Chapter 204: The fatal flaw of 737!
"Xu Cang, Xu Cang!"
Amid the calls, Xu Cang gradually regained consciousness. As his eyes opened, a blinding light finally dissipated the last bit of haze on Xu Cang. When he fully opened his eyes, what came into view was a blue sky like the blue sea.
"Um?"
As soon as Xu Cang regained consciousness, he immediately felt an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose. The faint airflow from it was icy and cool, and it was refreshing to breathe. He turned his head again and found that he was already sitting in the cabin, surrounded by people, all looking at him with worried eyes.
Especially Mo Shangyun, it was he who held a portable oxygen cylinder and provided oxygen to Xu Cang.
Xu Cang felt fine except for a dizzy head. He even smiled: "No, am I so good-looking that you want to look at me?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that everything was really fine. A man in a white coat who looked like a doctor seemed to be used to this kind of scene: "I told you, this is the altitude sickness coming on strong. He collapsed all of a sudden. Young man, you were just flying a plane, and you didn't do any strenuous exercise. How come the altitude sickness is so strong?"
As we all know, strenuous exercise in high-altitude areas will aggravate the symptoms of altitude sickness, but flying a plane is not really a physically demanding job, so why is the reaction so strong?
"I guess I was scared when I landed on the ground." Xu Cang slowly sat up straight: "I actually had some reaction before, but it was relatively mild. It was just that I felt very uncomfortable after I landed on the ground."
Xu Cang is also a human being, he also gets scared, if Xu Cang had reacted a little slower during the landing, the plane would have been smashed to pieces. During the final landing, Xu Cang's heart was beating like the most powerful blood pump, although there was no strenuous exercise, but such an exaggerated heartbeat would still greatly aggravate the altitude sickness.
"Can you scare yourself while flying a plane?" The doctor said with a smile, "It looks like everything is fine, so I'll go back. If there are any more problems, just call the control tower."
After that, the doctor left the cabin in a very casual manner. Xu Cang took the portable oxygen cylinder from Mo Shangyun and said, "Is this the doctor at the airport?"
"That's right!" Mo Shangyun saw that Xu Cang was speaking clearly and logically, so he was relieved. "The plane was gliding and you suddenly fainted. We didn't know what happened, so we contacted the tower and asked them to arrange for a doctor to come. The response of the Lhasa Airport was really fast. Not long after we docked, the doctor came up and did some simple tests. He said that you probably just fainted for a short time due to altitude sickness, and we just need to give you oxygen."
"How long have I been unconscious?"
"It's only about ten minutes, not long." At this time, Shi Qi came over and said, "Xu Cang, you don't feel uncomfortable now, right?"
Xu Cang slowly stood up and moved around a bit. "Well, I'm fine. It should be a short-term symptom. Oh, it's ridiculous that I fainted from falling down. Everyone, go away. I'm fine now."
In this way, the people who gathered slowly dispersed. However, as time went by, there was still one person who did not leave, and that was Li Rongcheng. Li Rongcheng glared at Xu Cang and said, "I told you not to take this flight, but you insisted on taking it. Not only did you take it, you even took the flight. Fortunately, nothing happened to you, otherwise what would happen to the 777 test in two days?"
Mo Shangyun quickly came over to smooth things over: "Mr. Li, it's my fault. I insisted on letting Xu Cang take the seat. But it's really a blessing that Xu Cang is here today, otherwise the landing just now would have caused a big problem."
"So are you going to fly directly to Daocheng from here?" Shi Qi asked.
Xu Cang shook his head: "No, let's go back to Jianchuan first."
"What? We're not going to Daocheng?" Li Rongcheng was stunned: "Xu Cang, what do you mean?"
"Have you ever thought that Daocheng's altitude is higher than Luoshui's? I had such a severe altitude sickness at Luoshui Airport, wouldn't it be even more serious at Daocheng Yading Airport? If everything goes well, it's fine. But if anything goes wrong, I won't be able to land at Daocheng Yading Airport. Ask Boeing to coordinate with Rongfu Airport in advance. If there is a problem, you can always make an alternate landing at Rongfu Airport. Also, change the location of the training airspace and adjust it to a place close to Rongfu Airport."
