Chapter 80: 79, Comparing To Modern Fighter Jets: P26b, Named “shrike,” Maiden Air Flight
Just like the incident at Shiliupu in Shanghai, the dock workers set up the gantry crane, removed the cables securing the airplane, then bound the fuselage and wings and carefully moved it onto wooden guide rails to be lowered onto the sea vessel.
The unloading process of the p26-b, with an empty weight of approximately 1 ton, was relatively easier, and the airplane slid onto the dock with the combined effort of the workers.
The Fang family, with their relatives, watched within the port.
Afterward, friends and relatives of the Fang family, as well as residents from the vicinity, also arrived.
Some even rushed from Jiaxing by hired car after hearing the news.
Everyone was filled with curiosity towards novel things.
People gathered in clusters, watching the spectacle and chatting.
And it was centered around the Fang family.
Master Fang had many business and tea friends.
The Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master of the Fang family also had their own social circles.
Even Sixth Sister’s classmates and teachers came along, listening to Sixth Sister talk excitedly.
On the women’s side, they gathered together, but this time the focus shifted to the Third Madam of the Fang family, who was Fang Wen’s biological mother.
In their conversations, people were very curious about this airplane, but the Fang family couldn’t answer their questions.
Master Fang said to Fang Shouxin, “Call Fifth Brother over. Before we leave, he should also meet and take a photo with the people from his hometown.”
“Yes, Master. I will go call the Third Young Master now.”
Fang Shouxin walked to the dock and informed Fang Wen, who was directing the workers, about the situation.
“Young Master, many people from Master’s side have come, and they all want you to talk about this airplane. You should go socialize with them to avoid people talking behind your back.”
Fang Wen nodded and said to Howard, “You direct them.”
Howard shouted in Chinese with a foreign accent, “Listen to my command, first untie the cables on the wings.”
A group of workers looked at Howard in surprise, not expecting this foreigner to speak Chinese, and it sounded quite fluent.
Despite their surprise, they weren’t about to pass up their wages and immediately busied themselves according to Howard’s directions.
Fang Wen, meanwhile, strode towards the crowd.
Father Fang smiled and said, “As for those questions you asked, let my Fifth Son explain. Fifth Son, tell everyone about the airplane.”
Fang Wen nodded, “This airplane was purchased from the Boeing Company in the United States, it’s a foreign trade version of the p26 model, weighing 2000 catties and capable of carrying 800 catties.”
A child shouted, “Uncle Fang, what is its name?”
This child was quite polite, and Fang Wen couldn’t help but recall the mischievous boy on the airplane last time. He smiled and said, “I haven’t decided on a name yet. How about this, since so many people are here, why don’t we all come up with a name together?”
In traditional Chinese culture, naming something was a very meaningful event, and everyone was very interested in it.
So they started discussing it volubly.
“I think its length and width are similar, it’s small and round, why not call it Tangyuan.”
Tangyuan was the term for yuanxiao at the time, and it was also a common snack in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. The name was somewhat interesting, but it didn’t fit the airplane, so it was rejected by everyone.
“How about calling it Fierce Dragon Hao!” The Eldest Young Master of the Fang family suggested a name, but because it was too common, Master Fang ignored it.
However, he had started well; naming it after a bird or beast was very appropriate, so names from various myths and legends emerged.
“How about Pixiu Hao?”
“White Tiger! Invincible.”
As they were arguing, a thin, old elder spoke up, “This old servant has thought of a name.”
This was an old official from the county school of the Qing Dynasty, with an astonishing seniority, and no one dared to talk back when he spoke.
Fang Wen felt a pang of anxiety; if this elder came up with an unpleasant name, how would he refuse it?
The elder continued:
“In the ‘Book of Songs’, ‘Odes of Bin’, ‘Seventh Month’ it says: ‘In the seventh month the Shrike calls, in the eighth month they begin their work. They weave black, they weave yellow, my crimson is so bright, making robes for the young master.’ Among these, ‘Shrike’ refers to the Shrike bird. This bird’s cry is harsh and slightly piercing, often calling in the woods around the seventh month. Its sound is vigorous and powerful, like the beating of war drums urging a campaign, provoking deep thought.
The Shrike’s form has a sharp and strong beak, resembling an eagle’s, short and rounded wings, a prominent tail, and strong legs with sharp talons. It is extremely fierce and cruel, capable of preying on large insects, frogs, lizards, and even birds. When it has prey, it pierces it onto a tree branch, a rather peculiar sight.
An ancient poem also says: ‘At dusk the shrike flies, the wind blows the tallow tree.’ This line describes the scene of the shrike flying among the tallow trees at dusk, a vivid and poetic image. The flight of the shrike is swift and powerful, its posture graceful and admirable.
