Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 128 Passenger Plane (1w)

Goronev had a clear mind. He knew very well what Zhu Chuanren wanted, but he couldn't take over this position. If he had more than ten or twenty tanks in his hands, he would have to sell them at any cost. The key is that he doesn't have any.

but

"Dear Zhu, I can't do anything about the tank at the moment, but there is something I might be able to get."

"Oh?" Zhu Chuanren became slightly more interested.

"Do you know DOX?"

Zhu Chuanren's first reaction was some small weapon, a pistol or a rifle.

But then a huge figure flashed in his mind.

"You're not talking about the German seaplane, are you?"

Goronev was speechless:

"You actually know!"

Just kidding, as a military fan, how could he not know about DOX?

After the First World War, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles as a defeated country.

In order to restrict the development and growth of Germany's military industry, the treaty, in addition to limiting the size of the German army and navy, also directly stipulated that Germany should not have an air force.

Therefore, many German aviation designers began to "switch careers" and became civil aircraft designers, or joined aviation clubs and used some flexible methods to maintain their research and development capabilities.

But even though the development of German aircraft has been restricted and it cannot develop its own aviation industry as it pleases, it still cannot trouble Germany.

Against this background, Germany began its military equipment development path by cooperating with foreign countries and selling dog meat to others.

The Do

In the mid-[-]s, Germany proposed a plan to build a large seaplane. Like the commercial airships at that time, this large seaplane was also planned to be used for commercial flights across the Atlantic.

Compared with airships, seaplanes have better usage rates. There is no need to build large airship land ports, warehouses, etc. Ordinary seaports can dock after certain modifications.

The Do

The body is ship-shaped, with short wing structures on both sides. The body is divided into three decks: upper, middle and lower.

Among them, the upper deck connected to the wings is the flight control room, where the crew stays, and the radio room. The flight engineer is also in this area to ensure the normal operation of the engine at all times;

The middle part is the crew cabin, which is a place for passengers to ride, rest, and eat;

The bottom floor is the cargo hold, which stores passengers' luggage and other items. The fuel tanks are also on this deck, and it also includes nine watertight compartment structures.

In 1929, the first Do X large seaplane was launched in the Swiss town of Altenrhein with financial support from the German Ministry of Transport.

On July 7, the Do

However, due to insufficient engine power, the aircraft was unable to reach the cruising altitude of 500 meters required to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

To prove its worth, Do

However, it also proved its transportation value.

This manned record lasted for about 20 years and was broken only after World War II.

The maximum flight speed of the Do

The aircraft has an empty weight of 28.2 tons, a maximum take-off weight of 52 tons, a length of 40.1 meters, a wingspan of 48 meters, and a height of 10.1 meters. It is a true giant in the sky.

It is driven by 12 Jupiter radial engines. The engines are located in 6 nacelles supported by trusses above the wings. Each nacelle is equipped with an engine at the front and rear to drive the propeller in its respective direction.

In 1930, the Do X was equipped with a 610-horsepower V-1570 V-12 engine, giving the aircraft the ability to cross the Atlantic.

However, due to the economic crisis in the early [-]s, European countries were still trying to recover from the damage caused by World War I. However, due to the outbreak of the economic crisis, long-distance commercial transportation was also in trouble, and no company had the possibility to purchase this large aircraft. .

In the end, Alitalia purchased two aircraft and used them for commercial promotion and did not put them into commercial use in the true sense.

After a limited trial of commercial transportation, it was stopped due to difficulty in obtaining profits, and it was switched to performing tasks such as officer training and daily patrols.

But generally speaking, the Do

As the first Do Displays will begin in June of this year.

During the second stop, the Allied bombing of Berlin became increasingly fierce, and Do-X had to remain in the museum because no suitable place could be found to store her.

In November 1943, a British bomber bomb directly hit the Do-X, ending the legend.

Now, Goronev didn't know where to find the channel, and wanted to sell this aircraft to Zhu Chuanren. Maybe in this life, DOX's career will change differently.

Zhu Chuanren's business acumen is far beyond comparison. When Goronev said the name of DOX, he had already thought of how to use this aircraft.

Maybe Goronev's original intention was to sell to the Chinese military through Zhu Chuanren, but Zhu Chuanren's first idea was to use this to enter the field of civil aviation. In the next century, civil aviation will be one of the most profitable industries.

