Chapter 448: Testing
If Qin Chuan is a "legend", then Hannah is also a legend.
She was a military test pilot for the German Army, having flown almost all models of the Luftwaffe, including the Stuka and BF109, of course.
Because she was injured several times during the test flight and made a lot of contributions, Hannah was awarded an Iron Cross of the 2nd degree and an Iron Cross of the 1st degree...... You must know that during the entire Third Reich, only two women were awarded the Iron Cross of the First Degree, Hannah was the one who deserved it, and the other was obtained by destroying and killing prisoners.
Since the cabin was not designed for people, it was very cramped, and it took Hannah a while to "squeeze" into it.
"In front of you is the joystick!" Von Braun said: "There are still some necessary gauges! ”
"But I can't see anything!" Hannah replied.
"Oh, apologies!" Von Braun took a flashlight from his assistant and handed it to Hannah: "You glue it to the bulkhead and align it with the meter so you can see it!" ”
"Oh, that's great!" Hannah laughed mockingly, "Maybe I need more of these lights!" ”
"Try it, Hannah!" Von Braun said: "Is there a difficulty? ”
"No, that's good!"
"You don't need to do it under normal circumstances!" Von Braun then explained: "You only need to operate when you feel that the flight is not in an abnormal state, and at the same time, ...... We've got a recording device on your right, and you just have to say what you're doing, understand? ”
"Understood!"
"You have to be careful when landing!" Von Braun continued: "Because it was designed to have no landing gear, we put it on, but it's not that sturdy, so you have to steer it to land as smoothly as possible, can you?" ”
"Of course!"
While Hannah was familiar with driving, the real "target plane" on the other side was transported and hoisted onto the launch rack by a crane.
Then, the staff began to be busy installing batteries, filling fuel and compressed air for the "target machine", and the pulse engine used by the "target machine" was simply a process of spraying fuel and compressed air into ......the combustion chamber and then closing the valve, and then igniting the battery to generate thrust, because this process proceeded quickly (40 to 50 drills per second), so it felt like a continuous jet thrust.
As von Braun explains, the process takes more than two hours and is risky because the liquid fuel used is toxic and unstable...... This is also the reason why the fuel must be primed before launch.
When the fuel is primed, it means that the experiment must be carried out as soon as possible, otherwise unexpected dangers may occur.
"Are you ready?" Von Braun asked Hannah.
"Yes!" Hannah climbed out of the model, her flight suit soaked with sweat: "If you give me a glass of water!" ”
Qin Chuan casually handed over his kettle.
"Thank you, Captain!" Hannah took the kettle and lifted the lid, then tilted her neck and drank "gurgling".
After finishing, he handed the kettle back to Qin Chuan and said, "Now, I'm ready!" ”
"You're nervous, Major!" Qin Chuan said.
Everyone looked at Qin Chuan suspiciously, because everyone thought that Hannah was confident.
"Really, Hannah?" Von Braun asked.
"Yes!" Hannah glanced at Qin Chuan with surprise and said, "Captain, you saw through me!" ”
"Hannah!" Conrad said, "We can terminate this test when you're ready......
"No!" Hannah replied, "There will always be this moment!" ”
As he spoke, he got out of the cockpit and resolutely walked towards the "target aircraft".
"How do you see that?" Conrad asked Qin Chuan in a low voice.
"Her fingers were shaking as she took the kettle!" Qin Chuan replied.
"Uh-huh!" Conrad said: "We should give her a little more time, after all, this is the desert and the 'target machine' is ......"
"Don't worry!" Qin Chuan said: "She'll be fine!" ”
Qin Chuan's words are not comforting, if there is anyone here who is not nervous or can also be said not to be nervous for Anna, it should be Qin Chuan, because Qin Chuan knows that Hannah lived until he was captured by the United States after the war.
"So, what are you waiting for?" Hannah, who had slipped into the cabin, poked her head out and shouted outside.
Von Braun and Conrad glanced at each other, nodded, and then proceeded to the final inspection procedure.
"Reaction chamber, normal!"
"Engine, normal!"
"Flying compass, normal!"
……
Everything works!
"Countdown to the second!"
"Ten, Nine, Eight......"
After the countdown was over, von Bryan ordered: "Ignition!" ”
With a "take-off" sound, the steam catapult with the "target aircraft" was thrown into the air along the launch frame, and at the same time, the pulse engine at the tail of the "target aircraft" was also ignited.
At the same time that the "target plane" was thrown into the sky, the propulsion piston was also thrown far away.
But of course, no one paid attention to the pistons, and everyone turned their attention to the "target plane" flying into the sky, even the German soldiers in the camp. Except for a few wearing chemical protective suits, there are staff members...... They had to clean the launch rack of the residual fuel ejected by the pulse engine as soon as possible (some of the fuel was ejected before the pulse engine could burn when it was ignited).
In the next second, von Braun and Conrad suddenly reacted, pulled Qin Chuan onto a jeep and chased in the direction of the "target plane" flight...... They don't need to be in such a hurry, because a jeep or motorbike is waiting every 10 kilometers from here, carrying binoculars, communication equipment and a first-aid kit with them.
"Do you know why we chose the desert?" Conrad said while looking at the "target plane" that was gradually moving away with a telescope: "Because it has a wide field of vision, and the soft sand may slow down the damage caused by the crash!" ”
"And!" Von Braun added: "The desert is relatively flat and there are very few highlands, which reduces many dangers!" ”
"But that doesn't mean there isn't danger!" Conrad said.
"I know!" Von Braun said: "Any innovation is risky, isn't it? Wasn't it risky for the Wright brothers to invent airplanes? Isn't Nobel's invention of smokeless explosives risky? ”
"But we can choose someone else!" Conrad objected: "Why must it be her!" ”
"God!" Von Braun replied: "We all know, who can still play with airplanes as toys?" Who can fly a 'target plane' with a sense of balance? Only she ......"
Qin Chuan knew that von Braun and Conrad were not really arguing, they were just venting their anxiety and uneasiness in their hearts.