Darkstone Code

The military personnel have their own stands, perhaps due to the presence of military personnel, every aircraft inventor appears very excited.

Previously, the military allocated funds to some inventors in the hot air balloon field to help deepen their inventions and creations. Honestly, this approach makes other non-hot air balloon aircraft inventors envious and jealous to the point of drooling. Now their chance has arrived as well.

After saying a few words with Mr. Truman, Lynch approached the corner where the military personnel were speaking softly. They were discussing ideas from several inventors who had caught their attention.

Actually, since the invention of the submarine, the military didn't immediately bring it out. They have been considering how to counter submarines.

Not only does the Federation have submarines, but other technologically advanced countries, such as Gafura, also have them.

However, the Federation might be the first to transform submarines, which were always used as civilian underwater equipment, into wartime weapons. Once these submarines begin to show their fierce and sharp talons in the East Ocean, other countries will quickly follow suit.

Sometimes, changes in era and technological progress just lack a spark, a flash of brilliance.

Through multiple tests, officials found that observing sea surfaces from a ship's perspective made submarines hidden underwater invisible due to light and other influences. However, if viewed from a higher angle, reducing the visual effects caused by light refraction on the sea surface, people could spot submarines beneath the ocean with the naked eye.

Thus, over the past two years, the military has poured considerable funds into hot air balloon inventors that they deemed might not be valuable but could be quickly deployed at any time. This led to the creation of the "Rapid Ascend Observation Balloon" project, a balloon that could rapidly ascend from ships at any time for observation.

Nevertheless, the military has always believed that hot air balloons cannot solve these issues well. Firstly, balloons are easily shot down, even though armored balloons exist, they are still easily shot down.

Secondly, once balloons cannot remain airborne for a long time, becoming consumables, more balloon equipment has to be installed, occupying more space on ships. Once balloons are depleted, submarines will become deadly weapons.

Hence, the military shifted their attention to non-balloon aircraft; maybe they could solve this issue.

After talking with the military personnel, Mr. Truman returned to sit beside Lynch as the aircraft exhibition began.

First up is a very standard fixed-wing aircraft, at least it closely resembles the planes Lynch remembers.

The designer of this fixed-wing aircraft is a somewhat famous inventor in the field of aircraft invention. He first had his assistant drag the aircraft around the venue, while he stood at the edge of the stand introducing his new design to everyone.

"...In this design, I used more aluminum alloy. Mitro Industries innovated their aluminum alloy formula last year, reducing weight while slightly enhancing strength..."

"...Addressing some issues from our last design, we made modifications. We expanded the wingspan and wrapped the aircraft wings with sheepskin..."

Wrapping real leather on airplane wings, this approach... is indeed peculiar. Lynch found it amusing, and some even laughed out loud.

Of course, there were also those who were not so pleased, not referring to this inventor, but to others who hadn't yet showcased their work.

Everyone knows the value of "golden ideas" in inventions, but their greater value lies in persuading laymen and investors. Just by presenting the idea of armored balloons, a certain inventor secured substantial funding to realize it.

Thus, it's clear how important "I have an idea" is to them.

Covering airplane wings with real leather isn't a strange idea. In fact, someone even attached feathers to airplane wings before. The reason for this occurrence is likely that this approach is effective.

Currently, complete and widely applicable aerodynamics have yet to be developed. Research into this field remains exploratory, but civil inventors have discovered through continuous experimentation that animal leathers offer more stability compared to bare wooden wings.

They may not know the exact principle behind this approach, but they know its benefits.

The inventor continued explaining why he wrapped airplane wings with sheepskin. After introducing numerous data, Lynch roughly understood part of the content.

In simple terms, this design is lighter than before, more stable in flight, and with redesigned center of gravity adjustments, it has a lower chance of accidents during landing.

He also proposed some assumptions, like how replacing the engine with a more advanced model could make the aircraft fly faster, or how, with more funding, he could completely replace wooden structures in the aircraft design with aluminum alloy...