This opportunity is not to be missed.

The aviation technology in the early [-]s could not support long-distance passenger transport business. Therefore, the early business of airlines was often to transport air mail, and the passenger transport business was limited to air sightseeing or short-distance passenger transport.

However, as the aviation industry continued to mature, by the mid-1924s, some well-known airlines began to be established, such as British Imperial Airways (in 1926, today's British Airways claimed to be its successor), German Airlines Lufthansa (1927, today's Lufthansa calls itself its successor), Pan American Airways (1991, ceased operations in [-]), etc., attempts to open long-distance routes also began immediately.

In order to strengthen connections within its vast colonial empire, Britain's Imperial Airways was very interested in opening long-distance routes. In 1925, the second year after its establishment, it began to study the establishment of routes between the British mainland and South Africa and between British India and Egypt. Possibly, test flights on routes from Britain to Asan and Britain to Tu'ao began in 1926.

In 1929, Imperial Airways conducted the first commercial flight between Britain and British India.

Although there were a daunting number of stops along the way, and passengers had to land in Switzerland and transfer to trains to Italy because Italy banned flights from entering via the French-Italian border, it was still a landmark event.

Subsequently, Imperial Airways' route network expanded rapidly. In December 1929, the route between Britain and India was extended to Delhi. In 12, the route between Egypt and British Central Africa was opened;

In 1932, the trans-African route from Egypt to South Africa was completed. In 1933, the route from Asan to Singapore was opened. In 1934, the route was extended from Singapore to Tuao;

In 1935, the route between Singapore and Hong Kong was opened.

Together with Pan American Airways' launch of a route from California to Guangdong Province in 1936, the air transport industry has covered most of the world.

Imperial Airways routes.

Note that the transatlantic route was planned but never actually launched.

In addition, because Egypt is located at the hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, the most important aviation transit point at that time was Cairo.

However, the lucrative transatlantic route in the future had not yet been completed. The harsh climate of the Atlantic and the lack of landing stations on the way were major challenges to the aircraft at that time. The passenger transportation business of airships was replaced by the Hindenburg in 1937. The accident is over.

However, by 1938, both Imperial Airways and Lufthansa had completed test flights to the other side of the Atlantic. Pan Am, the fastest moving company, opened a route from New York to Southampton, England, in June 1939, and had since then flown around the world on commercial flights. It has become possible.

However, this opportunity was extremely short-lived - more than two months later, the Second World War broke out, and the air transportation industry of various countries was transferred to military purposes.

It is worth mentioning that the 1930s was also an era of rapid development of China's aviation industry. China Airlines, a Sino-US joint venture, was established in 1931, and Eurasia Airlines, a Sino-German joint venture, was established in [-]. These were the years of China's [-]s and [-]s. two important airlines of the era.

By the mid-to-late [-]s, China had already established a route network covering major cities such as Shanghai, Jinling, Beiping, Tianjin, and Guangdong Province.

However, even if Eurasia Airlines successfully opened a route to Dihua, due to Mao Xiong's opposition to the transit of foreign flights, the only transfer point between domestic routes and international routes operated by foreign airlines is Xiangjiang.

The good times did not last long. The war greatly interrupted the development of China's aviation industry. Both China Airlines and Eurasia Airlines had to continuously adjust their routes as the front retreated and struggled to maintain their operations.

AVIC later participated in the development of the Hump Route, and AVIC's crews also made many sacrifices during the transportation of the Hump Route.

Eurasia Airlines was nationalized in 1941 due to the severance of diplomatic relations between China and Germany, and was reorganized into Central Airlines in 1943.

When it comes to civil aviation experience in this era, the first impression is undoubtedly that the fares are expensive.

Although various airlines worked hard to lower fares to expand their passenger base, air ticket prices in the [-]s were still considerable.

During this period, Imperial Airways' one-way fare from London to Singapore was £180, equivalent to approximately $17600 today, and Pan Am's one-way fare from San Francisco to Manila was $799, equivalent to approximately $14000 in later generations.

China's airline fares are also not cheap. The one-way fare of Eurasia Airlines from Shanghai to Chang'an reaches 205 yuan (legal currency), which is also beyond the spending power of ordinary people.

Therefore, it is generally believed that those who could afford long-distance air travel at that time were mostly businessmen or government officials.

