Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 178 The Airworthiness Certificate of the Y-10

The Y-10 was used for test flights in China and could be flown freely. It went abroad twice, once for an airshow and once for a friendly exchange visit. Neither of these trips were considered normal commercial operations, so no airworthiness certificate was required. However, if it wants to be put into commercial operation, it will only be able to fly domestically without an airworthiness certificate. The Y-10, a large passenger aircraft, is born for intercontinental flights!

After 1989, obtaining an airworthiness certificate for the Y-10 would have been virtually impossible. However, in 1979, the Americans were planning to develop friendly relations with the East, which was a honeymoon period. Aircraft like the F-16 could be handed over to the East, so obtaining an airworthiness certificate would have been much easier!

Of course, there are still difficulties. If we come to apply on our own, the Americans will definitely make things difficult in all sorts of ways. With Lockheed's help, it will be much easier to get things done!

The FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, is supposedly only responsible for regulating domestic airlines in the United States. However, the problem is that US standards are global standards, recognized by most countries. Once you obtain FAA airworthiness certification, you can fly in many countries. As for Europe…

After Airbus rose to prominence, Europe and the United States entered into a mutual certification agreement. European certification is equivalent to FAA certification. Considering the huge European market, the Americans had no choice but to accept it. However, it is not easy for other countries to get involved.

Of course, there are solutions, such as uniting with other Asian countries to create an Asian-specific certification and then exchanging certifications with the United States. However, Asia is also fragmented, with some having ulterior motives and others being envious. Working with them would be like having three monks and no water to drink; who knows how many years of wrangling would ensue.

Joint efforts are definitely necessary, but other methods are also needed. Now that Lockheed has invited us to see the large passenger plane, we might as well take advantage of the hype.

"Get you an airworthiness certificate? That's no easy feat!" Ben-Rich said, frowning. "For years, you Easterners have been using Soviet standards; you're way behind the times..."

"No, no, our Y-10 was designed entirely according to Western standards." Qin Liang shook his head: "Our engines are a modified version of the Spey engine. The Spey engine has long been installed on many aircraft. Our avionics are all produced using avionics technology introduced by Marconi. Only the airframe is left, and we also followed Western standards."

Old Ma's eyes were full of expectation.

Lao Cheng has been transferred to the capital to take charge of civil aviation. As long as our Y-10 can obtain the FAA's airworthiness certificate, the civil aviation authorities will definitely purchase it, even if it is only used as a cargo plane first to accumulate flight hours before transporting passengers.
This trip was very fruitful!
"This... I can't make that decision." Ben Richie shook his head helplessly. He was in charge of military aircraft projects, and he really didn't know much about civilian airliners. In front of so many people, he couldn't very well say, "If you stay and join Lockheed, I'll take care of this!"

You have to keep a low profile when poaching people like this.

"Well, no rush. Anyway... you still have some orders for these Samsung passenger planes, enough to keep production going for two or three years. After that... such a large factory can produce other types of aircraft in addition to passenger planes!"

Passenger aircraft orders are typically booked for several years. The more orders a company has, the more confident it is. Of course, there are exceptions, such as Douglas, which had too many orders and a broken cash flow, ultimately dragging itself down.

Lockheed only has this one passenger plane, and the orders aren't that many. After two or three more years of production, what will happen to the factory?
Producing large passenger planes is different from producing fighter jets. Their factories don't offer much advantage in terms of modification, and shutting them down is much simpler!
Thinking of this, the factory manager, Hashim, spoke up: "We can help you deal with those bureaucrats at the FAA, but... this twin-engine project you mentioned..."

"Right now, we need to conduct research on the twin-engine conversion. Removing one engine shouldn't be difficult for you, and the cost shouldn't be too high. We will also expedite the process of pushing Rolls-Royce to increase the engine's thrust. If Rolls-Royce isn't up to par, there's always General Electric. We've also signed an agreement to help improve the engine. A year from now, once the regulations are approved and all preparations are complete, you can complete the three-engine to twin-engine conversion in a shorter time, catching your competitors off guard!" Qin Liang's tone was full of confidence: "I believe that the relevant regulations will be approved within a year. At that time, we'll fly the Y-10 over, and you can help us with the airworthiness certificate application. How about that?"

The Y-10 still has many test flight programs to complete before it can fly over. The airworthiness certificate is useless if it is issued too early.

Hashim took a deep breath: "Okay!"

Beside him, Ben Rich looked at Qin Liang with a complicated expression. Inviting them to tour the passenger plane was meant to show off how advanced Lockheed's products were; now, it seemed like they were the ones helping to improve it? This world is insane!

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's almost time. We're going to the most luxurious restaurant in town to give you a taste of high society dining culture!"

The restaurant was luxurious, with high-end crystal chandeliers, exquisite silver tableware, neatly dressed waiters, and a glass of crystal-clear red wine in front of us.

"You are all elites of the East, you should frequent such high-class places! Enjoy the pleasures of successful people!" Ben Richie's ideological offensive had finally begun.

These bumpkins from the East have never seen any high-end places. This free world of the West will surely dazzle their eyes and bewilder their minds!

Ben Richie raised his glass of red wine: "Come on, cheers!"

Everyone raised their hands, and then... *glug glug*...

"What a country bumpkin from the East!" Ben Rich thought with a hint of disdain. Red wine must be swirled a few times to mix it well before drinking it, allowing the taste buds on the tongue to experience the aged flavor, and then slowly swallowing it. What do these people think of red wine now? A beverage?
Hmm, the teachers from the East seem to know what they're doing, and as for Qin Liang and Yang Duo'er, I wonder if Yang Duo'er was their teacher...

Yang Wei downed his red wine in one gulp, then started eating the steak in front of him. How should he use the knife and fork?
He looked around and saw Yang Duo'er holding a fork in her left hand, cutting off a strip with a knife in her right hand, then forking it and putting it into... Qin Liang's mouth.

Hmm, this should be the correct way to eat steak, but... he tried it a couple of times and found it too troublesome. So he simply forked the whole steak and ate it with his mouth. What's so good about this foreign food? The meat wasn't even cooked properly! But... as long as it fills his stomach, that's fine. Once he's full, he can get back to his book!

Seeing Yang Wei letting loose, the others hesitated briefly before deciding to follow his lead. This Western feast was not tasty at all. What high-end? Bah! It's not as good as our mutton stew!
(End of this chapter)