In the tea restaurant on the second floor of the airport hotel outside Jianchuan Airport, Xu Cang, who had been questioned by the Jianchuan Regulatory Bureau, was temporarily free. However, this did not mean that Xu Cang could immediately do his own thing. He still needed to stay in Jianchuan for a few days so that the Southwest Administration could send someone over later.
Of course, even if the investigation is over now, Xu Cang will not really leave Jianchuan. Once the 1566 plane incident comes out, it will trigger a series of reactions, and Xu Cang must gain more benefits from it.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Xu Cang seemed to have tasted the sweetness of the last Qizhou sea emergency landing incident. As long as he survived this kind of special situation where the responsible party was not man-made, he could gain a lot of benefits.
This is the most direct way to gain benefits at the cost of one's own life. Xu Cang was unwilling to try it from the bottom of his heart, but it had already happened. If he didn't make use of it, he would be sorry for putting himself in danger.
After talking to Li Rongcheng on the phone in the airport VIP lounge, Li Rongcheng heard that Xu Cang was going to sue Boeing for compensation. Li Rongcheng, who had originally planned to go abroad and return to Boeing headquarters, temporarily changed his itinerary and went to find Xu Cang.
After dealing with the bureau's simple inquiries, Xu Cang and others all checked into the airport hotel and did not go to the Blue Sky Airlines base. Xu Cang was then handed over by Li Rongcheng, and the two met at the tea restaurant on the second floor to discuss things.
Xu Cang ordered some desserts, but Li Rongcheng was worried and had no appetite, so he just drank tea.
It took almost half an hour for Xu Cang to recount in detail what had just happened on Flight 9951N. Li Rongcheng was listening at the side so absorbed in the story that the cup of tea he was holding hung in the air. It was only after a long while that his wrist started to ache that he finally reacted.
"Flying a 737 inverted! Xu Cang, you are the only one who can do such a thing." After a long pause, Li Rongcheng still couldn't accept the scene of completing such a super maneuver on a large passenger plane.
"When you are poor, you should think of ways to change. You can't just wait to die." Xu Cang didn't care: "By the way, why did you come here specially? It won't affect your trip back to the United States, right?"
As far as Xu Cang knew, Li Rongcheng was going to take a flight from Jianchuan to Hanjing for a transfer today, and then return to Boeing headquarters. On the one hand, it was his duty, and on the other hand, he was also working on getting Xu Cang a 737-900 aircraft.
Xu Cang still attached great importance to the 737-900 aircraft that Li Rongcheng promised. Especially after learning that the basic condition for establishing an airline company is to have at least three aircraft, the importance of Li Rongcheng became more prominent. Xu Cang did not want to delay his return trip because of Li Rongcheng's special visit to him, thus affecting the 737-900.
"It's okay. The flight back home is tomorrow afternoon. I can change it to a flight that takes off at 11 pm." Li Rongcheng pushed the teacup in front of him with his fingers, looking quite serious: "Xu Cang, are you sure there is a loophole in the Boeing manual regarding the handling procedures for taking off tail strikes?"
"Of course!" Xu Cang said with certainty: "When the tail of the plane is hit and substantial damage is caused to the fuselage, if the pressure difference is too large, it is easy for the fuselage structure to be further damaged. Perhaps Boeing did not expect that the pressure difference alone could break the structure of the aircraft fuselage..."
Li Rongcheng could roughly understand what Xu Cang said, but he was in charge of administration after all, not technical expertise, so he didn't understand much. It was just out of trust in Xu Cang, and seeing Xu Cang's assurance, Li Rongcheng also believed it a little.
If there is a problem with the elevator centering device, it can be defined as an individual case, and the compensation liability can naturally be confined to a relatively limited scope.
However, if it is determined that there are loopholes in the special situation handling procedures, then they will be universal and the impact will be very great.
"Xu Cang, what do you want?" Li Rongcheng had been with Xu Cang for a long time, so he stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "You can tell me first, and I'll help you weigh it."
Xu Cang joked, "How can you take advantage of your boss?"
"I am not helping either side, or rather, I am helping both sides. This is to minimize the impact, which is good for both sides." Li Rongcheng said honestly.
Boeing's success is not only due to its reliable aircraft, but also to its relatively complete flight manuals. If there is a problem with the aircraft and the manual, it will definitely be a headache for Boeing.
"Oh." Xu Cang moved the snack plate aside, patted his clothes, and looked like he was going to talk seriously: "To be honest, I haven't thought about it yet. But if you want an answer right away, it'd be better to give me another plane. I want the 800 model."
