African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 944 Seer Takes Off

Although the outcome of the Battle of Manila Bay was uncertain, the defeat was already certain after the blockade by the US military. Without any external source of supplies after the blockade, the Spanish army in the Philippines could only delay for a while at most. Ernst just wanted to take this opportunity to cause some trouble for the United States, so he no longer paid attention to it.

Of course, a comeback is not impossible. That is, Spain annihilates the main force of the US Navy in the Caribbean and threatens the US mainland. However, this possibility is smaller. If the local navy preserves its strength and cannot go all out, the fate of the Spanish Navy will probably be similar to that of the Far Eastern Empire.

……

1889 6 Month 5 Day.

Bulawayo City.

"Humans have longed for the sky, and Spirit carries our urgent hopes. If this experiment is successful, it will be a day that changes history for East Africa and the whole world."

At this time, at the experimental site in the west of Bulawayo, scientific researchers and reporters from the East News Agency were already on high alert.

The chief designer Liu Reid, who led this experiment, and his research team were extremely nervous as they were of mixed race.

Liu Lai De received orthodox education in East Africa. His father was a graduate of the Hexingen Military Academy and made great contributions to the expansion of East Africa. So according to common practice, he should follow in his father's footsteps and join the military.

However, Liu Lai De did not follow the usual path. He was naturally more interested in inventions and creations. Later, he went to the University of Vienna in Europe for further studies. After graduation, he was directly recruited to the Vienna branch of the Hechingen Energy and Power Laboratory for an internship. Finally, after returning to East Africa, he was entrusted with an important task and set up the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute.

An airplane, in short, is a flying machine or aircraft. During the critical period of the official development of this project in the 19th century, a large number of scientific researchers from all over the world came forward one after another, but none of them succeeded, but they accumulated enough experience.

Liu Reid also knew something about airplanes. Of course, many of the "flying vehicles" he knew about were unsuccessful cases.

The reason why Liu Lai De became the leader of the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute in East Africa was entirely because he was short of people in East Africa, so he had to reuse local talents.

After all, for scientific research projects like this, Ernst naturally set an extremely high level of confidentiality, which means that some projects have to be carried out anonymously. For many European and American scientists or inventors who pursue fame, even if the salary offered by East Africa is high, it is not cost-effective.

Although local talents like Liu Lai De are a little young, East Africa is not without ways to make up for the shortcomings. For example, Liu Lai De’s core team has more than 40 members, all of whom are top students in East Africa.

Many hands make light work. East Africa, which already has an "oversupply" of education, has the most university students compared to other countries. East Africa may lack top talents, but it can outnumber ten to one, or even a hundred to one. This kind of brutal human wave tactic is of great help to East Africa's scientific research. Many national laboratories in East Africa are built up by such young talents and have made many achievements.

Moreover, compared with many inventions and creations in 19th century Europe, most of which relied on personal ideas, East Africa's scientific research team model has its own advantages.

For example, the Wright brothers, who were the first to invent the airplane in history, only had a high school diploma and made a living by repairing bicycles.

In this case, compared with the aircraft research institute in East Africa, the Wright brothers were not even a ragtag army, not to mention that Ernst was there to point the way for East African researchers.

This is indeed the case. The "plane" in Bulawayo is much more "luxurious" in appearance than the plane invented by the Wright brothers in their previous lives. It not only has a simple mechanical structure, but is even equipped with certain electronic products and an outer shell.

The Wright brothers' airplane in their previous lives had no outer shell, only a rough frame, and sitting on it was probably like driving a convertible.

In fact, this aircraft independently developed by East Africa made its maiden flight in early March this year, but this time it was well prepared, and the central government specially sent reporters to record this precious historical image.

"Buzzing..."

Driven by the propeller in front, the Seer made a huge noise and then moved forward clumsily along the runway. To the "non-professional" people present, the so-called plane that had not yet taken off looked a bit like a weird-shaped sports car.

A military representative said nonchalantly: "Can this thing really fly? Its two wings are obviously fixed and made entirely of metal. There is no way it can fly like a bird or an insect by vibrating its wings..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw that Seer had already left the ground, flew upward, left the ground in an instant, flew close to the ground, then climbed rapidly in a very short time, and finally flew straight in the sky.

Facts speak louder than words, and although it was not the first time that the members of the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute saw a plane take off, they were so happy that they almost jumped up.

Reporters from the Dongxin News Agency were busy recording this historic moment. Under the watchful eyes of the cameras, mankind's first airplane successfully completed its mission, flying in the sky for nearly seven or eight minutes before returning to the runway and landing smoothly.

According to the original history, the Wright brothers' first airplane flew less than 300 meters in 59 seconds, which shows how high the starting point of the first airplane in East Africa was.

Of course, this is understandable. Behind the first airplane in East Africa, there are not only more than 40 core scientific researchers, but also other scientific research institutions sharing data, factories in East Africa providing the best parts, financial support from East Africa, etc. In comparison, the Wright brothers' team can only be regarded as a small workshop.

With such strong support, it would be unreasonable if the first aircraft in East Africa was still as simple as its predecessor.

The East African scientific research team was also very proud at this time. After all, as the developers of the world's first aircraft, they had the capital to be very proud.

This is also an encouragement to many young people in East African scientific research institutions. Although the quality of talent in East Africa lags behind that of European and American countries, this does not mean that their IQ is not high, but that their accumulation and experience are insufficient.

The East African government has undoubtedly provided them with an excellent platform, giving them the opportunity to show their talents and grow rapidly in national projects. As time goes by, people like Liu Lai De will become people who go down in history, just like the "masters" in Europe today.

This is also what Ernst hopes to see. Top talents cannot be introduced alone. It would be great if local talents in East Africa could continue to make achievements. After all, science and countries, and scientists have national boundaries.

This is actually true. Many European and American scientists or scholars hired to work in East Africa come to East Africa for money or other reasons, but their inner belonging is not East Africa after all.

For example, many university teachers hired in East Africa only use East Africa as a springboard, and ultimately they want to return to Europe for development.

But the situation is different for local talents. At least the vast majority of those who were born and raised here naturally have a strong sense of belonging to East Africa and are the easiest talents to retain in East Africa.

……

The first town.

"Very good! It seems that military expenditure will increase again soon!" Ernst thought to himself after learning that this flight experiment was successful.

In fact, Ernst knew that the Seer had taken off successfully as early as March, but after confirming it again, he couldn't help but get excited. After all, the airplane is one of the major inventions that can change human history, and the fact that it can be realized in the hands of East Africa makes Ernst more optimistic about the future prospects of East Africa.

In addition, the first large-scale application of aircraft in the previous life was war, with functions such as reconnaissance, attack, and transportation. The successful take-off of the East African aircraft means that the third largest military branch, the Air Force, will be born.

And with the take-off of the Seer, East Africa should also prepare its air force in advance to prepare for future wars.

(End of this chapter)