What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 496 New Passenger Aircraft Outlook

Nansha District, First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant
The first fully CKD assembled MD.11 passenger aircraft has been put into service.

According to the agreement with McDonnell Douglas, the suppliers of parts for the first few Chinese versions of the MD.11 were still those listed in the US catalog, but not any of the currently serving models, but rather the specially made MD.11G model.

MD.11G was originally planned to be based on the latest ER version of MD11, fixing some minor issues, but many more changes were added in August.

The reason was that at the end of July, an MD11 cargo plane that landed in New Jersey made a hard landing. The wing broke off and the plane slid off the runway, bursting into a fireball. Fortunately, the crew members climbed out of the portholes and escaped unharmed.

Although McDonnell Douglas quickly announced that the problem was due to mishandling and ground maintenance issues, Steve Jobs refused to accept it. The MD11G was the first passenger plane prepared for normal operation and market launch, and if something went wrong, he would have to atone with his death.

McDonnell Douglas was well aware of this as well. If Geigin were to find a reason to suddenly end the cooperation at this point, it would undoubtedly be another new crisis.

Jobs pressured McDonnell Douglas to obtain the actual investigation report and then identified 13 new problems that needed to be addressed, demanding that McDonnell Douglas continue to revise it.

After this modification, the final MD.11G model can be considered a major overhaul, having resolved almost all the more easily corrected and critical issues. The remaining issues are mainly about strengthening training for ground crew.

Modifying a passenger plane is no small project. After McDonnell Douglas moved its factory and special jigs to Guangzhou, it simply threw half of its design team over there, relying on temporary modifications and manual work by technicians to make the modified parts.

Despite being called a domestically produced CKD (Completely Knocked Down) aircraft, the proportion of domestic teams involved in the assembly of the first MD.11G model was probably less than 50%.

"The new MD.11G model requires 6% of its parts to be remanufactured, of which 3.5% have to be made by experienced craftsmen in the US or our own, which increases the cost by at least 20 percentage points."

Changbus stood with Tang Wen in front of the main cabin that was waiting to be assembled, looking much more haggard.

This was with the local team assisting. In reality, the Americans were even more determined. McDonnell Douglas was determined to complete the final assembly and first flight by November and deliver the aircraft to the airline for operation in early 1998. The design team and technicians sent over from abroad were either bald or had receding hairlines.

Tang Wen glanced at them and saw that they all had fair skin and no trace of grass on their faces. They were also efficient, responsible and conscientious in their work on site, almost exactly like the image in the future e-commerce advertisement.

This is the last industrial son of the empire, with a clean background, who earned his degree from community college through his own efforts, is conscientious and responsible with no bad habits, and sincerely hopes for a better tomorrow.

However, even now their proportion is beginning to decline, as the more recent generation of young people in the empire are more enthusiastic about trendy things, and many of them will face unemployment as industry shifts.

Considering that the introduction of MD.11 was a project entirely accomplished through micromanagement within this worldline, Tang Wen felt a surge of pride and, with a touch of courage, decided to give them some encouragement:
"After the MD11G is delivered, I will personally go on the first shift."

Cold sweat immediately streamed down Changbus's forehead. He hesitated and said:

"How about we wait until our own domestically designed passenger plane comes out before we talk about it?"

Tang Wen: "A domestically produced passenger plane?"

Changbus nodded:

"We've envisioned many versions. If we can ensure a stable supply of the CF6 engine, or even replicate it to achieve 70% of its performance, then we have a chance."

The ideal current solution is to use two CF6 engines with a 5.5-meter diameter cabin, a takeoff weight of approximately 180 tons, and the capacity to carry 240 passengers for 8000 kilometers.

Tang Wen imagined it for a moment, and thought, this is probably... a youthful version of the 787?

运10当年仿制的JT3D实在太落后，推力只有不到9吨，而CF6最大推力足足有28吨，一台CF6就能抵4台JT3D。

The new aircraft designed in this way should be classified as a wide-body long-range passenger aircraft. It does not meet the standards for transoceanic routes, but it is sufficient for the Eurasian continent.