"Or in installments?"
"No!" Xu Cang shook his head and laughed, "I almost lost my life. After all, my life is more valuable than a 737-800, right? But, speaking of the previous 747 S2 switch incident, I didn't ask you for any compensation. This time, let's settle it all at once. How about it?"
Hearing Xu Cang mention the 747S2 switch again, Li Rongcheng was speechless. That incident was indeed a design defect in the aircraft door locking system. Because of that incident, many 747s were grounded for a period of time. The airline said that many of the losses incurred were paid by Boeing. For this, Boeing paid a lot of money.
At that time, Xu Cang was not like he is now, and he did not know how to maximize his interests. He did not submit any compensation claims to Boeing in his personal name.
However, after the incident with the meritorious pilot, Xu Cang began to change his mind. He decided that what belonged to him must be taken.
Li Rongcheng's face was not very good: "Xu Cang, an 800 is close to 300 million yuan. Do you mean to give it away for free? This request is too outrageous."
Three hundred million is not something that can be easily spent even for a company like Boeing. Li Rongcheng felt that Boeing headquarters would never agree to it.
"You are even willing to hand over the blueprints of the 737NG, but you are not willing to part with a plane worth 300 million? Moreover, 300 million is the price you quoted to the outside world. How can the actual cost be 300 million? Your so-called contribution is actually not that much."
According to Xu Cang, aircraft manufacturing is an extremely high-profit industry. The external selling price is 300 million, and the actual cost is estimated to be more than 200 million. Of course, many aircraft manufacturing companies do not make the most profit from selling aircraft, and only the subsequent maintenance can make a continuous profit.
For large passenger aircraft, once it involves replacing aviation parts, it is not possible to just find any aviation parts supplier. If something goes wrong, it is entirely your own responsibility, and neither Boeing nor the insurance company will compensate. Therefore, airlines can only use genuine aviation parts, and the price of genuine aviation parts is generally quite touching. It is common for a small light bulb to cost one or two hundred yuan. This is the bulk of Boeing and Airbus's profits.
Li Rongcheng snorted, "How can they be the same? The 777 incident was directly related to the survival of the company, so the cost was definitely not considered. The incident you mentioned... to be honest, I don't think it will have much impact on Boeing, so it's naturally not the same thing."
Xu Cang didn't believe it: "There are loopholes in the manual, but the impact is not big?"
"But how are you going to prove it?"
"How can we prove it? Isn't what happened today proof?"
Li Rongcheng sighed and said, "This is at most a supporting evidence, not a direct proof. The subsequent explosion of the tail of the aircraft may be the natural development of the damage to the fuselage caused by the tail strike, and it is not necessarily caused by the pressure difference theory."
"The tail explosion occurred when the outflow valve was fully closed..."
"It could just be a coincidence."
Xu Cang did not continue to speak, he began to understand what Li Rongcheng meant. He straightened his body slightly, leaned back, leaned on the back of the chair, and suddenly smiled: "Then I applied for relevant verification at Boeing, but that would definitely not work."
Boeing has detailed verification equipment, and if it wants to verify, it will definitely be able to verify it. But according to Li Rongcheng, Boeing seems to have the choice to hold on, and Xu Cang has no way to deal with Boeing.
"Xu Cang, whoever advocates must provide evidence. As long as Boeing insists on it, you must provide direct evidence. The key is this kind of verification evidence. Can you provide it? Without equipment and personnel, you can't produce any evidence at all."
"Whoever advocates must provide evidence. This is not an absolute rule for allocating the burden of proof. The difficulty of providing evidence between Boeing and me is obviously much greater for me. Based on the principle of fairness, the court should not let me provide evidence."
Li Rongcheng sneered: "Fairness, is there any fairness in this world?"
Xu Cang was startled, and his fingernails flicked on the edge of the dessert plate, making a crisp buzzing sound: "It seems that I am overthinking?"
"Xu Cang, Boeing's manual is certified by the Federal Aviation Regulations. Only Boeing itself takes the initiative to change the manual. If outsiders use this to attack Boeing's manual, wouldn't it be equivalent to denying the legitimacy of the Federal Aviation Regulations? Do you think it's possible?" Li Rongcheng advised.
Xu Cang began to become interested: "Then it seems that I also need to consider the relationship with the FAA?"
"You don't have to consider this, but your new aircraft do." Li Rongcheng said coldly, "The relationship with the FAA is too strained. How are your new aircraft going to get the FAA's type certificate? Without FAA certification, how are your new aircraft going to the world?"