Corresponding to the high fares and narrow customer base is naturally an extremely low passenger capacity. Large passenger planes can only carry dozens of people, while small passenger planes or luxury long-range passenger planes may only have a dozen people.

But flying during this period is definitely not a boring thing.

Due to the lack of a pressurized cockpit, the aircraft at that time could not cruise in the stratosphere like modern passenger aircraft, but had to fly at a much lower altitude. Coupled with the relatively slow speed, passengers undoubtedly had ample opportunities to enjoy the scenery along the way.

In addition, aircraft performance limitations and the avoidance of night flights for safety reasons have led to frequent landing requirements, which also gives passengers a short but rare opportunity to be exposed to exotic weather, language and customs.

This opportunity to experience exotic locales is one of the airline’s key selling points.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines published a travel guide to promote the scenery along the route, and Imperial Airways also emphasized exotic customs in its advertisements - considering that Imperial Airways' routes pass through the pyramids, the Nile River, the East African grasslands and Mount Kilimanjaro, it is not advisable to promote The scenery along the way will be rather strange.

Some Imperial Airways employees went further. One pilot once deliberately circled the sky over Uganda so that passengers could watch the sight of herds of elephants being frightened by the sound of aircraft engines.

However, on the other hand, low-altitude flying also means that it is more affected by the weather. In addition, early aircraft are mechanically unreliable, which is probably not friendly to passengers who prefer smooth flying and step-by-step. They may suffer from discomfort caused by hypoxia and airsickness. I'm afraid it's also very common.

It is difficult to generalize about the comfort of aircraft cabins. After all, the time span of the problem is as long as [-] years, and these are [-] years of rapid progress in aviation technology.

In these twenty years, the passenger aircraft itself has developed from a biplane with a wood-fabric structure to a streamlined, all-metal, futuristic monoplane, and the cabin has also developed from a simple one in the early [-]s to a luxurious one in the late [-]s. .

A 1939 Imperial Airways brochure declared that "there is no need to wrap yourself up, all aircraft are heated and air-conditioned... There is no need to worry about noise, the fuselage is soundproof, and normal conversation can be carried out in the cabin."

Although this is an exaggeration, it can also be seen that comfort has made great progress.

With the extension of passenger aircraft range in the late [-]s, a new generation of long-range passenger aircraft has begun to provide passengers with lounges and sleepers.

Judging from the promotional photos, its space and decoration are comparable to those of luxury trains.

In addition to the flight itself, the services provided by the airline are relatively complete. The fare of Imperial Airways includes the entire meal, transportation and accommodation costs (excluding alcohol). There are also cabin crew on board to provide cabin services - after all, this is a flight. This is a mode of travel that is often more expensive than first-class travel on a passenger ship. Naturally, customers’ requirements for service will not be lower.

Imperial Airways' latest-generation flag aircraft will offer sleeper berths for long-haul passengers.

However, before the trial operation was over, the world station broke out.

As for the risk, considering that there are enough passengers willing to choose flying as a mode of transportation, and the passenger flow of some major routes can support daily or next-day flights, it can be seen that its safety is acceptable.

However, in the [-]s and [-]s, both aviation technology and aviation-related regulations were far from mature, so accidents were not uncommon.

帝国航空试运营肖特“帝国”飞行艇的1937年就分别于3月、10月和12月发生了3起事故机毁人亡的重大事故，共造成22人死亡。而其他主要航空公司也没有好到哪里去。

According to incomplete statistics, in 1938, Lufthansa had 6 accidents, killing 34 people, Pan Am had 4 accidents, killing 23 people, and Air France had 3 accidents, killing 22 people.

Imperial Airways was luckier this year, with only three accidents resulting in eight deaths - but this could also be a natural result of flight cuts that year.

All in all, considering the huge amount of time saved by airplanes, the risks of flying are acceptable from the perspective of passengers, but most civil aviation practitioners today would shake their heads at this terrible safety record.

However, when entering the civil aviation field at this stage, how to avoid war is Zhu Chuanren's first consideration.

If you want to survive, you must participate in the Hump Route.

Speaking of the hump route, it is definitely an unavoidable part of the history of Chinese civil aviation.

Neon launched an all-out war, occupying major coastal port cities in more than a year, and invaded Southeast Asia, cutting off the Allies' maritime channels to assist China.