Overall, in his view, this aircraft is nearly perfect!

Next, the inventor and his assistant began test flying. They had prepared before the exhibition, and when the aircraft was placed at the end of the runway, spectators in the stands gradually stood up.

This is an exhilarating moment; humanity's desire and dream to conquer the sky have existed since human society's inception.

People in ancient times often imagined humans flying like birds. Now, the Federation's inventors make strides each year on the path to conquering the sky.

The aircraft accelerated and took off successfully; Lynch was somewhat amazed, "It flew!"

Mr. Truman was calm, "Yes, it flew. People could do this ten years ago, but until now, all we can do is fly."

He didn't seem as excited as others, appearing very calm, even giving a somewhat disappointed impression.

Aircraft have long existed and are capable of flying, but all they achieve is flying.

After flying a few kilometers, they might crash. If lucky, the pilot can survive to design the next aircraft; if unlucky, he perishes with his creation. At some point, people considered these aircraft inventors frauds, deceiving investors for money to create useless, dangerous things.

Such situations remain even now. Taking off is easy, while landing is always a major issue; flight distance is too.

To facilitate take-offs and fly longer distances, ensuring the total weight of the aircraft is crucial. Currently, the heaviest aircraft besides its own structure can only carry two slim pilots into the sky.

Hence, until now, this sector might indeed be full of potential, but people still can't see the future in the short term.

Compared to thousands of dollars for a rapid ascend balloon, these aircraft involving tens of thousands and a human life seem less suited for warfare.

This explains why Lynch instinctively described the aircraft field as "dangerous" initially, wrongly assuming these inventions were for war — a notion Mr. Truman didn't agree with.

Besides suicide, these planes may serve no other purpose.

The military's evaluation personnel still assess, evaluating the minimal acceleration distance required for take-off, take-off speed, angle, and stability during flight.

Two years ago, an aircraft exploded mid-air due to violent vibration, leading to a tragic accident. Stability has thus become a criterion for good aircraft.

Onlookers cheered, but the inventors up in the sky were sweating. They had completed the demonstrations; next was landing.

Modern planes have two landing methods. If confident in one's aircraft design, landings can be runway-style. This remains a reason why fixed-wing aircraft wings are wooden; flexibility during glides offers convenience.

The other method involves landing in a haystack, betting one won't be crushed by the engine or killed by a breaking screw propeller.

Ultimately, the inventor chose landing on the runway, needing military funding, thus opting for runway landing.

With the aircraft angle and height adjusted, they began deceleration. The crowd in the stands, tense, clenched their fists.

As the front wheels touched the ground, the popping sound of a tire burst echoed across the stands. The military personnel evaluating the aircraft marked it with a large "X."

Fortunately, the subsequent issues weren't huge; after the front wheels burst, they quickly deformed, with the landing gear breaking. The fuselage then heavily hit the ground.

The aircraft balanced well; had any wing touched the ground, it might have led to a deadly incident even though it remains an accident from this angle.

Like someone fished out of a bath, the inventor standing in front of the stands still managed a smile, "It's... safe; I've proven it!"

Mr. Truman shook his head, visibly disappointed, with little expectation for subsequent displays.

At this moment, Lynch interjected, "Probably the runway's issue; it's not smooth."

Mr. Truman looked at him curiously, "You understand this too?"

Lynch smiled without further words, neither really taking the matter to heart.

In subsequent aircraft displays, content was roughly similar, with articles focusing on aircraft wings, until Lynch noticed a propeller aircraft.

It was a flight cabin resembling a large egg, where the pilot sat atop the engine, using transmission levers to rotate the propeller directly overhead, attempting to lift the cabin using lift.

Mr. Truman watched intently; this was his purpose for attending. Though it might not be history's first propeller aircraft, its completion was very close to the helicopters in Lynch's memory.

Ultimately, disappointment prevailed; despite efforts from the inventor and the aircraft, it never flew.