Return to 2000: Captain of the Great Powers

Chapter 207 737's fatal flaw! (Please subscribe!)
"Xu Cang, Xu Cang!"

Amid waves of calls, Xu Cang gradually regained consciousness. As his eyes opened, a glare of light finally dissipated Xu Cang's last trace of haze. When he fully opened his eyes, what greeted his eyes was the blue sea like blue sky.

"Ok?"

As soon as Xu Cang became fully conscious, he immediately felt that he was wearing an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, and the weak airflow from it was icy cold, making his breathing refreshing.Turning his head again, he found that he had already sat in the cabin, surrounded by people, all looking at him with worried eyes.

Especially Mo Shangyun, who was holding a portable oxygen bottle to give Xu Cang oxygen.

Xu Cang felt that his head was a little groggy, but the rest of his feelings were okay, and he even thought to smile: "No, am I so good-looking, come around and look at me?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and it seemed that everything was really fine.Among them, a man in a white coat who looks like a doctor seems to be used to this kind of scene: "I told you all, this is the altitude sickness that came on suddenly, and it passed away all at once. Boy, you fly the plane That's all, and I didn't do any strenuous exercise, so how come the altitude sickness is so severe?"

As we all know, strenuous exercise in high-altitude areas will aggravate the symptoms of altitude sickness, but flying a plane is really not a physical activity, so why is the reaction so strong?
"I guess it was the landing that scared me too." Xu Cang sat up straight slowly: "In fact, there was already a little reaction in front of me, but it was relatively slight. It was just that I felt very uncomfortable after the landing."

Xu Cang is also a human being, so he will also be afraid. If Xu Cang reacted slower when he landed just now, the plane will definitely crash into something bad or bad.During the final landing, Xu Cang's heart was beating wildly like the most powerful blood pump. Although there was no strenuous exercise, such an exaggerated heartbeat would still greatly aggravate altitude sickness.

"Can you still scare yourself by flying a plane?" The doctor said with a smile: "It seems to be all right, so I will go back. If there is any problem, just call the control tower."

After finishing speaking, the doctor left the cabin very gracefully, and Xu Cang took the portable oxygen cylinder Mo Shangyun was holding: "Are you the doctor at the airport?"

"That's right!" Mo Shangyun saw that Xu Cang's words were very clear, and he must have really recovered, and finally he was relieved: "The plane is sliding, and you suddenly passed out. We don't know what happened. In case of a situation, I contacted the control tower and asked them to arrange for a doctor to come. The response of the airport is still fast. The doctor came up not long after we landed on the bridge. He did some simple examinations and said that you should only faint due to altitude sickness. Just let us give you oxygen."

"How long have I been in a coma?"

"That's ten minutes, not long." At this time, Shi Qi leaned over and said, "Xu Cang, are you feeling well now?"

Xu Cang stood up slowly, and moved a little: "Well, it's very good, it should be a short-term symptom. Oh, it's too ridiculous to be so scared that I fainted. Everyone, let's leave. It's all right here."

In this way, the gathered talents will slowly disperse.However, as time went by, there was still one person who did not leave, and it was Li Rongcheng.I saw Li Rongcheng glaring at Xu Cang: "I told you not to take this flight, but you decided to take it. Not only did you take the flight, but you actually took the flight. Fortunately, you have nothing serious, otherwise what will happen to the 777 test two days later?" ?”

Mo Shangyun hurried over to smooth things over: "Mr. Li, it's my problem. I insisted on letting Xu Cang sit. However, it's really lucky that Xu Cang is here today, otherwise there would be a big problem when we landed just now."

"Then are you flying directly to Daocheng from here?" Shi Qi asked.

Xu Cang shook his head: "No, let's go back to Jianchuan first."

"What? We're not going to Daocheng anymore?" Li Rongcheng was startled: "Xu Cang, what do you mean?"

"Have you ever thought that Daocheng's altitude is higher than that of Luoxie? At Luoxie Airport, my altitude sickness was so severe. Wouldn't it be more serious at Daocheng Yading Airport? If everything goes well, that's okay. But everything If something goes wrong, it is impossible for me to land back at Daocheng Yading Airport. You ask Boeing to coordinate with Rongfu Airport in advance. Once there is a problem, you can make an alternate landing at Rongfu Airport. In addition, change the location of the training airspace and adjust it to the nearest The place at Rongfu Airport."