Hearing this, the muscles on one side of Xu Cang's face twitched, but he didn't say anything else.
This is the reality!
In the future, if domestic large aircraft want to be exported, they must obtain a type certificate from the local civil aviation administration. However, the civil aviation administrations of many countries in the world do not even have sound regulations, let alone the ability to identify the airworthiness of an aircraft model.
Therefore, those national civil aviation administrations that do not have the certification capabilities simply do not conduct the certification. Instead, they comply with the standards of the FAA and EASA.
As long as an aircraft model has both FAA and EASA type certificates, it can automatically obtain type certificates locally.
This is authority, this is the first-mover advantage!
One step faster, every step faster! Once an industry standard is formed in advance, it will be a disaster for latecomers. In the field of civil aviation, FAA and EASA are the industry standards, and other countries do not recognize CAAC's standards.
As long as Xu Cang attacks using loopholes in the manual, he will inevitably drag into the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), which grant legitimacy to the Boeing manual. Isn't this a blatant provocation to the FAA?
It is possible that in the future the FAA, which holds a grudge, will hinder the type approval of domestically produced large aircraft, and there will be nothing we can do about it.
Without FAA certification, domestically produced large aircraft cannot be exported to at least more than 70% of foreign countries, unless in the future domestically produced large aircraft only produce a self-contained model.
Whether it is the country, the domestic aircraft practitioners, or Xu Cang himself, they definitely don't want this to happen. But in this case, Xu Cang really can't do anything about Boeing.
No wonder Li Rongcheng advised Xu Cang not to go too far, because he is a person who sees through the essence. That is, for a long time in the future, CAAC can only look at the face of FAA.
Xu Cang took a deep breath: "So what's your suggestion?"
"Aren't you planning to set up a company? You will definitely need to import a large number of aircraft in the future. You can ask for more discounts in the subsequent aircraft orders. In this way, Boeing will be relatively acceptable, and you will also gain a lot of benefits. It's the best of both worlds." Li Rongcheng suggested.
For a new company like Xu Cang, there are basically no discounts when purchasing Boeing aircraft. Only after the number of transactions increases and the company becomes a regular customer, will discounts gradually appear.
Li Rongcheng's intention is to let Boeing give corresponding "regular customers" discounts from the beginning. Over time, the money saved may not be less than that of an airplane.
However, this seemingly reasonable suggestion made Xu Cang fall into a long silence. Suddenly, Xu Cang asked a question: "What if this is exchanged for our new aircraft to obtain type approval from the FAA in the future?"
"Impossible!" Li Rongcheng rejected Xu Cang's idea without any thought: "Xu Cang, you don't know how much political game is involved in this. This is not a simple business behavior! Your chips are too small and can't affect the balance of the scale at all."
"Xu Cang, if you are not satisfied, how about I help your company when it needs to open a China-US route?"
Opening international routes requires the consent of the two countries' civil aviation authorities. As long as Xu Cang accepts the conditions, Boeing can help him negotiate with the FAA if there is any need in the future.
This is also a good condition!
However, Xu Cang had a sullen face and was slow to make a decision, which made Li Rongcheng a little worried.
"Let me think about it." Xu Cang did not give an answer immediately.
"Xu Cang, although I know this doesn't suit your character, you have to learn to compromise with reality." Li Rongcheng sighed, "Do you feel powerless and angry? This is the despairing reality."
"Not really." Xu Cang suddenly laughed, looking quite sincere: "At least not for Boeing. I told you a long time ago that Boeing has no future. Did I think I was kidding?"
Li Rongcheng raised his eyebrows: "Do you think Airbus will beat Boeing in the future?"
Xu Cang shook his head: "Many empires collapsed from within."
"Okay, let me think about what to do next."
Li Rongcheng quickly reminded: "In this situation, it is not appropriate to confront head-on."
"I know, I won't act on impulse." Xu Cang was about to stand up when he suddenly found someone coming in at the door. It was Yang Tian from Rolls-Royce Company.
Li Rongcheng noticed that Xu Cang was looking at the door, and he turned back curiously. He immediately recognized Yang Tian and was stunned. He blurted out: "Master Yang?"
"Do you know him?" Xu Cang asked.
"Yang Tian, ​​one of the designers of the Trent 900, is he here to see you?"
Just as Li Rongcheng finished speaking, Yang Tian had already walked over. He was about to talk to Xu Cang, but he noticed Li Rongcheng's presence. Now the designer of the Trent 900 engine also knew Li Rongcheng, and he shouted with a little surprise: "Mr. Li is here too?"