Observing this airplane, which is also small, but undoubtedly fierce in the air, I propose naming it Shrike, hoping it lives up to its name.”
Fang Wen couldn’t help but glance back at the p26-b.
The elder was right; it did bear some resemblance.
For such a small airplane, giving it a grand name would feel somewhat strange; it would be more fitting to use “Shrike Hao.”
Immediately, he approved of the name and prepared to find an artist to put the name on the paint job when he got back.
Next, after chatting with the villagers for a while, the matters concerning the airplane were also finished.
Fang Wen bid farewell and returned to the dock, climbing the wooden ladder into the airplane.
The airplane’s instrument panel had some new additions that hadn’t been there before.
Fang Wen had previously studied the technical manual for the p26 airplane in detail and understood the functions of these instruments.
Airspeed indicator: Used to display the flight speed of the airplane.
Altimeter: Indicates the current flight altitude of the airplane.
Vertical speed indicator: Displays the climb or descent speed of the airplane.
Compass: Used for navigation, indicating the airplane’s heading.
Engine instruments: Includes tachometer, thermometer, oil pressure gauge, etc., used to monitor the engine’s working state.
Fuel gauge: Displays the remaining amount of fuel.
These instruments can help the driver better understand the airplane’s condition.
For Fang Wen, it is also a great help when flying in a non-mechanical perception state.
In addition, there are not many changes in the airplane’s operating equipment.
The control stick that controls the airplane’s pitch and roll and other flight maneuvers, the throttle lever used to control engine power, and the rudder pedals used to control the airplane’s yaw.
There are also some switches.
Night fuselage light switch, cockpit interior light switch, radio switch, engine start switch, etc.
Overall, this monoplane is much more advanced than biplanes in terms of technology and better aligns with modern people’s understanding of airplanes.
Relatively speaking, biplanes are much cruder, but such changes also increase the requirements for the pilot accordingly.
Fang Wen started the engine and said to Fang Shouxin outside the airplane, “Maintain order in the channel, I need to drive it out.”
Immediately, Fang Shouxin, along with people from the Fang Family Rice Business, blocked off the road leading out of the port, prohibiting anyone from entering.
The airplane engine started, the propeller spun, a roaring sound emerged, and it slowly drove out of the port.
Outside the port, there was originally a dirt road, but due to cargo transport, it was severely worn down, with potholes on the surface.
It was passable for vehicles, but not up to standard for airplane takeoff.
For this reason, the Fang Family spent their own money to hire people to fill and flatten the road, repairing a 500-meter section.
The Shrike Hao p26-b airplane drove out of the port and turned onto the hard dirt road surface.
The airplane was parked on the road, and Fang Wen did not take off immediately but waited in place.
People from the Fang family came, bringing a large group of friends and relatives.
They took group photos in front of the airplane, and Fang Wen also got off the airplane to take a commemorative photo with them.
After an hour of this, it was over.
Fang Wen, about to take off, instructed Fang Shouxin, “You and Howard come back together and bring back that container of accessories.”
“Young Master, please rest assured, I know what to do. It’s just that it’s your first time flying this kind of airplane, so you must be careful and cautious,” Fang Shouxin reminded Fang Wen instead.
Such a reminder is only natural; one must not be careless with an airplane one has never flown before.
“I will be careful,” Fang Wen replied with a smile, then climbed into the airplane and started it under everyone’s gaze.
The airplane accelerated continuously, speeding down the hard dirt surface. Once it reached takeoff speed, it lifted into the air.
After reaching an altitude of 2000 meters, Fang Wen entered the mechanical perception state.
For each different airplane, the feeling of becoming one with the machine is different.
This p26-b, true to its name, flies through the air like a small shrike.
Although small, its performance in all aspects is astonishingly improved.
Fang Wen estimated.
The current speed is 350 kilometers per hour, and with further acceleration, it can approach a speed of 400 kilometers per hour.
This is nearly double the speed of the Qingyun Hao.
This speed is too exhilarating.
It’s like driving a family car and suddenly switching to an extremely high-performance sports car.
A thought arose to fly wildly in the sky.
And to show off over the Japanese, to see if they would dare to embarrass themselves by flying out their Type 3 carrier-based aircraft again.
But then he thought, the maximum range of the p26-b written in the technical manual is 375 miles, which is 600 kilometers.
This range is 100 kilometers less than the Boeing 80, which is also the price paid for high-speed flight.
With a range of 600 kilometers, it’s impossible to fly to and from the sea surface, let alone perform high-maneuverability flight actions.
It seems it needs to return to the airport for modifications.
