While Chang Haonan was intensively testing the turbofan 9A, other units in the aviation industry system were naturally not idle.

Especially the Bingcheng Aircraft Industry Group.

Since the core power and transmission mechanism of the helicopter had been improved before, the development of the Z-9 assault transport version went much more smoothly than expected at the beginning.

Liu Hongbo, who traveled between the two places to personally "supervise the battle", after determining the noise calculation method of the flow field-sound field with Chang Haonan at the beginning, the whole person seemed to have opened up in this aspect and soon began to take charge of himself.

In less than three months, the previous semi-finished aircraft, which was about 60% complete, was refurbished and became the first prototype of the Z-9WY (Armament-Transport).

The only problem is the test flight.

Originally, Huaxia's helicopter test flight process was relatively chaotic.

Due to the huge difference between fixed-wing and helicopter in terms of engineering principles and research and development methods, in general, the proportion of tasks undertaken by the test flight base during the helicopter test flight is relatively low.

Most of the test flights are done locally at the manufacturer.

Even the specific subjects of each OEM are not exactly the same.

Fortunately, the flying environment of the helicopter is relatively simple after all, so it is not a big problem over the years.

However, the case of straight 9WY is more special.

It rolled off the production line in mid-January.

At that time, the temperature in the ice city was almost minus 30°C.

This temperature is a test for the engine, especially the mechanical parameters of the turboshaft engine, the stability of the lubricating oil delivery, and even for the pilot himself.

The cabin of the helicopter is almost as sealed as a car, and it does not have the same good conditions as the fixed wing.

In addition, the helicopter at low temperatures exhibits a very different operating feedback than normal.

This is especially true during take-off and landing with the highest risk factor.

If the pilot's proficiency is low, it will be difficult to save the scene once some unexpected situation occurs.

In short, under normal circumstances, the helicopter will choose some extreme climates according to the actual needs in the middle and late stages of the test flight to complete the test of special environments such as alpine/plateau/salt spray.

Although the trend of reconstructing the national military standard set off by Chang Haonan has little impact on the helicopter industry, even if there is no relevant standard, the first flight in the extremely cold climate of minus 30 °C is obviously dancing on the coffin board of aviation safety regulations.

But if it is said that the first flight will be postponed to April and May, it is obviously impossible for Bingcheng Industrial Group to be reconciled.

That's the equivalent of three or four months wasted.

As Chang Haonan became more and more deeply involved in the research and development of aviation industry projects, the industry's perception of "work efficiency" has also undergone earth-shaking changes.

In the past, the "overhauled" model of the Z-9WY was basically calculated on a 10-year basis.

In the middle, due to the limitation of objective conditions, it is normal to wait for a few months.

But now, this can only be regarded as a small repair on the basis of the existing mature design, and everyone will subconsciously feel that it should be done after two or three years of hard work.

In this case, it would be a terrible crime to delay for a few months.

In the end, Bingcheng Industrial Group did not stop doing anything, and chartered an An-124 from the Volga-Dnepr company, and pulled the prototype with the main rotor removed, all the relevant auxiliary equipment that needed to be tested, and the personnel involved in the test flight mission to Hojing.

As a result, the entire test flight process of this aircraft born in the ice city will be completed in a foreign land 2,000 kilometers away.

……

A huge An-124 landed in Hojing, and the movement was naturally not small.

You can see it almost all over the city.

Not to mention an internal unit such as the Test Flight Institute or the Pickaxe Flying Group.

Most people, even if they are engaged in aviation, have never seen such a big guy with a take-off weight of 400 tons.

Especially compared with several Y-5, Boeing 737, Y-7, MA60 and J-7A prototypes parked near the runway, it is especially obvious.

Talking and laughing at other small planes .jpg

Therefore, in the process of unloading the prototype from the cargo hold, it has been strongly watched by curious colleagues and wall climbers.

Guo Jingshan and Liu Hongbo don't care.

When they chose to pack an An-124, they considered that this way of making an appearance must be very eye-catching.

It is just a request to exclude people from the airport area so as not to cause any security problems.

After all, as the basic type of export export, there is not much need for secrecy.

The prototype is a dolphin that the French sell almost all over the world, and you can get up close and personal in Europe for a few hundred or thousands of francs.

Although some key improvements such as the transmission system, engine, and rotor are independent intellectual property rights, it is impossible to simply copy them away even if they are given a tape measure for you to measure.

Not to mention anything else, the low-noise propeller designed by Liu Hongbo is coupled with the sound field of the front fuselage and the shape of the short wing......

Besides, in this year, the wall-climbing party belongs to the gray category, and even if it catches the current situation, it is not easy to deal with.

