Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 401 Secret Photography
"Welcome to Chang'an!" Once the plane came to a stop, Li Song drove his car to a spot not far from the aircraft.

"Thank you, Mr. Li!" The reporters shook hands with Li Song as soon as they got off the plane.

Most of these journalists were carrying cameras.

Li Song was accompanied by mainland media reporters.

These reporters have already taken photos from the air.

The Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant looks enormous.

Moreover, due to the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, many supporting factories were built around it.

In addition, there is an unnamed rocket manufacturing plant next to the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

These factories appeared abruptly on the land.

Because the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant was located far from the city.

Now, the factory is surrounded by farmland.

So a large industrial park appeared amidst a vast expanse of greenery.

It is very conspicuous.

"Look, everyone!!" After shaking hands with these people, Li Song pointed directly to the adjacent running track.

These reporters had already seen it, and they wouldn't have dared to take pictures if they hadn't shaken hands with Li Song first and without his permission.

So when these people saw Li Song pointing at the plane, someone asked, "Mr. Li, may I take a picture?"

"Of course, that is the CA201 aircraft, which exceeds Western environmental standards and uses a high-bypass ratio engine that is more fuel-efficient than similar models."

"That means we emit less on the same journey."

"In addition, our cabin uses cabin pressure at an altitude of 1,800 meters."

"This is usually used on private jets!" Li Song led the group on foot to the plane on the adjacent runway, explaining as he went.

"And you are free to take pictures!" As soon as Li Song said this, the reporters couldn't wait to raise their cameras.

"Mr. Li, how many people are there at the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant?" a reporter from The Times asked.

“Chang’an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant has more than 9,000 employees!” Li Song replied.

"Mr. Li, you have applied for many aircraft patents. May I ask what other projects are currently underway at Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant?" the newspaper reporter asked again.

"This is confidential and cannot be disclosed."

"Our goal at Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant is to become number one in the world." Li Song knew that saying this would invite ridicule from other media outlets.

Because the only aircraft that Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant can currently offer and has already been finalized is the Xinghui passenger jet.

However, the Starliner has not announced how many customers it has.

Bedouin is also waiting for the plane to be delivered to the Queen of London.

This was all arranged long ago.

It's essentially like Li Song giving a plane to the Queen of London as an advertisement.

Don't look down on those nouveau riche like Ami.

However, the center of the fashion world remains in Europe.

Even decades later, the center of the fashion world remains in Europe.

"Everyone, take some photos first. Today, this is our main event," Li Song said, pointing to the passenger plane in front of them.

The CA201 passenger plane still has a yellow fuselage surface, which is a type of paint.

On the one hand, it can protect the fuselage, and on the other hand, this yellow color is more eye-catching in the air.

During flight tests, the aircraft's movements can be clearly seen from various ground observation positions.

So this plane doesn't look that good right now.

"Boss!" After the reporters left, Liu Jiale quickly approached Li Song.

"I've arranged everything; it's all in the hangar over there." Li Song was referring to the exclusive news for Phoenix TV.

"Thank you, boss!!" Liu Jiale nodded, feeling very excited.

Then Li Song took Liu Jiale onto the plane.

Some of the reporters taking photos were of airplanes, some of the long runway, and some of the surrounding factories.

The Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant has three runways, the longest of which is 5.5 kilometers long. This runway will be used for heavy-load tests of transport aircraft.

Heavy-load tests of transport aircraft require long runways.

A transport plane fully loaded with hundreds of tons, with a runway that is not long enough, would have no room for error in the event of an accident.

The world's longest runway is the runway at Aramco's Edwards Air Force Base, which is over 10,000 meters long and is mainly used for testing transport aircraft and space shuttles.

Moreover, these reporters also photographed the workers at the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

At this time, very few reporters came here to take pictures.

Regarding the staff's attire, Li Song did not specifically require them to wear new work uniforms.

Because that feels somewhat fake.

Liu Jiale followed behind Li Song and circled around the plane.