In April 1941, Mao Xiong, who had no time to visit eastward, neutralized the battlefield in the Far East, and the land channel through Mao Xiong to aid China was also interrupted.

At this time, the Burma Highway became China's only lifeline for obtaining international aid.

However, Xiao Benzi also understood this fact, so he successively invaded the area where the Burma Highway was located.

At this time, it was urgent to open a new transportation channel. After both land and sea channels were unsustainable, air routes became the first mode of transportation that people considered.

In February 1942, then U.S. President Roosevelt wrote to Army Chief of Staff George Marshall that "keeping the road to China open is the most urgent matter at the moment."

On the same day, at the request of Britain, the Chinese Expeditionary Force entered Burma to fight.

Since Myanmar was already at war, the Assam region of British India and the surrounding areas of southern Yunnan were chosen at both ends of this route.

However, this route is very different. Although the distance is only 800 kilometers, the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains, known as the roof of the world, lie across it.

These towering mountains are six to seven thousand meters high, which is almost the flying height limit of most aircraft at that time.

What's more, the shuttle routes are transport planes full of supplies, so the planes cannot climb and fly above the mountain peaks. At the same time, in order to avoid being attacked by small fighter planes.

Therefore, transport aircraft can only choose to shuttle back and forth between the high mountains and canyons. The mountains stand like humps, hence the name Hump Route.

However, the aviation forces of the U.S. Army and Navy have never had flying experience in such harsh conditions, including many complex and necessary route opening requirements, including aircraft performance, meteorological conditions, airport construction, route planning, aircraft communications, etc. All the information must be explored while opening.

On April 1942, 4, a DC-8 aircraft transferred from Pan American Airways completed its first mission to fly over the Hump Route, transporting 3 liters of fuel to Spring City, kicking off the Hump Route.

These pilots are exploring the terrain to find routes that are relatively suitable for flying. They are also exploring the altitude sickness of the aircraft and testing the working conditions of the aircraft at high altitudes. They are also familiar with the unpredictable climate conditions of the plateau.

The terrain of the Hump Route is very steep and difficult to complete by land. The altitude of Assam is only a few dozen meters, while the altitude of Spring City is 1800 meters, which is equivalent to the height of the main peak of Huangshan Mountain.

When the plane entered the foothills of the Himalayas from Asan, the altitude suddenly climbed from close to sea level. There are many mountains over 6740 meters in the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains, such as Kawagbo Peak (Meili Snow Mountain) with an altitude of [-] meters.

According to Army Air Corps records, they were in awe of the local weather conditions:

On both sides of the mountain are the warm and moist air currents from the Indian Ocean and the cold and dry air from Siberia. The high mountains hinder the horizontal flow of air, so the wind rises rapidly, forming a large amount of turbulence. The rising warm and humid air currents are cooled, forming a large amount of hail, Heavy rain and sleet.

The aircraft is likely to suddenly enter such a low-visibility, bad-weather cloud layer. If not operated properly, it may become disoriented at best, or crash into a mountain or crash at worst.

In order to ensure the route, multiple new airports were built at both ends of the destination. In 1942, construction of 4 new airports started in Asan.

By the time Neon surrendered, Asan had built a total of 13 airports, including 7 airports in Assam, 4 in Bengal, 2 in Kolkata, and 6 airports near Spring City. The first batch to be put into trial operation on the hump route were 25 C-47 transport aircraft, which are the military version of the DC-3, the representative product of Douglas Company.

Douglas later merged with McDonnell Douglas to form McDonnell Douglas, which was acquired by Boeing after the end of the Cold War.

DC-3 is a metal frame monoplane with a twin-propeller engine. DC is the abbreviation of Douglas Commercial. This aircraft was popular throughout the 333s and 2700s. The aircraft has a cruising speed of 2400 km/h and a load capacity of [-] km/h. [-] kg, range [-] kilometers.

Although only 3 DC-607 passenger models were produced, after all, passenger demand during World War II was very low.

The output of this series of aircraft is as high as 16079.

其中，丑国军用版本的C-47和C-53一共制造了10048架，其中C-53只有380架。

The military version of the DC-3 added a cargo door and reinforced floors.

In addition, the Soviet Union purchased a production license, and the Lisenov Design Bureau was responsible for the production of localized DC-3s, known as Li-2 transport aircraft. A total of 4937 units were produced.