"This..." Li Rongcheng finally understood what Xu Cang meant.
If the tests were normal, then Xu Cang would not have to feel any pressure. Even if he landed at Daocheng Yading Airport, the altitude sickness would be relatively mild. But if there was a problem, then under the heavy pressure, landing at Daocheng Yading Airport would be a replay of the previous landing. What if Xu Cang fainted on the spot again?
Therefore, Xu Cang wanted to change the entire test flight plan and use Rongfu Airport, which is only 1,500 feet above sea level, as the first alternate landing area.
"But if the plan is changed temporarily, the test date will have to be postponed."
"That's your problem." Xu Cang felt that he was fine and took off his oxygen mask. "Just tell Boeing that my body is not adapted to the plateau environment. This is force majeure in the agreement. If you want to terminate the agreement, it's up to you. But if you want me to participate in the test, for example, change the test flight plan according to my requirements."
The main reason for altitude sickness is the body's inability to adapt to an oxygen-deficient environment. Boeing had previously conducted a physical examination on Xu Cang, and Xu Cang had no physical problems. How could they have expected that a young man in his twenties, who was in the prime of life, would have altitude sickness?
In fact, Xu Cang's inability to adapt to hypoxic environments has precedents. Previously, in the 747S2 switch incident, the cargo door accidentally opened, causing explosive decompression in the cabin. Xu Cang's eardrum and retinal bleeding directly, the situation was extremely miserable, but Xia Shuyue, who was traveling with him, behaved fine.
Xu Cang's meaning was very simple. If Boeing did not want to postpone the contract, then the agreement should be terminated. Anyway, this kind of problem based on physical function did not belong to subjective non-cooperation. Even if the agreement was terminated, Xu Cang did not need to pay any compensation. As for any losses incurred by Boeing, it was not within Xu Cang's consideration.
Seeing that Li Rongcheng showed some hesitation, Xu Cang smiled and said, "Just convey my meaning directly. Don't mix in personal opinions. This matter has nothing to do with you."
Seeing Xu Cang unconscious just now, Li Rongcheng thought about it and felt that what Xu Cang said made sense. He nodded and said, "I will report it to the headquarters."
"That's the best." Xu Cang yawned. He didn't know if it was because he was in an oxygen-deficient environment that made him more sleepy, so he waved his hand and said, "Let's go back to Jianchuan first and talk about the rest later. Instructor, how much was the ground load just now?"
Mo Shangyun laughed and said, "2.1G, very dangerous!"
"It's very dangerous." Xu Cang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
What Mo Shangyun said about it being very dangerous has a double meaning. First, the ground load of 2.1G is already quite heavy and could cause damage to the aircraft body. More importantly, this ground load is just below the standard for the authority to intervene.
If the ground load reaches 2.2G, then this matter is no longer the airline's business, and the authorities will intervene. If the authorities intervene, things will become quite troublesome. Xu Cang had encountered many things in the past, and accepting investigations from the authorities was commonplace, but when it came to running his own company, he still felt from the bottom of his heart that it was better not to provoke the authorities.
"The maintenance staff have checked. Is the plane okay?"
"No." Mo Shangyun said: "I also went down and took a look around. Fortunately, nothing happened."
Hearing that the plane was fine, Xu Cang was relieved. The company's aircraft were in short supply right now. If any problem occurred and the plane had to be sent for repair, the company's transport capacity would be constrained.
"Instructor, please go and do your work. I will not be sitting in the cockpit. I will be sitting in the cabin instead."
Mo Shangyun nodded: "Then you take a rest, it will be time for customers to arrive soon, let's go to the front first."
Xu Cang hummed, found a seat in the front row and sat down. He glanced at Li Rongcheng who was talking on the phone in the back row, adjusted himself to a relatively comfortable position, and started breathing again while holding the oxygen cylinder.