"This..." Li Rongcheng finally understood what Xu Cang meant.

If the tests are all normal, then Xu Cang naturally does not need to have any pressure, even if he lands at Daocheng Yading Airport, the altitude sickness will be relatively mild.But if there is a real problem, wouldn't landing at Daocheng Yading Airport under heavy pressure be a repeat of landing just now?What if Xu Cang passed out again on the spot?
Therefore, Xu Cang wanted to change the flight plan of the entire test, and use Rongfu Airport, which is only [-] feet above sea level, as the first alternate landing site.

"But if the plan is temporarily changed, the test date will be postponed."

"That's your problem." Xu Cang felt that there was nothing wrong with him, and took off the oxygen mask: "Just tell Boeing that my body is not adapted to the plateau environment, which is a force majeure in the agreement. If the agreement is to be terminated, Whatever. However, if you want me to participate in the test, such as making changes to the test flight plan according to my requirements."

The most important reason for altitude sickness is the lack of human body's ability to adapt to the hypoxic environment.Previously, Boeing had done a physical examination on Xu Cang. Xu Cang had no physical problems. How could he expect a young man in his 20s to have altitude sickness?
In fact, Xu Cang has a long history of not adapting to the hypoxic environment.Previously, in the 747S2 switch incident, the cargo door was accidentally opened, causing an explosive decompression in the cabin. Xu Cang's eardrums and fundus of eyes were bleeding directly. The situation was extremely miserable, but Xia Shuyue, who was traveling with him, performed well.

Xu Cang's meaning is very simple, if Boeing does not want to delay, then terminate the agreement.Anyway, this kind of problem based on bodily functions is not subjective non-cooperation, even if the agreement is terminated, Xu Cang doesn't need to pay any compensation.As for any loss caused by Boeing, it is out of Xu Cang's consideration.

Seeing Li Rongcheng's hesitation, Xu Cang smiled and said, "You can just convey my thoughts directly, without mixing your personal opinions, this matter has nothing to do with you."

Li Rongcheng, who saw Xu Cang in a coma just now, thought about it and felt that what Xu Cang said made sense, so he nodded: "I'll give feedback to the headquarters."

"This is the best." Xu Cang yawned. He didn't know if it was because the oxygen-deficient environment would make him more sleepy, so he waved his hand: "Go back to Jianchuan first, and we'll talk about the rest. Teacher, just touched the ground How much load?"

Mo Shangyun smiled and said, "2.1G, it's very dangerous!"

"It's very dangerous." Hearing this, Xu Cang was also greatly relieved.

What Mo Shangyun said is very dangerous has double meanings. One is that the ground load of 2.1G is already quite heavy, and it may cause damage to the aircraft body. More importantly, this ground load is just smaller than that of the bureau. standard.

If the ground load reaches 2.2G, then this matter is not the airline's, and the bureau will intervene.If the bureau intervenes, things will become quite troublesome.Xu Cang had encountered many things in the past, and it was common for him to be investigated by the bureau, but now that he has started his own company, from the bottom of his heart, he still thinks it is better not to provoke the bureau.

"The maintenance has checked, is the plane okay?"

"No." Mo Shangyun said: "I also went down and walked around, but luckily nothing happened."

Hearing that the plane was fine, Xu Cang also breathed a sigh of relief. Now the company's planes are tense, but if something goes wrong and they are sent for maintenance, the company's transportation capacity will be a bit overwhelming.

"Teacher, go get busy, I won't be in the cockpit, I'll be sitting in the passenger cabin."

Mo Shangyun nodded: "Then you take a rest, and the guests are about to arrive, let's go to the front first."

Xu Cang hummed, found a random seat in the front row and sat down, glanced at Li Rongcheng who was on the phone in the row behind, adjusted to a relatively comfortable posture, held the oxygen bottle and inhaled again.