The most special thing is that the pre-war Neon was also licensed for production. Mitsubishi, which produced the Zero fighter, produced 487 L2D aircraft during World War II, the Neon version of the DC-3.

Until the 21st century, there are still about 2000 improved DC-3s flying. This is a very large number, which is enough to prove the excellent performance and reliability of this aircraft.

Although this aircraft was widely praised around the world, it was very difficult to fly on hump routes. In fact, all aircraft at the time would have a headache when encountering such complex routes as hump routes.

This is because there was little demand for such flights in high-altitude areas in the world at that time, and high-altitude areas had long been "flight restricted areas."

It's not just that the terrain is high and prone to crashes, the climate in the mountains is changeable and visibility can plummet in a short period of time, so flying here requires skill, courage and luck.

"Goronev, how many planes can you get?" Being able to ask this question shows that Zhu Chuanren is moved.

Goronev beamed with joy, and wrinkles appeared on his face when he smiled.

"I can get as many as you want, but if you want it in stock, I only have one on hand, brand new."

"The one you have will be flown here for inspection first. I will bear the cost. Then I will decide how many to buy."

Jet airliners will be born in a few years, and DOX is just excessive at best and used to occupy pitfalls, so Zhu Chuanren will not buy too many, mainly for short-distance branch routes.

"Okay, but can you give me an estimate? How many frames can I buy at most?"

"Let's take five."

Goronev is a little confused. Logically speaking, he should be happy. He can earn at least 50 from this deal. Daole!

But he is a little greedy and wants to earn more.

However, judging from Zhu Chuanren's intentions, there seemed to be no possibility of concession.

Zhu Chuanren is indeed not willing to give in. When the company gets off the ground and the Li-2 transport aircraft is basically born, he will buy a few more Li-2s. Although seaplanes are cheaper, their uses are still somewhat narrow and they cannot take off on land. And decline, can only be used in coastal areas, how much money can you make?

The Li-2 piston transport aircraft was historically one of the first batch of aircraft imported by China from Mao Xiong. It was once codenamed "No. 14".

The Li-2 is a DC-3 produced under license by Mao Xiong. The engines of the Li-2 are two Schwetthoff M-62 or Ash-62 Wright R-1820 Tornados produced under license.

Originally known as the PS-2, the Lisunov Design Bureau produced a total of 84 aircraft during the war.

Compared with the C-47, the Li-2's engine cowling is similar to the Wright Cyclone-powered DC-3, but the shape of the carburetor and oil cooler air inlets is different.

The cargo door was moved forward and behind the wing roots, and its shape was changed.

The passenger version of the Li-2 has a passenger door on the right side of the fuselage, which is exactly the opposite of the C-47, and many of them also have added portholes.

The fuselage is an all-metal semi-monocoque structure.

The landing gear is a rear three-point front main landing gear type, which is retractable. The power unit is two Ash 2HP radial engines, each with a power of 62 kilowatts.

The aircraft length is 19.65 meters, the wingspan is 28.81 meters, the aircraft height is 5.15 meters, the maximum commercial load is 2.7 tons, the maximum cruising speed is 230 kilometers per hour, the maximum range is 2650 kilometers, the maximum flight altitude is 5600 meters, the take-off taxi distance is 455 meters, and the landing taxi is The distance is 430 meters, the crew member is 4, and it can accommodate 14 people.

Main technical data of Li-2: wingspan 28.813 meters, aircraft length 19.647 meters, aircraft height 7.093 meters, wing area 91.7 square meters; empty weight 7680 kg (passenger aircraft), 7400 kg (cargo aircraft), load 1120 kg, normal takeoff Weight 10700 kg, fuel capacity 3110 liters;

The maximum speed is 325 kilometers/hour, the cruising speed is 240 kilometers/hour, the normal ascent rate is 2~4 meters/second, the time required to climb to 3000 meters is 13 minutes and 12 seconds, the practical ceiling is 5600 meters, and the maximum endurance time is 12 hours and 02 minutes. The maximum range is 2650 kilometers, the take-off run distance is 420 meters, and the landing rim run distance is 380 meters;

动力装置为2台Ash-62IR气冷单排星形9缸活塞发动机，配AV-7N-161型三叶螺旋桨，单台起飞功率为1000马力，后换装国内生产的活塞5甲型（代号670）发动机以及J8-G3螺旋桨。

Some Li-2s also have fixed self-defense machine guns that fire out of the portholes, instead of the hand-held machine guns of the Chouguo and Neon models.

