Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 961: Chapter 485: Successful Test Flight!_2

Pilots react differently than technicians when they see engine performance parameters.

Their first thought is not "Is this real?" or "How is this achieved?" but rather, "With such an engine, what could a fighter jet potentially achieve?"

For example, the maximum speed.

While others may be impressed that a fighter jet can reach three times the speed of sound, pilots consider whether they can withstand such high speeds and acceleration.

Zhai Licheng, an experienced pilot, concluded upon seeing the engine’s parameters, "The J-8B can’t test this engine."

"It doesn’t have the performance or weight!"

"If the highest acceleration is used, the fighter jet might manage, but I..."

As he spoke, he shook his head and added, "Even the youngest pilot wouldn’t be able to handle it."

Zhai Licheng was stating the facts.

Zhao Yi understood what he meant, that the high performance of the engine resulting in acceleration exceeded human limits. He smiled and said, "There’s no need to test the maximum performance, just normal flight will do, normal testing."

"This engine is intended for medium and larger fighter jets, whereas the improved J-8B is a light fighter, right?"

"Right, Academician Zhao, you truly understand!" Zhai Licheng immediately nodded in agreement.

Zhai Licheng initially felt embarrassed by his remarks, as none of the others around were professional pilots and might not grasp his point, but Zhao Yi had explained the issue for him.

The two started to chat.

Zhai Licheng must have been an exceptionally experienced pilot to be brought into the engine group by Liu Jiankun. He spent the first ten years of his career normally serving in the military. Later on, when the Aviation Group needed him, he was transferred to the Group to serve as a test pilot for fighter jets.

Now at thirty-nine, he was approaching the age of retirement and soon would struggle to climb aboard a fighter jet. He was considering a civilian aviation job after retirement.

When Zhai Licheng talked about flying fighter jets, he had a lot to say. He had flown MiGs, J-7s, and J-8s, along with some standard trainer aircraft, and the relatively advanced J-10. After joining the Aviation Group, he solely conducted test flights, and the class of fighters he flew was somewhat lower.

"My biggest regret is not having flown a more advanced fighter jet, like the current J-20. I’ve only ever seen it from afar. A younger colleague of mine got to go up in one," he said.

"But if you ask me, his skills aren’t as good; he’s just a little younger."

Zhai Licheng expressed his regrets.

Zhao Yi patted his shoulder and said, "If you’re still working for the Aviation Group when the fighter jet we’re designing is ready for a trial flight, then let’s have you be the test pilot."

"Ah?"

Zhai Licheng asked, "How does it compare to the J-20?"

Zhao Yi pointed to the distant engine, "It’s the fighter that pairs with that engine."

Zhai Licheng looked at the assembly of the prototype, recalling its performance parameters, and his eyes lit up.

...

Assembly of the prototype went faster than expected, and it was completed by the afternoon of the next day.

Liu Jiankun and a large group, including the Warhawk team, stood on the second-floor platform looking down as engineers prepared for the ignition and operational test.

"It’s about to start."

Zhao Yi still stood in the center. Seeing the engineer’s signal from afar, he nodded crisply, "Begin!"

"Boom!"

When the engine officially ignited, the control room was immediately filled with roaring sounds.

This test was almost identical to the last one. The attendees couldn’t tell the difference, except for Zhao Yi, who noticed that the noise was slightly reduced.

Though only a minor decrease, it suggested the engine’s internal workings were more harmonious.

The test was completed quickly.

From the perspective of Liu Jiankun and his team, the engine not stalling mid-test and encountering no issues was already an excellent result.

The Warhawk team remained nonchalant. They had been through one test before, and since there were no problems during the first, a smooth second test was expected.

They were more interested in the data analysis.

Whether engine components had achieved harmony, if the engine maintained stable performance throughout the process, etc., could only be determined through a series of data.

After the operational test concluded, Zhao Yi invited Liu Jiankun and his team to the conference room to wait for engineers to collect the operational data and took the opportunity to explain the significance of the data to them in advance.

What Zhao Yi hadn’t anticipated was that before the data even arrived, Liu Jiankun declared, "I’m certain now, the Warhawk-1 has reached the trial flight standards."

"Ah?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Liu Jiankun stated, "I genuinely didn’t expect it to run so smoothly; now we can proceed straight to data integration and prepare for the test flight."

"Ah...oh."

Zhao Yi nodded, perplexed.

Frankly, Liu Jiankun’s standards for ’trial flight’ were much lower than Zhao Yi’s. freёwebnoѵel.com

Zhao Yi hoped for as much perfection as possible, while Liu Jiankun believed that as long as the engine ran normally, it was ready for a test flight. He had seen the engine operate smoothly and even undergo a maximum power test without any stalling issues.

That was enough.

Even achieving just this much was incredibly astonishing to Liu Jiankun and others, mainly because it had happened so fast.

The Kunlun engine had taken just under two years to reach this stage.

Now, how long had it been?