8000 kilometers is enough to fly directly from Shanghai to Moscow, or to a part of Eastern Europe.

Simply put, this is probably a MAX version of the Y-10. The range hasn't changed much, but the carrying capacity, economy, and maintainability have reached a whole new level, making it a new passenger aircraft for the new millennium.

When will the development of this new passenger aircraft begin?

Changbushi:
"At least we need to master the assembly process and manufacturing procedures of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. I think we should confirm the initial design before 99 or at the end of 98, complete the static test in 00, have the first flight at the end of 01 or 02, and get the certification for flight in 03. Once we have made this aircraft well, I can retire with peace of mind."

In fact, his original plan was to complete the project around 05. However, considering Tang Wen's financial resources and the possibility that McDonnell Douglas would provide some technology, such as directly using the McDonnell Douglas 11's chassis, the timeline could be shortened considerably.

However, Tang Wen had a different plan in mind:

There were still five years left until 2003, enough time for Rao Xi to launch five Christmas expeditions.

Let's set a small goal first, like... acquiring McDonnell Douglas or Boeing?
……

"Hey Torres, do I look like a Hawaiian hula girl now?"

Seton twisted his waist, causing the other team members to close their eyes in pain.

Who can imagine the disgusting sight of a muscular man with body hair measured in centimeters wearing a skirt, shirtless, and wearing a grass wreath while dancing?

"If you keep doing that, I'll kick your ass hard, I swear, with my honor!"

Torres clenched his fist menacingly, but his attire wasn't much better; he was just wearing a loose-fitting jacket.

Veterans who had served in Annam did share a lot of useful experience, but the terror of the rainforest in Bassin was even greater.

After exploring Zone C2 from their base in Karakara for a few days, they all abandoned wearing pants and instead switched to shorts with the middle cut off to create a skirt-like skirt, plus elastic stockings and leggings.

Compression stockings and leg wraps can prevent varicose veins and provide protection. Skirts and trousers are even more important, as they can prevent the lower body from getting stuffy, causing acne and sores.

Because Zone C2 is a completely undeveloped area, most of the time we can only rely on aerial searches, and then ground teams have to go deep into high-suspicious areas to look for traces of human life. This is no easy task.

Each exploration lasted at least three or four days, leaving the team utterly exhausted.

Helicopters and reconnaissance planes had already scanned almost the entire C2 area. The area they were in now was just the last corner, the most unlikely corner, marked only by a 74 mountain on the map.

The area is covered in swamps and there is no way to pass through it. Only small rubber boats can barely get through. Land routes are almost completely cut off, and it is dozens of kilometers away from the main river channel. It is almost impossible to build a secret base here without leaving a trace, unless you rely entirely on helicopters to airlift supplies at any cost.

Ryan's team, having rested, was about to finish their search in two or three kilometers, but the surrounding area remained completely wild, with no trace of civilization except for crocodiles baring their teeth at them.

Ryan was already planning whether to mention to Hunter when he got back that he was going to take a month-long vacation in St. Anna, when he suddenly heard a faint buzzing sound.

That's the sound of a piston aircraft engine!
"It's X!"

The group immediately became alert. The dense forest was too obstructive to their view, so they could only find a secluded spot back to back and try their best to observe the gaps between the trees.

The sound grew louder and louder, but they still couldn't find any trace of the T6 drone.

Seton: "Could it be a lumberjack's chainsaw?"

"Where would a lumberjack come from, unless he's Hans's lumberjack... Look up!"

Ryan shouted, and the group looked up and saw a high-aspect-ratio straight-wing aircraft flash by through the leaves.

Because of their low flight altitude, they were able to clearly see the features:

Inverted V-shaped tail wing, large straight wing, rear-mounted piston engine!

Seton blinked, as if he had remembered something:
"It feels somewhat familiar, like our drone."

(End of this chapter)