A large manned turret can be installed on the back of the Li-2, with a built-in 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm machine gun. Some aircraft have additional machine gun windows on both sides of the rear fuselage, and two machine guns are fixedly installed.

These Li-2s with self-defense firepower are used to perform night bombing missions rather than personnel transport. At this time, the bomb rack under the central wing section of the Li-2 can carry 1 kilograms of bombs, and it can also be mounted under the outer wing sections. Install the rocket launcher.

It is worth mentioning that the Li-2 can still transport 20 Soviet soldiers during bombing missions, and the standard transport version can transport 25 fully armed soldiers.

The performance of the Li-2 is lower than that of the standard C-47, mostly due to the increased weight of self-defense weapons and the larger structural weight of the Li-2.

The Li-2 was active on various fronts during the war and served as a troop transport aircraft in the Soviet Union until the 1980s.

Therefore, the Li-2 is an all-rounder that can be used for both civil aviation and military transportation. If Zhu Chuanren makes up his mind to enter the aviation field, then he must buy the Li-2.

So on the hydroplane, he wouldn't put too much into it.

As for where to build the water airport, he has already thought about it. It will be located at Renhe Pier and a 'terminal building' will be opened.

In fact, during this period, the mainstream model of civil aviation passenger aircraft in various places was still the Ford three-engine aircraft.

Yes, it is Ford in the automotive field. Few people know that this brand has also been involved in the aviation field.

At a time when most people still viewed airplanes as noisy and dangerous machines, Henry Ford began to pay attention to airplanes and devoted himself to turning them into successful commercial products - this advanced understanding may have come from his work in automobile manufacturing. groundbreaking experience.

The product launched by Ford had distinctive features compared with the aircraft of the time - it was an all-metal aircraft called the Ford three-engine, and many people simply called it the "Iron Goose."

At the time, no one would have really thought that Ford's three-engine aircraft would lay a golden egg and become the seed for the prosperity of U.S. commercial aviation.

The story of Ford's three-engine airplane begins with a man named William Bushnell Stout.

During the First World War, Stout was the chief engineer of the aircraft division of Packard Company, a famous American automobile manufacturer.

Toward the end of the war, Stout designed an aircraft for the U.S. Army that was known as the "Batwing" because of its unique wing shape.

This was the first internally supported cantilever monoplane made in China.

Another innovation of this aircraft is the first use of bakelite laminates as aircraft skin.

Unfortunately, Stout's actions were a little slow. By the time the "Batwing" flew into the sky, the war was over, and the Army suddenly lost interest in it.

The Army withdrew, but the Navy became interested in the "Bat Wing".

The Navy asked Stout to build an all-metal twin-engine torpedo bomber.

But Stout was once again unlucky. His creation crashed during a test flight and never made it into production.

After this failure, Stout decided to solve the funding problem first.

He began to seek investor support in the commercial market to design an updated aircraft.

Stout's method was also very unique. He sent a letter to each of 100 industrialists in Detroit, asking each of them to invest $1000 to support him.

This method is no different from today’s crowdfunding.

Among these 100 industrialists was Henry Ford, the tycoon of the automobile industry.

After 100 letters were sent, 65 people responded one after another.

Although not every industrialist was as generous as Stout had hoped, he was able to raise $20000, of which Ford and his son Edsel each contributed $1000.

After solving the money problem, Stout established his own company, Stout Metal Aircraft Company, on November 1922, 11.

Under this new company, the first aircraft designed by Stout was a monoplane that could carry four passengers. The aircraft was an all-metal structure and equipped with an OX-4 piston engine.

Stout gave this aircraft a very friendly name: flying sedan, abbreviated as AS-1.

On February 1923, 2, the AS-17 made its first flight.

Tests showed that the flight performance of the AS-1 was poor. The cause of the problem is simple - the engine is severely underpowered.

Later, Stout found a Hispano-Susa engine and replaced it. As a result, the flight performance was significantly improved.

At this time, Ford heard about the Stout AS-1 test, and the great industrialist immediately began to consider the feasibility of commercial air transportation.

Ford personally went to meet with Stout and learned that Stout was preparing to build a more powerful aircraft that could carry 10 people (2 crew and 8 passengers) or an equivalent amount of cargo.