Li Rongcheng nodded to Yang Tian, ​​then looked at Xu Cang: "Since you have something to talk about, I'll leave first."
Although Yang Tian didn't understand why Li Rongcheng would sit with Xu Cang, and they seemed to have a good personal relationship, at least Li Rongcheng's behavior of taking the initiative to avoid suspicion made Yang Tian look at him with gratitude.
However, Xu Cang waved his hand and said, "No need, we are not outsiders, just speak as usual, there is no need to hide anything."
"This..." Now it was Yang Tian's turn to be embarrassed. With the head of Boeing's Asia Pacific region next to him, it was really inconvenient to talk.
But Xu Cang laughed: "Anyway, you are here for the A380, and you have no conflicts of interest with Boeing, so what are you worried about?"
"A380?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Rongcheng's eyes. He really didn't expect that Rolls-Royce would have any intersection with Xu Cang, and it was for the A380 project.
On the surface, Boeing directly discarded Airbus's aviation hub plan, and naturally did not agree with the A380 plan that was spawned by this plan.
Although there is still a considerable difference between the 747 and the 380 in the seat market, they are still competitors. It is definitely not comfortable to discuss things in front of competitors.
Seeing Yang Tian's hesitation, Xu Cang became a little impatient: "You are Rolls-Royce, an engine supplier, not Airbus. You are overthinking this."
Yang Tian is obviously putting himself in the role too deeply. The fact that Airbus and Boeing are in direct competition does not mean that Rolls-Royce, as an engine supplier for Airbus, is also in competition with Boeing. These are not the same thing at all.
Perhaps Yang Tian, ​​as a technician, was a little slow to react to business matters. He finally came to his senses after being reminded by Xu Cang. He sat opposite Li Rongcheng with a little shame and said awkwardly: "Mr. Xu, you still see things clearly."
"You're a technician and you come here to act as a lobbyist. There's no one in Luo Luo's public relations department?" Xu Cang said helplessly.
Yang Tian blushed: "We assessed that Mr. Xu was deeply emotionally invested, so we sent me here."
"Some emotions?" Xu Cang curled his lips: "Brotherhood, patriotism, you are really self-righteous. Some people may have the same skin color as me and the same blood, but they are not my own people. Do you think I would have any brotherhood feelings towards such people?"
Yang Tian was even more embarrassed: "Mr. Xu, you don't have to say that. Although I am working at Rolls-Royce now, I still have to come back."
"Ah, you're coming back!" Upon hearing this, Xu Cang's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Yang Tian's hand directly: "Mr. Yang is young and promising. He can participate in the design and development of the Trent 900 at such a young age! Mr. Yang, do you have any specific plans to return to China? Have you found a buyer in China? What do you think of the Shanghai Stock Exchange in China? If you need it, I can introduce it to you."
Yang Tian was stunned by this change in attitude, while Li Rongcheng beside him was speechless. Xu Cang really embodied the difference between close and distant people.
As long as they are outsiders, Xu Cang's performance is quite cold. Even if there are conflicts of interest, they are only exchanges of interests and there will be no other interactions.
But if Xu Cang considers him as one of his own, his attitude will be extremely enthusiastic.
Xu Cang knew very well how scarce the talents in this field of engines were, and Xu Cang was not complimenting Yang Tian just now. Yang Tian looked to be in his early thirties, and he could participate in the research and development of Trent 900 at this age, which showed his ability.
One of the weaknesses of domestically-made large aircraft is its aircraft engines. If Yang Tian could be brought under our command, wouldn’t that be a timely help?
It can only be said that Xu Cang's imagination is quite strong, and he has already begun to think about how to trick Yang Tian into returning to China.
"Mr. Xu, I'm still in the learning stage. Even if I want to go back to China, I can't do it for the time being." Yang Tian said: "However, my roots are still here, and I will definitely come back."
Xu Cang felt very comfortable hearing the second half of the sentence: "Yes, yes, yes, just study abroad, don't rush back, and learn all their techniques."
Li Rongcheng next to him couldn't stand it anymore and reminded him, "Xu Cang, watch your face."
"Ah?" Xu Cang realized that he seemed too naked in his excitement, so he quickly restrained himself and coughed twice: "Let's talk about returning to China later, let's talk about business first. No, I answered you before, that's really not possible."
"Mr. Xu, is there really no possibility at all?" Yang Tian confirmed: "We can give a lot of rewards."
Perhaps knowing that Yang Tian would return to China later, Xu Cang's attitude improved a little: "How did you feel about your experience on the plane today?"