…
In the end, Xu Cang and Li Rongcheng returned to Jianchuan, but they did not go back to Erhai Lake, but stayed at the airport hotel in Jianchuan. That night, no news came from Boeing, but the person in charge of the 777 test came directly.
In the restaurant on the second floor of the airport hotel, when Xu Cang and the person in charge of the 777 test sat down to discuss face to face, there were still many people in the restaurant, and it seemed quite lively. The person in charge might have felt upset because Xu Cang proposed to change the plan, and the noisy environment around him made him look unhappy.
"We can find a quiet place to talk."
Xu Cang was still studying the menu, and responded casually: "It would be great if we can eat right after the talk. I'm very lazy and don't like to walk around."
Although he was unhappy, the environment was a minor issue, so the person in charge did not dwell on it anymore and went straight to the point: "If the test plan does not change, will you terminate the agreement?"
"I think Li Rongcheng has accurately conveyed my meaning. Is it necessary to confirm it again?"
"But we applied for this test flight with great difficulty. If we want to change the plan, it will take at least five days. The whole world is paying attention to our 777 test. If the test flight is postponed, what will happen to our company's stock?"
Xu Cang smiled and said, "Then let it fall."
Bang!
The person in charge slapped the table, shocking the diners around and they cast puzzled looks at Xu Cang's table.
"There is no limit on the decline of U.S. stocks!" the person in charge almost shouted.
"Ah?" Xu Cang blinked: "Thank you for giving me some knowledge about U.S. stocks."
The person in charge almost fainted from anger: "Xu Cang, you have to know that after the termination of the agreement, the 737NG drawings and the 737-900 will be gone. Can you afford such a loss? Especially the 737NG drawings. I know what you want them for. Without our drawings, you can't even get started."
Faced with these almost threatening words, Xu Cang was not annoyed. Instead, he leisurely poured a cup of tea for the person in charge and said slowly: "Yes, I did want to rely on 737NG as our starting point before, but as time goes by, my thoughts have changed a little."
The person in charge's eyelids jumped: "What do you mean?"
Xu Cang put the kettle aside, his smile instantly faded: "What do you mean? The LEAP engine can't fit into the third-generation narrow-body aircraft. Isn't it very uncomfortable?"
"You..." The person in charge almost stood up, with a cold light flashing in his eyes: "You seem to know a lot."
"The fuselage layout of the 737 has not changed since the original. The previous engines were thin and long, so the short legs of the 737 are no problem. But the blade diameter of CFM's LEPA engine is as high as 206 cm. It's impossible to install it on the 737." Xu Cang's words were like a sharp knife piercing the heart of the person in charge: "You may have made personalized modifications with CFM, such as reducing the blade diameter. But you can't reduce it to the 155 cm diameter of the CFM56, right? The diameter of the CFM56 engine is almost the limit of the 737 fuselage layout. Am I right?"
The person in charge was speechless after hearing what Xu Cang said. This was not out of anger, but fear. Because Xu Cang's words hit the nail on the head, Boeing's technical department was now worried about the LEAP engine not being able to fit the 737 fuselage.
"So..." Xu Cang held up a finger: "Don't threaten me with the 737NG blueprint. It's just an antique that is out of touch with the times."
The person in charge retorted, "So what? You can't even make an antique."
"Are you concerned about us? Isn't this redundant? The Airbus 320 series does not inherently have such problems, which means that their new generation of narrow-body aircraft is likely to be launched earlier than yours. I think it's better for you to worry more about yourselves at this time."
"You..." Veins popped up on the head's forehead. Although he was furious, he had to admit that what Xu Cang said was what they were most worried about. The fuselage layout of the 737 was too old. With the launch of new-age high-bypass turbofan engines, the 737 was already somewhat out of date. The recent inability to adapt to the LEAP engine was the best proof of this.
"If the LEAP engine is really not suitable for the 737, then the 737 fuselage layout can be modified. I believe our technical department has the ability to do this."