A feeling I can't quite put into words.

Although I already knew that the boss owned an aircraft manufacturing plant here.

I also know that civil aviation passenger aircraft are a high-end industry in the world.

I also know that this industry requires a lot of high technology.

But when you see with your own eyes how big the aircraft manufacturing plant is, especially when a private plane lands.

People only realize how small they are when they stand on the track.

From the air, one could already see a huge building suddenly appearing on a lush green land.

There are three more tracks.

This was actually something Li Song did on purpose.

Standing on the track, looking at the straight track, one realizes how insignificant one is.

Moreover, the widest track is 105 meters wide.

Because the An-124's wingspan is over 70 meters.

The An-225's wingspan is nearly 90 meters!
Although Liu Jiale didn't understand aircraft manufacturing, he knew that such a wide and long runway must have a unique purpose.

These reporters also noticed the problem: the runway was too long and too wide.

After receiving the invitation, these journalists specifically sought out relevant professionals to learn some specialized knowledge.

"Gentlemen!"

"Please gather here!"

"The plane is about to carry out its maiden flight!" Li Song said after the photo session had ended.

Of course, these reporters all had staff members around them, mainly to prevent some reporters from causing trouble.

This time, everyone took a car and arrived at the airport.

A makeshift grandstand has been set up here!

There were already many vehicles parked near the airport, including ambulances and fire trucks.

Bird scare tactics have already begun in the distance.

Personnel from various departments who were to carry out the guard duties took their positions!
The refueling truck began refueling the plane.

Refueling is very limited during the first test flight of any aircraft.

The more fuel you use, the greater the danger.

When an aircraft is performing a flight mission, it is refueled according to the mission requirements.

This is especially true for commercial airliners. More fuel increases their weight and raises operating costs.

An airline may have a few planes or even dozens or hundreds of planes.

Carrying a few extra tons of fuel with each aircraft adds up to a significant cost.

Instead of carrying several tons of fuel, it's better to bring more luggage or ship some goods.

"Mr. Li, how long is the longest runway at Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant?" a reporter asked impatiently after sitting down.

There weren't many people in the stands, and none of the other technical staff showed up. Even the on-site staff were wearing windproof brown-tinted glasses. Chief Engineer Ma was directing operations from inside the control tower!
“We have three runways, the longest of which is 105 meters wide and 5.5 kilometers long. It is mainly used for heavy-load flight tests of aircraft,” Li Songkai replied.

The reporters quickly jotted down the data. Just then, a reporter from Phoenix TV said he needed to use the restroom.

They were then driven away from the stands by staff.

The other reporters had no doubts!
The staff member drove the Phoenix TV reporter to another hangar.

There is a royal blue painted aircraft in this hangar.

Because I had already been instructed to make it look like a candid photo!

So the reporter took some photos of the plane through a crack in the door.

The blue airplane has gold patterns on it!
Anyway, it was taken through a crack in the door, so you can only see part of the plane.

The Phoenix TV reporter was very excited, knowing how much profit this news would bring him.

The reporter had no idea what he was supposed to film before he arrived.

Now the reporter knows, because he saw the whole plane, and it is the Queen of London's private jet!

The reporter is incredibly excited now because he knows what the trump card is.

Taking photos now is all about provoking discussion among those people.

So how should we film, what should be filmed, and what shouldn't be filmed, to elicit the greatest response?

When the reporter hurriedly returned to the viewing platform, he found that the plane in the distance had already started moving!

The reporter noticed Liu Jiale looking over and nodded slightly.

"What we see now is aircraft CA201, which is undergoing a comprehensive inspection!"

"Once the comprehensive inspection is complete, we will begin the maiden flight," Li Song announced loudly to the reporters.

The reporters quickly grabbed their cameras and took pictures.

These reporters had all flown before, so they weren't surprised to see the plane taxiing!
But today, this plane holds special significance here.

Even before the commercial airliner manufactured by Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant was finalized, it stirred up the Western commercial airliner market.