Yang Tian's face turned pale when he mentioned this, and he was obviously still frightened: "It's thrilling! Mr. Xu, this really shows your superb skills. Who else can take on this task but you?"
After landing, Yang Tian had a little understanding of what Xu Cang had done in the sky. Even though he was an engine designer, he could sense that Xu Cang's attainments in flying technology had reached the pinnacle.
Isn’t this technology perfectly suited to the requirements of the actual machine testing of the Trent 900?
"Do you think that I can easily handle this level of special information?" Xu Cang's expression was extremely sincere: "To be honest with you, I am not 100% sure about this level of special information. There is an old saying that if you often walk by the river, you will get your shoes wet. Can you guarantee that I will not fail one day? I understand your thoughts. The simulation test is too slow to obtain data, so let's just do it with real weapons. But this kind of test will definitely have problems. I don't have the confidence that I can survive every time."
"Mr. Xu, I know this is very dangerous, and our rewards will be very generous."
"If you have money to earn, you also need money to spend. Besides, I'm not very interested in your money."
Yang Tian's face froze. "You're not still planning on the CTi fan system, are you?"
"Is it okay?" Xu Cang asked with a smile.
Yang Tian shook his head solemnly: "No, it's really not possible. The CTI fan system may be the key technology that triggers an engine revolution. I really can't give it to you."
"Then there's nothing to talk about." Xu Cang shrugged: "In fact, even if you give me the technology of CTI fan system, I may not agree. My life is the most important thing."
Although Xu Cang single-handedly turned the tide on the 9951N special situation, in fact, Xu Cang was also scared out of his wits afterwards. He began to reflect on whether he should gain benefits by handling the special situation.
Previously, Xu Cang planned to deal with the Great Britain Air Crash in exchange for the support of British Airways. Because in Xu Cang's opinion, he knew the cause of the Great Britain Air Crash, and it should not be dangerous to deal with it.
But now it is different. This world-famous air crash may hide some dangerous areas that were not covered in the subsequent investigation. It seems unnecessary to put yourself in danger.
Seeing that Xu Cang had said this, Yang Tian did not want to continue to persuade him: "Mr. Xu, if that's the case, I will go back and report. But if you change your mind in the next period of time, you can come directly to us. We are always waiting for you."
"Don't want to talk about returning to China?" Xu Cang was still more interested in tricking Yang Tian into returning to China.
Yang Tian said helplessly: "Mr. Xu, I will not return to China for the time being. If I need help after returning to China, I will take the initiative to contact Mr. Xu."
"Okay, okay, just remember to contact me."
"Yeah." Yang Tian said goodbye to Li Rongcheng again and left neatly.
Looking at Yang Tianyuan's back, Li Rongcheng couldn't help but sigh: "As expected, he is a researcher, and he speaks and acts so straightforwardly. But what is the CTI fan system you just mentioned?"
"Low-pressure system. Isn't Rolls-Royce good at low-pressure systems?" Xu Cang yawned. "Nothing else. Let's stop here today. You should get busy too. You still have a plane to catch."
Li Rongcheng nodded: "Then contact me when you have made a decision."
After saying that, Li Rongcheng also left, leaving Xu Cang sitting alone.
Xu Cang took another bite of the dessert, frowned, and finally pushed the plate away. This dessert was too greasy after eating too much. It turned out that he was not suitable for desserts.
After taking a sip of tea to get rid of the greasiness, the screen of the mobile phone on the table lit up. It was Qin Xin's number. I was afraid that Qin Xin just found out about 1566 at this time.
Xu Cang cleared his throat and quickly answered the phone: "What's the matter?"
"What's wrong? Xu Cang, such a big thing happened, and you didn't tell me immediately?" Qin Xin's complaining voice came from the other side.
Xu Cang knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't refute it. Instead, he made an excuse: "I'm cooperating with the bureau's investigation. I don't have the time. But anyway, the person is fine. As long as the person is fine, it's not a big deal."
"I heard that the plane is almost scrapped. It's not a big deal. Does our base still have planes to fly flights now?"
"Yes! Muhua Airlines will soon lease us a plane, and the gap will be filled soon." Xu Cang said calmly: "By the way, has the Erhai Airport started construction?"
"It has started. It started the night you returned to Jianchuan. They are building our base during the day and the runway at night. The efficiency is very high." Qin Xin was a little excited: "The construction is going so fast. After only a few days, our base has taken shape."
"With hundreds of people working together, the speed will naturally be fast."