In the end, Xu Cang and Li Rongcheng returned to Jianchuan, but instead of going back to Erhai Lake, they stayed at the airport hotel in Jianchuan.That night, there was no news from Boeing, but a person in charge of the 777 test came directly.

In the restaurant on the second floor of the airport hotel, when Xu Cang and the person in charge of the 777 test sat down to discuss face to face, there were still many people in the restaurant, which seemed quite lively.Perhaps the person in charge was upset because Xu Cang proposed to change the plan, and the noisy environment around him made him even more displeased.

"We can find a quiet place to talk."

Xu Cang was still studying the menu, and said casually: "It would be great to eat directly after talking. I'm very lazy and don't like to walk around."

Although I was unhappy, the environment was a small problem, and the person in charge didn't bother with the environment anymore, but got straight to the point: "If the test plan doesn't change, you will terminate the agreement?"

"Presumably Li Rongcheng has conveyed my meaning accurately, is it necessary to confirm again?"

"However, we managed to apply for this test flight. If we want to change the plan, it will take at least five days. The whole world is paying attention to our 777 test. If the test flight is postponed, what will happen to our company's stock? ?”

Xu Cang smiled: "Then let it fall."

Bang!
The person in charge slapped the table, causing the diners around to cast suspicious glances at Xu Cang's table.

"There is no price limit for US stocks!" The person in charge almost shouted.

"Ah?" Xu Cang blinked his eyes: "Thank you for popularizing the knowledge of American stocks for me."

The person in charge almost fainted with anger: "Xu Cang, you have to know that after the termination of the agreement, the drawings of the 737NG and the 737-900 are gone. Can you bear such a loss? Especially the drawings of the 737NG, I know you What do you want those blueprints for? Without our blueprints, you can’t even start.”

Faced with these almost threatening words, Xu Cang was not annoyed, instead he leisurely poured a cup of tea for the person in charge, and said slowly: "That's right, I really wanted to rely on 737NG as our starting point before, but Over time, my thinking has changed a bit."

The person in charge's eyelids twitched: "What do you mean?"

Xu Cang put the teapot aside, and his smile faded instantly: "What do you mean? Isn't it hard for the LEAP engine to fit into the third-generation narrow-body machine?"

"You..." the person in charge almost stood up suddenly, with a cold look in his eyes: "You seem to know a lot."

"The layout of the fuselage of the 737 has not changed since the original. The previous engines were thin and long. Naturally, there is no problem with the short legs of the 737. However, the diameter of the LEPA engine blades of CFM Company is 206 cm, which can be installed on the 737. That's a ghost." Xu Cang's words were like a sharp knife piercing the head of the person in charge: "You may have made individual modifications with CFM, such as reducing the diameter of the blade. However, you can't reduce it to CFM56. The diameter of 155 centimeters, right? The diameter of the CFM56 engine is almost the limit of the airframe layout of the 737, am I right?"

The person in charge was rendered speechless by Xu Cang's words, not out of anger, but out of fear.Because what Xu Cang said hits the nail on the head, Boeing's technical department is now distressed by the fact that the LEAP engine cannot be adapted to the 737 airframe.

"So." Xu Cang stretched out a finger: "Don't threaten me with the blueprint of 737NG, it's just an antique that is out of date."

The person in charge retorted: "So what, but you can't even make an antique."

"Are you concerned about us? Wouldn't that be redundant. The Airbus 320 family doesn't have this problem inherently, which means their next-generation narrowbody is likely to come out earlier than yours, I think It’s better to worry about yourselves more at this time.”

The person in charge of "you" had blue veins popping up on his forehead. Although he was about to burst into flames with anger, he had to admit that what Xu Cang said was what they were most worried about. The fuselage layout of the 737 model is too old. With the successive introduction of turbofan engines with large bypass ratios in the new era, the 737 has been somewhat behind the times. The recent inability to adapt to the LEAP engine is the best proof.

"If the LEAP engine really can't be adapted to the 737 in the end, then the fuselage layout of the 737 should be corrected. I believe our technical department has the capability."