This aircraft still uses a high-wing design, but the power system is changed to a 420-horsepower (308-kilowatt) "Liberty" engine.

Stout's next work was the 1924-AT "Flying Sleeper" which first flew on April 4, 23.

The aircraft was constructed entirely of Duralumin, reflecting STOUT's aggressive approach to all-metal aircraft.

At that time, many aircraft in the United States had wooden or metal frames covered with fabric.

In order to attract public attention, Stout named the plane "Detroit Maid".

Known as the "Flying Truck" when used as a cargo aircraft, it was also the first STOT aircraft to bear the Ford logo on the fuselage.

In December 1924, the U.S. Postal Service purchased the "Detroit Maid" to transport mail.

The success of this transaction provided STOUT with funding for further development.

In March 1925, Stout built a new aircraft, named the "Dearborn Maid", and prepared it for test flight.

On April 1925, 4, the "Dearborn Maid" took off from Detroit for Chicago.

It was Ford Air Transport's maiden flight—a flight planned by Ford himself, carrying auto parts, company mail, and some executives, and destined for the Ford plant in Chicago.

Not long after, the 2-AT "Dearborn Maiden II" also entered service on this route.

On July 1925, 7, Ford simply bought Stout's company and turned it into the Stout Metal Aircraft Division of the Ford Motor Company.

On August 8, Ford officially announced its entry into the commercial aviation field.

"Ford Motor Company hopes to use practice to prove whether commercial flight services can be safe and profitable," Ford stated its intentions this way.

1925年12月到来时，斯道特已经制造了11架2-AT，其中5架用于福特航空运输公司。

Ford worked hard to convince the public that flying with Ford was the right choice.

In August 1925, Ford held the Ford "Aviation Trusted Tour" competition, covering 8 cities with a total range of 13 miles (1900 kilometers).

All aircraft manufacturers can apply to participate in this event.

This event attracted the famous European aircraft designer and Dutchman Anthony Fokker.

In order to participate in this commercial competition, Fokker also specially modified a Fokker F.VII three-engine aircraft.

There is a speculation that Fokker decided to participate in the competition after learning about Ford's plan to build a three-engine aircraft to give his opponents a "demonstration".

During the competition, the modified Fokker aircraft led the way and reached the finish line first.

The single-engine Ford AS-1 was only 3 minutes behind in second place.

Through this competition, both Ford and Fokker have benefited greatly.

The Fokker was clearly the big winner, and the public's enthusiasm for the Fokker aircraft laid the foundation for its subsequent successful marketing in the U.S. market.

In Ford's view, the performance of 2-AT is still unsatisfactory.

He asked Stout to build a larger plane with three engines.

Stout followed the basic configuration of the 2-AT, with a Wright "Tornado" air-cooled radial piston engine installed under each wing, and a third engine installed in the nose of the aircraft.

This new aircraft, called 3-AT, has a round nose and panoramic windows at the front of the cabin, allowing passengers to enjoy the scenery directly ahead of the route.

The pilot sits in an open cockpit above the passenger cabin, but when flying the aircraft in this position, the wings on both sides will seriously block the pilot's field of vision during takeoff and landing.

Judging from the industrial aesthetics of later generations, 3-AT does have a weird appearance, and everyone who sees it calls it ugly.

Test pilot Schroeder nearly crashed during landing while piloting the 3-AT during a test flight.

The test flight report he submitted to Ford and another test pilot's evaluation of the aircraft as "neither favorable nor useful" made Ford extremely angry. He took his anger out on Stout himself, and the friendship between the two ended. Soup.

On January 1926, 1, a fire broke out at the STOT manufacturing plant. The 17-AT aircraft and STOT's earlier design data were all destroyed in the flames.

After that, Stout was arranged by Ford to go on a lecture tour to promote Ford aviation products.

His work was undertaken by the newly formed engineering design team.

For many years, it was believed that Stout designed all Ford airplanes, but Stout himself never claimed that.

The design plan for Ford's new product 4-AT is the design result of the new team. Among them, Stout's assistant Tom Towler, who is responsible for the overall design, made an outstanding contribution. He referred to many features of the 2-AT in the design.

The performance of 3-AT is significantly improved compared to 4-AT.

On June 1926, 6, 11-AT completed its first flight, and the test pilot stated that "the aircraft performed perfectly."

(End of this chapter)