Boeing, the leader in the commercial passenger aircraft market, actually lost out to Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant in the competition!
This has drawn attention to Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant and to Li Song.

With the roar of the engines, the plane began to accelerate.

The plane took off naturally from the runway.

In fact, airplanes nowadays have very little fuel when empty, so they can take off over very short distances.

However, this is not necessary for the maiden flight!

clap clap clap!
Many reporters took photos as the plane took off, while Li Song himself began to applaud.

"Please stay tuned, our Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant's aircraft is about to be successfully manufactured!"

"We must break the monopoly of certain individuals and the discrimination they face!"

"We will never be like some companies that say one thing and do another."

"Our Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant will provide the best service to customers and people all over the world!" Li Song began, referring to the Yin-Yang Boeing Company.

The people taking notes at the scene no longer cared about taking pictures; they quickly jotted down what Li Song had said.

Inside the control tower, Chief Engineer Ma was listening intently to reports from the surrounding observation points.

The aircraft did not retract its landing gear during the first few flight tests.

This is mainly because it's the plane's first takeoff, and it's uncertain whether any problems will arise.

Because aircraft were previously tested on the ground, it's hard to say whether there are any problems with the landing gear structure now that they're suddenly in the air.

The observation point is mainly used to observe the aircraft's attitude and movement, as well as the aircraft's condition.

This type of commercial airliner has a relatively large turning radius, and since it was its first flight, many dangerous maneuvers were prohibited.

The first time the arm is to fly smoothly in a circle back to the factory.

"Observation point number one, reporting everything is normal!" Chief Engineer Ma stared at the radar, above which was the civilian airliner on the back of his hand, while listening to the reports from below.

"Observation point number two is normal!"

"Observation point number three is normal!"

"Observation point number four is normal." These observation points only reported the word "normal."

Because the aircraft is very fast, mentioning too many observation points could affect subsequent reports.

The relevant personnel then compiled the reports from each observation point and submitted them to General Manager Ma.

Meanwhile, the pilot was also reporting to the control tower via radio!

"01 is normal!"

"01 Normal!" The pilot's report was also very concise.

Because there is very little time to react when something happens to an aircraft, it is essential to use the most concise language to express your meaning when carrying out related flight missions.

The planes were no longer visible from Li Song's viewing area.

Because commercial airliners fly relatively low at this time.

Because this is the first flight test, the aircraft will not perform any dangerous maneuvers!

Moreover, the plane was not flying at a very high altitude.

Everything is in preparation for possible scenarios.

Although ground test data was already available, Chief Engineer Ma was still very nervous.

After all, this was the first flight test.

Although the aircraft underwent a comprehensive inspection and maintenance before takeoff.

Because ground testing takes a long time and involves many items, it requires inspections and maintenance, and more than once.

Fortunately, we haven't heard any bad news so far, and the first flight is already halfway over!

Just as Li Song finished speaking in the stands, a reporter asked, "Mr. Li, do you think the passenger planes manufactured by Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant can be sold in the Western market?"

"If Western markets prohibit the sale of our aircraft in their countries..."

"That further proves the performance of our aircraft."

"If our planes are not good, then some companies will make a fuss."

"Are these companies just looking for trouble?"

"The fundamental reason is that these aircraft companies, after evaluation by relevant professionals, believe that our aircraft could have a fatal impact on their industry."

"To put it bluntly, it's all about making money!"

"I personally believe that large companies should bear the responsibilities of large companies."

"Instead of using one's own strength to attack or even frame competitors."

"Using their influence, they incited some politicians for their own selfish gain to impose various restrictions on their advanced goods." Li Song didn't name the person he was talking to, but the reporters present weren't fools!

I know Li Song was referring to Boeing!
Just then, the sound of an airplane could be heard in the distance.

Li Song picked up his binoculars and spotted the CA201 aircraft with its landing gear not retracted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you will witness the maiden flight and landing of the first civil airliner manufactured by Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant!" Li Song said.

(End of this chapter)