"But you don't have that much time." Xu Cang smiled and said, "Also, it's almost enough. The fuselage of the 737 has been used for so many years, and you Boeing probably want to use it for another 30 years. Redesigning the fuselage? How much money will that cost? Just thinking about it doesn't make it worth it."
The person in charge was annoyed. Unconsciously, the rhythm of the conversation was all led by Xu Cang: "Don't think you are unique. The 777 test will not work without you. We have successfully completed the first two tests of the 777. We can do the third one ourselves. You want to terminate the agreement, OK! You have an airline, don't even think about buying any Boeing aircraft in the future."
After saying this, the person in charge stood up and was about to leave, looking like he had made up his mind.
"But what if something goes wrong?" Xu Cang looked up at the angry person in charge: "I mean, failing the test is secondary. If the plane ends up being smashed, then the 777 project will be completely ruined."
If the test fails, the Boeing 777 project will be stalled, which will make Boeing very uncomfortable. But stalling does not mean complete abandonment. If a plane crashes during the test of a new model, it can basically declare the death penalty for this model.
"Now the new generation of narrow-body aircraft seems to be slower than Airbus. When the A380 is launched, can the 747 still dominate the jumbo jet market? If the Boeing 777 project is stillborn, what can you use to compete with the A330? Tsk tsk tsk, it looks like you, Boeing, have really been defeated across the board." Xu Cang's voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder to the ears of the person in charge: "With me here, I can at least give you a bottom line for the 777 test. Of course, you can also trust Boeing's chief test pilot. This is your own choice."
The person in charge had already stood up, but his face was uncertain because of Xu Cang's words. The times are different now. Airbus has risen too fast. Boeing has to accept the existence of a strong challenger. Boeing feels pressured and no longer has the space for trial and error like before.
"Didn't you say that we must change the plan? But our headquarters estimates that if it is postponed for five days, the stock price is expected to drop by more than 8 billion US dollars. This is something we cannot afford, and we cannot explain to the board of directors."
"Then I'll let you spend less money." Xu Cang said with a smile: "I can go to participate in the test flight as planned, but you must ensure that there is an independent oxygen supply device in the cockpit."
"Aren't there oxygen masks in the cockpit?" The person in charge said, "I can use them anytime. We will ensure that there is enough oxygen."
"No!" Xu Cang shook his head: "The test of 777 involves multiple systems. If it affects the oxygen supply system in the cockpit, it will be too dangerous for me. So I need an independent oxygen supply device to ensure that I can breathe oxygen throughout the whole process."
The person in charge thought for a moment and said, "Independent oxygen supply device? Then this is not an aircraft supply and may require temporary authorization. However, I should be able to solve it before the scheduled plan."
Civilian airliners have strict restrictions on the supplies on board. Not everything can be put into the cockpit, let alone dangerous goods such as oxygen. Therefore, even during flight tests, if you want to install an independent oxygen supply device in the cockpit, you need authorization.
However, Boeing is very powerful, and this kind of temporary authorization license is not a problem for Boeing headquarters.
"Can we just install an independent oxygen supply device? Then there's no need to change the test flight plan?" the person in charge asked with a slightly relieved expression.
Xu Cang raised a finger: "Of course, there is one more condition, two 737-900s."
The person in charge who had just calmed down almost cursed on the spot: "Xu Cang, don't go too far! We paid for the 737NG drawings for this test, and there will be a 737-900 that will be paid for in ten years. Our sincerity is already sufficient. Do you know how much it will cost for two more 737-900s? Two hundred million US dollars. Do you really think that our Boeing's money is blown by the wind? After saying so much, you are deliberately teasing me, right?"
"No, no, no, how could that be?" Xu Cang smiled: "Anyway, due to objective reasons of my physical condition, participating in this flight test is always more dangerous, so do I need some compensation?"
"Bullshit! How can it be justified to give two 737-900s as compensation?"
Xu Cang's smile became even brighter: "I mean...what if I help you solve the problem that the LEAP engine cannot be adapted to the 737 fuselage?"