After hearing this, Xu Cang felt that Duan Lang was quite good at allocating time. He built the base during the day and the runway at night, without delaying either. It was very likely that after the runway project was completed, their base could also be inspected and accepted.
Suddenly , Xu Cang remembered something: "Did Muhua Airlines recruit anyone?"
"I was just about to tell you about this." Qin Xin said immediately, "In recent days, not only have many ground administrative staff come to consult, but also many flight crew members, including five pilots at the level of captain and above. Xu Cang, do you think we should accept them?"
Xu Cang was overjoyed when he heard this: "Yes, of course!"
"But, the captain of Muhua Airlines wants one million yuan in compensation for each person, and the co-pilot wants five hundred thousand yuan..."
"Not much. Muhua Airlines' compensation standard is not high. Don't worry, the value these people can produce will far exceed this expenditure."
Why do airlines like to poach experienced pilots from other airlines? Because it is cost-effective, even with compensation.
Pilots are a profession that requires continuous training, and training costs must be invested in them all the time. Just getting a private commercial instrument license costs more than 800,000 yuan, not to mention the time and material costs of training a flight student into a captain.
Therefore, the compensation conditions proposed by Muhua Airlines are quite conscientious. Generally speaking, it is common in the market to double the compensation standard.
"That's a huge expense." Qin Xin said, "Then the money for renting Muhua Airlines' planes won't be enough."
"It's okay. We can take it from Blue Sky Airlines' penalty."
"But now the plane is almost scrapped, can we still get the penalty?"
Xu Cang was stunned for a moment, and then he realized it. Yes, Blue Sky Airlines would be considered in breach of contract if they took back 1566 in advance. Now that 1566 is scrapped, how can they take it back?
Forget about getting liquidated damages from Blue Sky Airlines. Blue Sky Airlines will probably have to ask him for money.
This way, things don't seem to be right.
"Well... I'll think of a way, I'm sure it can be sorted out. Anyway, we'll take as many pilots as we can. If we miss this opportunity, we'll miss it forever." Xu Cang said confidently: "By the way, I just talked to a leader from the bureau here. They said that Order No. 39 of the General Administration mentioned that to establish an airline company, at least three aircraft are needed, whether they are leased or purchased..."
"What?" Qin Xin was also stunned when she heard the news: "Is this true?"
Xu Cang was also quite embarrassed: "It should be true."
"Then... even if we get a 737-900 in three months, we only have two planes at most. Should we rent one for a short term? But if we rent it for a short term, the price will be very high."
To be precise, aircraft leasing companies are not willing to accept short-term leasing of large passenger aircraft unless the price is very high. But the price is too high, and Xu Cang and his team don't have that much money.
This is the difficulty in the early stages of starting a business. Money just keeps flowing out, and there is no money coming back. Qin Xin's own savings are almost gone, and she will be stretched to the limit if there is any extra expenditure.
Xu Cang's mind was spinning frantically. The appearance of 9951N and the General Administration's Order No. 39 had disrupted all his plans. However, it was not the last moment yet, and there might be a chance of a turnaround.
"Xu Cang, do you think we should put the matter of establishing an airline on hold?" Qin Xin suggested.
If this fails to solve the funding problem, once the funding chain is broken, it will be a big problem.
Little did she know that Xu Cang rejected Qin Xin's proposal immediately: "Now it's not a question of us putting it off, but a question of Blue Sky Airlines wanting to take back our operating qualifications. Our operating qualifications are attached to Blue Sky Airlines. As long as they don't recognize the legitimacy of our sub-bases, we are operating without a license. However, there is one good thing about 9951N, which is that it interrupted Blue Sky Airlines' progress in breaching the contract. However, 9951N can only last for a few months at most. When the time is up, our operating qualifications will still be taken back. Do we have to wait until then to be anxious?"
As Xu Cang said, the 9951N incident disrupted Xu Cang's plan, but in fact it also disrupted Blue Sky Airlines' plan. Since the status of the sub-base given to Xu Cang was included in the wet lease agreement, now that 9951N is almost scrapped, the wet lease agreement has encountered force majeure and cannot be continued or terminated. We can only wait until the matter is investigated and the compensation relationship is clarified.
Therefore, the operating rights of the sub-bases bound by the wet lease agreement cannot be reclaimed for the time being. Objectively, this also gives Xu Cang and others some time to manipulate. However, all this is temporary. When the 9951N incident is understood, Blue Sky Airlines will still take back the legal operating rights of the Erhai base.
Therefore, Xu Cang was so anxious to set up an airline in order to obtain his own legal operating rights.