"But you don't have so much time." Xu Cang said with a smile: "Also, it's almost enough. The fuselage of the 737 has been used for so many years, and you Boeing probably wants to use it for another 30 years. Redesign the fuselage? Then How much it will cost, I don’t think it’s worth it when I think about it.”

The person in charge was restless, and before he knew it, the rhythm of the conversation was being led away by Xu Cang: "Don't think that you are the only one, it would be impossible without your 777 test. We have successfully completed the first two tests of 777 Now, the third big deal is that we will do it ourselves. If you want to terminate the agreement, you can! Don’t you have an airline, don’t want to get any planes from Boeing in the future.”

After speaking, the person in charge stood up and wanted to leave, as if his mind had been made up.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Xu Cang raised his head and looked at the person in charge who was full of anger: "I mean the test failed or secondly, if the plane is smashed in the end, then the 777 project will be completely ruined."

If the test fails, the Boeing 777 project will stall, which will make Boeing very uncomfortable.But stagnation does not mean complete abandonment. If the plane crashes during the test of the new model, it can basically declare the death penalty for this model.

"Now the new generation of narrow-body aircraft seems to be slower than Airbus. When the A380 is launched, will the 747 still dominate the jumbo aircraft market? The Boeing 777 project is still aborted. What are you going to use to compete with the A330? Tsk tsk tsk, From this point of view, your Boeing is really defeated." Xu Cang's voice was not loud, but it fell into the ears of the person in charge like a thunder: "With me, at least I can give you a solid foundation for the 777 test. Of course, You can also trust Boeing's chief flight test, that's your choice."

The person in charge had already stood up, but his face was clouded by Xu Cang's words.The times are different now. Airbus is rising too fast, and Boeing has to accept the existence of a strong challenger, so that Boeing feels pressured and cannot have the room for trial and error as before.

"Didn't you say that the plan must be changed? But our headquarters predicts that if it is postponed for five days, the stock is expected to fall by more than 80 billion US dollars. This is something we cannot afford, and we cannot explain it to the board of directors."

"Then I'll let you spend less money." Xu Cang said with a smile: "I can participate in the test flight according to the original plan, but you must ensure that there is an independent oxygen supply device in the cockpit."

"Isn't there an oxygen mask in the cockpit?" The person in charge said, "I can take it at any time, and we will ensure sufficient oxygen."

"No!" Xu Cang shook his head: "The test of 777 involves multiple systems. If it affects the oxygen supply system in the cockpit, it would be too dangerous for me, so I need an independent oxygen supply device to ensure my safety. You can breathe oxygen all the time.”

The person in charge thought for a moment: "An independent oxygen supply device? Then this is a non-board item, and a temporary authorization may be required. However, I should be able to solve it before the scheduled plan."

Civil aviation airliners have strict restrictions on in-flight supplies. Not everything can be put in the cockpit, let alone dangerous goods such as oxygen.Therefore, even in flight tests, if you want to install an independent oxygen supply device in the cockpit, you need to authorize it.

However, Boeing has great powers, and this kind of temporary authorization cannot trouble Boeing headquarters.

"Is it enough to install an independent oxygen supply device? So there is no need to change the flight test plan?" the person in charge asked with a slightly embarrassed face.

Xu Cang raised a finger: "Of course, there is one more condition, two 737-900s."

The person in charge who had just slowed down almost cursed on the spot: "Xu Cang, don't go too far! We paid for this test with the blueprint of 737NG, and there will be a 737-900 that will be paid for in ten years. That’s enough. Do you know how much it will cost for two more 737-900s, [-] million U.S. dollars, do you really think that our Boeing’s money came from a strong wind? Having said so much, you’re just trying to trick me, right?”

"No, no, how could it be?" Xu Cang showed a smile: "Anyway, due to the objective reasons of my body, it is always more dangerous to participate in this test flight test. Is it necessary to make up for it?"

"Fart! Make up for two 737-900s, how can there be such a reason in the world?"

Xu Cang smiled brighter: "I mean, what if I help you solve the problem that the LEAP engine cannot be adapted to the 737 airframe?"

　It shouldn't be sunny anymore, it's much better today.Thank you for your concern, everyone, take care too!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)