After completing the unloading, Guo Jingshan commanded half of the entourage to hurry up and load the plane's rotors to prepare for the test flight, while the other half began to carry various daily necessities into the cabin of the An-124.

Such a big plane, all the people are coming, and you can't go back empty.

The goods shipped back from Huaxia are regarded as flight time subsidies for the crew.

……

The first flight took place on the morning of the second day.

Mainly, it took only half an afternoon to assemble and inspect the helicopter, but it took almost ten hours to refill and secure the pallets of the An-124.

By the time the latter refilled fuel and took off, it was already early the next morning......

"This plane is really ......"

Although Guo Jingshan is not engaged in fixed-wing, he always has a number of aircraft sizes.

He had seen a Boeing 747 with a take-off weight of about 370 tons before, but the shock was far less obvious than that of the An-124.

"It's a pity that I can't make a new one now......

Yi Yuanhe, the chief engineer of the 603 Institute, also stood next to him, looking at An 124, who gradually climbed and disappeared into the sky, and said.

There was a hint of regret in his tone.

Liu Hongbo has been involved in the research and development of the MA60 for a long time, and he and Yi Yuanhe often meet.

Of course, the former could not even be regarded as a formal member of the project team, but only the person in charge of the outsourcing team.

It's just that now Liu Hongbo, as the representative of the Torch Group, or Chang Haonan, has always had some differences in identity and status.

So Yi Yuanhe specially came to meet him.

By the way, find a reasonable reason to take a closer look at the An-124.

After the airport was restored to its former cleanliness, the members of the Ice City moved quickly and made various technical preparations before the first flight.

With Guo Jingshan's order on the walkie-talkie, the main rotor of the straight 9WY finally slowly rotated.

Ground tests, they have already done it in the ice city.

So this time, after confirming that there are no problems with the work of the engine and drivetrain, it is a direct take-off!

At the same time, outside the airport fence.

Rosie Colombo wears a military cotton hat and an overcoat emblazoned with the logo of the aviation industry, and his hands are tucked in his sleeves, watching the helicopter rising from the ground not far away.

As the manager of the international business cooperation department of the Finmecanica Group, he flies to Hokyo almost once a month.

On the one hand, it is to confirm the progress of the MA60 project, and on the other hand, it is also to see if there are any other opportunities.

Colombo was able to jump several levels from its subsidiary Agusta to become the second-level department manager of the head office, firstly, because the cooperation between the new boat 60 was relatively successful, and secondly, it also acted as an intermediary in the cooperation between China and Europe at the beginning of last year.

Of course, what played a decisive role was that in the process of the latter incident, he coincidentally got a wife who held a key position in the European Aviation Safety Agency (JAA......

There are people in the DPRK who are easy to handle, and his status will naturally rise with the tide.

However, his qualifications and connections are very shallow, and he urgently needs some cronies to gain a foothold in the company's top management.

Standing next to Colombo was his deputy, Danielle Lezzo, who was on his first visit to China.

Just like Colombo back then, he was shivering in the wind in his blazer.

Although Hokyo is not as good as the Ice City, it is still unbearable for the Italians on the Mediterranean coast.

In order to divert his attention, he had to ask the leader next to him:

"This helicopter, like a French dolphin?"

"Judging by the arrangement of the power compartment, as well as the tail rotor, it should be an improved version of the Dolphin."

Colombo used to be in charge of helicopters, so he naturally had a much better judgment than the deputy next to him.

What's more, Eurocopter is still the main competitor of his old club:

"I was thinking, maybe they need a better helicopter?"

"Helicopter gunship?"

Lezzo had been promoted from the shipbuilding business department, and could only see that the plane had short wings on either side.

"I haven't figured it out yet......"

Agusta's main products are the 3-ton A109 and the 15-ton EH101, but of course the A129 gunship.

But Colombo needs more than just a few planes.

While the two were talking, the helicopter had been hovering steadily in mid-air for a while, and began to turn to level flight.

The first flight of the helicopter was not destined to be too high.

At a height of several tens of meters, flying around the airport is over.

So it didn't take long to pass over the heads of the two of them in Colombo.

"Manager, the plane just flew over."

Lezzo patted the leader, who was still bowing his head in contemplation, and pointed to the sky.

"Oh......"

Colombo was still immersed in thought, but nodded subconsciously.

But it soon became clear that something was not quite right.

"Huh?"

He looked up at the sky.

The small helicopter could only see a shadow.

"It just flew over the two of us?"

He turned to look at Lezzo next to him.

"yes, it's supposed to be flying around the field, right?"

The latter just thought that the other party was stunned just now, and replied casually.

“……”

Colombo's eyes widened.

As a 4-ton helicopter, the improved version of the Dolphin just now seems to be a little too quiet......

(End of chapter)