Therefore, Fang Wen suppressed the thought and obediently flew the airplane back to Shanghai Airport.
The p26-b landed at Shanghai Airport, immediately attracting the attention of the staff within the airport.
The American pilots from China Airlines looked at the airplane with envy.
Even if they returned to China, they might not necessarily be able to fly such a good fighter jet, as the US Army Aviation Corps currently only has a few dozen p26-a’s, and it’s not something one can easily qualify to fly.
These guys, who originally had a bad relationship with Fang Wen and just went out drinking and fooling around all day, now want to befriend Fang Wen and try to get a ride on the airplane.
This is of course not acceptable. Fang Wen stated that although they were once colleagues, they were not friends, and the airplane absolutely could not be lent.
When refusing these pilots, he felt a pang of regret. In his previous life, the first car he bought after starting his job was lent out as a wedding car. In less than a day, the genuine leather inside the car was torn, there were many cigarette butts, a strange smell, and scratches on the car door. This had pained him for a long time.
This time, his own private airplane would absolutely not be lent out carelessly.
After refusing the pilots’ ideas of freeloading a flight, Fang Wen immediately began modifying the airplane during the Boeing 80 inspection period.
The artist who previously painted the livery for Qingyun Hao was summoned.
Looking at the newly purchased airplane, he exclaimed in surprise, “General Manager Fang, you’ve got a new airplane again? Others change cars to drive, you change airplanes. You’re quite a figure in China.”
“It’s just a personal preference. Daoist Priest Qingsong, this time I want to paint a bird.” Fang Wen replied with a smile.
“A bird? Do you mean to paint the airplane to look like a bird?”
“Yes, I had someone prepare a drawing, take a look.”
Fang Wen produced an illustration and handed it to the artist.
“A Shrike. Tsk tsk, this bird is quite fierce. Where I come from, they call it the Butcher Bird. Painting the airplane to look like this bird is fine, it will just take some effort.”
“Find some more people, the wages won’t be small. Can it be done within two days?”
“As long as there’s money, it’s definitely possible. I’ll go find people right away.”
The artist gathered colleagues, assigned work by area, and they began busily working using tall wooden stools and A-frame ladders.
The next day, the airplane’s livery had changed. Following Fang Wen’s requirements, the airplane was painted with the black, white, and brown feather colors of a Shrike. Even the fairings on the landing gear were painted to resemble bird legs.
On the upper right side of the airplane, the characters ‘Shrike Hao’ were written in large print.
After the artists finished painting, they covered the airplane with a cloth, stating it could not be removed until the next day when the coating would be dry and stable.
Meanwhile, Fang Wen and Howard began modifying the airplane.
The modification for this new airplane was singular: to add auxiliary fuel tanks to increase its range.
The modification primarily involved the bomb racks.
Following previous design principles, a bomb-like attachment device was made for the auxiliary fuel tanks, which could be securely attached to the bomb racks on the underside of the fuselage.
Then, the oil pipes of the auxiliary fuel tanks were connected to the inside of the airplane, and the aviation fuel within was supplied to the piston engine via a booster device.
The switch for the auxiliary fuel tank booster device was connected to the cockpit, allowing for switching between the main and auxiliary fuel tanks at any time.
The most difficult part of this modification was installing the fuel boosting and transfer device inside the airplane.
The complex internal structure of the P26-B meant that many parts’ functions were unknown. Accidental incorrect installation or damage could even render the airplane inoperable.
Howard dared not act carelessly.
For this reason, Fang Wen spent an entire night in the hangar continuously running the airplane, using his mechanical perception to fully grasp the internal structure of the airplane, and then marking it on the structural diagram in the repair section of the technical manual.
These markings were far more detailed than those in the technical manual, even including the specific functions of various parts.
With these annotations, the modification proceeded much more smoothly. Within the complex internal structure of the airplane, new systems for the auxiliary fuel tank’s oil line boost, as well as its shutdown and activation functions, were added.
The added auxiliary fuel tanks weighed a total of 300 kilograms and could hold 300 liters of fuel, effectively doubling the airplane’s range.
After completing these modifications, there was still one day left before the Boeing 80’s inspection period would end.
Fang Wen impatiently pulled off the cloth covering the airplane, revealing the brand new Shrike livery.
Now, with the main and auxiliary fuel tanks full of aviation gasoline, the maximum range reached 1200 kilometers. He planned to head out to sea.
He intended to find the Japanese warships occupying China’s territorial waters. This time, he would strike back at the Japanese with an absolute advantage in speed and operational technique.
Immediately, without telling anyone, Fang Wen got into the cockpit of the Shrike Hao, started the engine, and flew into the sky.
