Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 64, Airport Security Inspection Equipment Development, Peking University Team

The plane landed at Nanyuan Flight School Airport.

The place is now deserted and no longer as lively as it used to be.

There was only one person waiting by the airport runway. If he hadn't pushed the boarding stairs over, Fang Wen would have had to figure out how to climb off the plane.

Fang Wen got off the plane and pushed the boarding stairs back. Fang Shouxin, who was sitting in the rear pilot's seat, got off the plane.

Fang Wen took the gift bag from Fang Shouxin and handed it to the teacher who was welcoming him.

"Teacher, thank you for your hard work."

The other person accepted the gift bag with a broad smile.

"It's not hard work. I have no choice but to stay here. If you look for me again next time, I probably won't be here anymore. By the way, Fang Wen, what are you doing here?"

"I have some business to attend to at Tsinghua University, and I might be gone for a couple of days. Is it okay if the plane lands here?" Fang Wen asked.

"Of course, no problem. Your Potez 25 is a fighter jet of the Northeast Army. Right now, no one in Beiping dares to touch anything related to them."

That being said, necessary precautions still need to be taken. Fang Wen crawled into the belly of the machine, opened the bottom cover, and pulled out a connecting rod.

Without this thing, nobody can take the plane away.

He put away the connecting rod and smiled, "Alright, I'm going to the city now."

Fang Wen said goodbye and left the empty school.

The town of Nanyuan outside has also become much quieter due to the closure of the school.

Fang Wen suddenly realized that there was no transportation to the city.

He glanced back at the school and strolled through the town of Nanyuan.

Once we left the town, we didn't see any buses or other means of transportation.

It was about ten kilometers from Nanyuan to the south gate of the outer city of Beiping. By the time you got there, it was already dark.

Therefore, Fang Wen decided to go back to town to ask.

"Young master, there's a mule cart," Fang Shouxin reminded him.

Fang Wen looked over and saw a tall mule pulling a wooden cart coming from the country road.

There was only one driver on the cart, leisurely smoking a pipe.

Mule carts were a common mode of transportation in the suburbs of Beiping in those days, and Fang Wen often saw them when he was in Nanyuan.

He waved and called out, "Going to Yongdingmen? I'll rent your car."

The mule pulled on the reins, turned onto the main road, and stopped in front of Fang Wen: "What a coincidence! I'm just going to Yongdingmen to pick up goods. Give me 50 coins and I'll take you there."

Fang Shouxin took out a handful of copper coins and handed them to the driver.

The driver glanced at it and waved his hand, saying:

"This money? I don't recognize it."

Fang Wen immediately understood that copper coins varied from place to place. Most ordinary people were illiterate and could not read the characters on the copper coins; they only recognized the kind of coins they knew.

He then said, "Give him a silver dollar."

Fang Shouxin put away the copper coins and exchanged them for gleaming white Yuan Shikai silver dollars. The coachman's mouth was practically splitting open with a grin.

"Come on in, guest, please get in the car. My mule cart is the most stable."

"No need to be careful, just get to Yongding Gate as soon as possible," Fang Shouxin said.

Immediately, Fang Wen and Fang Shouxin sat on the flatbed cart, and the driver straightened the reins and raised the whip in his right hand.

Snapped!
The mule was in pain and couldn't understand why its master, who usually wouldn't hurt it, had gone mad today. But a good mule doesn't suffer a loss in the present moment, so it vigorously spurred its hooves and headed north.

The mule cart arrived at Yongding Gate, but there were guards at the city gate, and horse-drawn carriages from outside the city could not enter at will, so it stopped there.

Fang Wen and Fang Shouxin entered the city gate without being inspected.

However, the distance from Yongdingmen to Tsinghua University is not short.

This route passes through the Imperial Palace and goes all the way to the Old Summer Palace, almost traversing the entire north-south part of Beiping City.

He changed several modes of transportation and spent the entire day to arrive. Once there, night fell, and Fang Wen could only find a small hotel nearby to spend the night.

The next morning, he got up early and took Fang Shouxin to Huaqing School.

As they passed through the unguarded gate, Fang Wen felt nothing, but Fang Shouxin felt a sense of solemnity.

"Young master, I heard this used to be a prince's courtyard?"

"Yes, the Xichun Garden, the third son of Emperor Kangxi, was surrounded by former Qing Dynasty imperial gardens."

Fang Shouxin fell silent and walked with some restraint. People his age still retained a deep-seated awe for the emperor.

Fang Wen walked all the way to the second gate of Tsinghua University and asked passing students for directions.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Physics Department?"

"Over there. I'll take you there."

Led by this student, Fang Wen finally found the Physics Department of Tsinghua University and knocked on the door of the Physics Department office.

A handsome man in a long robe and glasses opened the door.

"Who are you looking for?"

Fang Wen stated his purpose directly.

"I am the general manager of Taishan Airlines. I would like to commission your company to manufacture a device that can detect metal in passengers' luggage and carry-on items."

"Taishan Airlines?" The man seemed to remember something. "You're from Shanghai. Oh right, I was reading the newspaper yesterday. You're the heroic pilot who sank the Izumo, aren't you? Please come in."

After being invited into the office, the other party warmly poured two cups of tea and then called over several colleagues.

They were astonished when they learned of Fang Wen's intentions.

One of the professors asked, "Why did you decide to come to Tsinghua University to find us?"

“Well, considering the safety of airline passengers and to prevent Japanese interference, I want a way to detect if passengers are carrying metal objects. I originally thought of using magnets, but someone told me that electromagnets are better, saying that they can detect metal objects by triggering an alarm through changes in the magnetic field. He also said that currently only the Physics Department of Tsinghua University in China can make such a thing.” Fang Wen replied with his prepared words.

Several physics professors gathered together to discuss the matter.

"I've seen reports about the metal detector he mentioned abroad; people in the United States have already made one."

"I know the principle. It uses the magnetic field of an electromagnetic coil. When a metal object approaches the induction coil of the detector, it changes the magnetic field in the coil, thereby triggering the detector to issue an alarm."

"This is not difficult, but it is a rare scientific practice, and we should accept his project."

"The Department of Electrical Engineering is scheduled to be established in the second half of the year, and people from there can come and collaborate on research."

Fang Wen smiled as he listened to their conversation.

He asked, "Can you get it done as soon as possible?"

"How fast do you want it?" a professor asked in return.

"One week."

"That might be a bit difficult. We need to make electromagnetic coils and other components, and prepare all sorts of tools," the professor said with difficulty.

These are not actually difficult problems; the key issue is that they do not have enough funds to purchase research materials, and in those days, industry, academia, and research were still separate entities.

If you don't have money, you have to spend time and effort; if you have money, you can take shortcuts.

Scientific research cannot be done by simply working hard; economic benefits must also be achieved.

He gave Fang Shouxin a look.

Fang Shouxin placed his heavy suitcase on the table, making a clattering sound.

He opened the leather trunk, which was full of silver dollars.

There were 3000 pieces in total, weighing about 80 kilograms. The time lost along the way was mainly due to two people taking turns carrying them and resting while switching hands.

After displaying the gleaming silver dollars, Fang Wen said, "I have discussed this with Bada Company, the shareholder of Taishan Airlines. The matter is urgent, and we are willing to use 3000 silver dollars to exchange for a week of your time. We hope you can produce an electromagnetic metal detector within a week."

The purchasing power of 3000 silver dollars was enough to cover the purchase of various equipment, with plenty to spare.

After discussing it, the professors agreed.

(End of this chapter)