Suddenly, Xu Cang had an idea: "Qin Xin, I have an idea. I won't tell you yet. I'll go ask my master."
After saying that, Xu Cang hung up Qin Xin's phone, found his master Chen Xiangdong's number in the address book and called him.
Soon, the call was connected. Chen Xiangdong's slightly anxious voice came from the other end: "Xu Cang, I heard that you encountered trouble again today?"
"It's a small matter, Master!" Xu Cang just brushed aside the matter of 9951N. He called Chen Xiangdong not for 9951N, but for another more difficult matter: "Master, do you know the "Basic Conditions and Procedures for Approving the Establishment of Air Transport Enterprises" promulgated in 1993?"
Chen Xiangdong obviously didn't catch up with his apprentice, and it took him a while to react: "I do... know something, what's wrong?"
"I heard that it mentioned that at least three aircraft are needed to form an airline. Is there such a clause?"
"Yes!" Chen Xiangdong answered naturally. However, he soon realized: "That's not right. Didn't you say you wanted to set up an airline? Do you have three planes?"
Chen Xiangdong seemed to remember that Xu Cang only wet-leased one plane from Blue Sky Airlines, which meant that he could not even meet the basic requirements for establishing an airline. In the past, Chen Xiangdong only knew that Xu Cang wanted to establish a company, but he did not take it too seriously, so he naturally did not think about the details. It was only after Xu Cang reminded him that he remembered.
"That's the problem right now, and I'm trying to solve it." Xu Cang didn't beat around the bush: "Master, I want to ask, there is no stipulation on whether these at least three aircraft should be leased or purchased, so are there any requirements on the type of aircraft? Or do they have to be 737s or 320s?"
"No, you are registered as a Part 121 airline, so you only need to meet the requirements of Part 121."
Domestic civil aviation involves many aspects, so they must be distinguished and cannot be defined by a whole set of CCAR regulations. Therefore, different laws and regulations are distinguished according to different fields, and different regulations are distinguished by "parts". For example, there are 121 parts, 135 parts, 145 parts, 147 parts, etc.
For example, Part 135 is the rules for the operational certification of small aircraft commercial transport operators, Part 147 is the regulations for the certification of civil aircraft maintenance training institutions, and the one relevant to Xu Cang is Part 121, which is the relevant regulations for large transport enterprises.
Chen Xiangdong thought for a moment and said, "I remember the requirements are scheduled passenger transport flights carried out by multi-engine aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of more than 5,700 kilograms, irregular passenger transport flights carried out by multi-engine aircraft with more than 30 seats or a maximum commercial load of more than 3,400 kilograms, and cargo flights, which seems to be all-cargo transport flights carried out by multi-engine aircraft with a maximum commercial load of more than 3,400 kilograms. As long as one of them is met, it will be fine."
After listening to Chen Xiangdong's introduction, Xu Cang began to think in his mind: "A 5.7-ton multi-engine aircraft... If it is the ARJ21, wouldn't it also meet the standards? The maximum weight of the ARJ21 is 40 tons, and the maximum number of seats can reach 90, which completely meets the standards."
"You..." Chen Xiangdong reacted. Although he felt something was wrong, after thinking about it over and over again, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with what Xu Cang said.
After hearing that Chen Xiangdong didn't reply for a long time, Xu Cang was overjoyed: "Is that right, Master?"
"Okay...it seems to make sense." Chen Xiangdong was speechless: "What on earth do you want to do, kid?"
"Don't worry about what I do. Just take a rest, Master. I won't bother you anymore." Just when Xu Cang was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered something: "Master, there is one more thing. Soon, Muhua Airlines will rent me a plane. When I go to the General Administration to register, please help me keep an eye on it. I need the plane urgently, so I'll finish the procedures as quickly as possible. Okay! I won't say any more. Take a rest."
Xu Cang hung up the phone in a hurry and called Mr. Chen Jinwu almost immediately.
After the call was connected, Xu Cang first apologized: "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry to bother you so late."
"It's okay. I haven't rested yet, so I'm not disturbing you." Chen Jinwu was still as kind and gentle as ever. "It just so happens that I have something to talk to you about. I've already done what you asked me to do. I think Director Lian of the Policy and Regulations Department will support you."
Hearing this, Xu Cang was overjoyed: "Thank you for troubling Mr. Chen."
In this way, his recommendation as ICAO flight specialist in CAAC was relatively secure.
"No trouble, no trouble, it's just a piece of cake." Chen Jinwu laughed and said, "There is one more thing. Our reward plan for you to promote the implementation of the Tianjin Assembly Plant project has also come out..."
