang is located in the northernmost part of China, and Tangyuan County is in its northwest corner.

This area is sparsely populated and has a harsh climate, so the Kwantung Army had little influence here. That's probably why the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army chose this place to hold its founding meeting.

The trading point has latitude and longitude coordinates, is located on the Songhua River, and is guided by signs, so it's not difficult to find.

The problem is that in January, the average temperature there is -19.4°C, and it's even colder in the northern regions.

This is a flight environment that Fang Wen has never challenged before.

At such low temperatures, moisture in the fuel may freeze, hindering fuel flow and even clogging fuel lines. This directly affects the engine's fuel supply, reducing engine power and potentially causing the engine to stall.

Engine oil also becomes more viscous at low temperatures, making it difficult to circulate inside the engine, thus affecting lubrication and increasing the risk of engine wear.

If moisture in the air freezes inside the cylinder, it will occupy part of the combustion chamber space, leading to incomplete combustion and thus affecting engine performance and power output.

The aircraft structure is fine; the aluminum alloy can maintain its performance under these low-temperature conditions.

In addition, in extremely cold weather, the temperature inside the aircraft cabin will also drop accordingly. If the aircraft does not have a good insulation and heating system, it will be very dangerous.

Low temperatures can also affect the performance of electronic equipment, instruments, and other devices on an aircraft, increasing the risk of malfunction.

In response to these situations, Fang Wen had to adapt.

1. All the gasoline used in this flight was replaced with high-octane aviation gasoline. This high-quality gasoline is not only anti-knock, but also has a low pour point.

2. Add an air-cooling device next to the water-cooling system inside the aircraft to deal with the condensation of cooling water under low temperature conditions.

3. A heating system is also installed in the cabin to increase airtightness.

After making these temporary modifications, Fang Wen waited for the 28th to arrive.

A telegram arrived from Xiangxi Airport.

At Xiangxi Airport, manager Fang Shun received three strange guests.

They were dressed differently and seemed like strangers, yet they all came to the airport in the past two days.

It wasn't until today, when Bai Yunfei, disguised, came forward and led them to meet Fang Shun, that he learned about these people's origins.

"They're going to become elite pilots?" Fang Shun was a little skeptical.

“That’s right, they were all carefully selected from various military units,” Bai Yunfei replied.

"Alright, I'll send a telegram to Shuilong. Wait here." Fang Shun said and left.

Looking at the telegram, Fang Wen was very curious about what the three Red Army soldiers would be like.

He immediately sent Pan Jiafeng, who was preparing to return to Yangon, to pick them up.

A few hours later, Pan Jiafeng flew back in a Boeing 247.

Fang Wen greeted them at the airport.

The hatch opened, and Pan Jiafeng came out first. "Master, I've brought everyone."

Behind him, three men who were not tall but very thin walked out.

"Lean" is a specific description. These three people are very thin, but their muscle lines are obvious, and they have no excess fat, presenting a firm and explosive state.

Coupled with their aura, Fang Wen felt as if he were seeing the most powerful assassins under Chief Wang's command.

The three of them took the initiative to introduce themselves.

"Qi Baoqian, commander of the reconnaissance company of the First Front Army, is skilled in reconnaissance and assault. Reporting for duty."

"Report, Second Front Army, Du Jiahuai, elite soldier, skilled in shooting."

"Shao Deqing, a communications officer in the cavalry unit of the Fourth Front Army, is skilled in close combat and horseback riding."

Fang Wen nodded: "Do you know why you're here?"

All three answered in unison, "We know, we'll learn to fly to protect you."

“I know you all have your own skills, but those are not essential for pilots. Here, you will have to learn from scratch, and if it is not suitable, I will have to send you back.”

Fang Wen laid out the unpleasant truths upfront, but the three remained unfazed and stood ramrod straight.

That mindset is good enough.

"Alright, come with me to my accommodation. We'll take a test tomorrow."

The night passed, and Fang Wen got up early and called Pan Jiafeng to go see the three Red Army flight cadets.

The three of them had already woken up and were exercising in the courtyard.

This self-discipline earned Fang Wen's high regard.

He said, "Today we're doing the pilot entry test. After breakfast, there's a physical fitness test, in the afternoon a psychological fitness test, and in the evening a flight test."

(End of this chapter)