Afterwards, Chen Jinwu explained the reward method to Xu Cang in detail.
Xu Cang originally only intended to use this opportunity to get the director of the Policy and Regulations Department to recommend him, and to contribute to the country at the same time, and he really had no intention of earning money. Before, he told Mr. Chen that he would not refuse the reward, but he was just talking. He did not expect that there would really be a reward plan.
Moreover, hearing what Mr. Chen said, I guess it’s quite a lot of money!
"Okay, do you think this reward method is acceptable? Xu Cang, this is the biggest dividend I can get, are you satisfied?"
"Satisfied, satisfied, absolutely satisfied, quite satisfied." Xu Cang's mouth was almost crooked with smiles.
The Tianjin Airbus Assembly Plant is developing very rapidly in the future. Even a half-percent dividend is not a small amount, and you can make money without doing anything.
"Okay, it's settled. When the factory is built, you will get regular dividends." Chen Jinwu said with a smile, "By the way, I'm interrupting you with all my talk. You called me so late, is there something important?"
"Oh, oh, I almost forgot about that." Xu Cang, who had just heard that he could get dividends, saw so much income for the first time, and was almost happy and reluctant to leave . He immediately adjusted his mood and got to the point. So, Xu Cang told Chen Jinwu about the difficulties he faced in setting up his airline.
"Mr. Chen, my meaning is very simple. I want to rent an ARJ21 for a month. When I successfully set up an airline, I will give it to you as a gift. Is that okay?"
ARJ21 is a product of AVIC, which also has aircraft leasing business. Xu Cang thought that he had done a lot for AVIC, and even if he had no credit, he had worked hard. It was not too much to ask for someone to help him in difficult times.
Chen Jinwu laughed and said, "You are just trying to exploit a loophole in the law."
Xu Cang's meaning was very simple. According to the regulations, an airline company must have at least three aircraft. Now he was just short of one aircraft. Since the ARJ21 also met the requirements, he could just rent one temporarily to make up the number.
The rental price of ARJ21 is much cheaper than that of 737 aircraft, and AVIC has an acquaintance like Mr. Chen, so he will not overcharge him. In addition, Xu Cang will not operate the ARJ21 he leases simply to meet the minimum number of aircraft required, and then return the aircraft after the business license is issued.
The rent is cheap and the time is short, so the expenses should not be very high. Maybe you can squeeze it out if you grit your teeth.
This is Xu Cang’s method. It seems a bit opportunistic, but he is really forced into no other choice.
"Mr. Chen, you can't say that. I'm following the rules, but I encountered some difficulties and made some adjustments. I can't let a living person die from holding his urine." Xu Cang was nervous: "Mr. Chen, is it easy to arrange a short-term rental for one month?"
Without the help of acquaintances, even a mainline aircraft like ARJ21 would not be rented for a month. It is like a joke. Aircraft leasing companies do not make much money, and there are various procedures, transfers and other troubles. Who would be willing to do that?
So, everything depends on Mr. Chen!
"One month...is that enough?"
Xu Cang immediately cried: "Mr. Chen, I know this is embarrassing for you. But we really don't have much money here. At most we can squeeze out one month's rent."
"You little kid, you have secured such a big project for our AVIC, the Tianjin Assembly Plant, and you will also help us get the blueprints of the 737NG. How difficult is it to rent an ARJ21? I simply mean to ask you if one month is enough. If not, you can extend it. Forget about the rent."
"Ah? No money!"
Chen Jinwu smiled and said, "It's just a facade for you. It's no big deal if it costs money."
"Okay, okay, one month is enough, absolutely enough." Xu Cang almost jumped up with joy. This is good people get good rewards. Before, he helped Chen Lao out of fairness and did not ask for rewards, but today the rewards came.
"I'll say hello to my colleagues in the aircraft leasing department. Just tell me when you need it. I'll get all the documents ready and send them to Erhai Lake. It's Erhai Lake, right? I don't remember it wrong!"
"It's Erhai Lake, it's Erhai Lake!" Xu Cang smiled from ear to ear, and said a few more words to Mr. Chen before hanging up the phone.
A problem that seemed extremely difficult not long ago was almost solved after a phone call. Xu Cang felt refreshed. So, we should do more good things in normal times. Who knows, if there is a problem one day, there will be a pleasant surprise.
It seems that in ancient times, Zhao Gao called a deer a horse, and now Xu Cang calls ARJ21 a B737. It is really interesting.