Chapter 189: The First Airplane
The war in the Far East had entered a phase of massive attrition, with the majority of the Manchuria Army's soldiers arriving outside the Port Arthur fortress. They were determined to capture this fortress, which could decide the outcome of the war.
The Russian Empire was also urgently transferring troops to Port Arthur, and the number of defenders had now exceeded 70,000.
Aside from that, there had been little activity in other regions of the Far East. Both the island nation and the Russian Empire knew that the fate of Port Arthur was the key to deciding this war.
Even if they occupied more territories, none of it was as crucial as capturing Port Arthur.
This war of attrition was bad news for both the island nation and Russia, but for countries like the British Empire, the United States, Australia, and the German Empire, it was good news.
The longer this war of attrition dragged on, the greater the losses for the island nation and Russia. It would also create a greater demand for weapons, allowing these observing countries to profit.
For the German Empire, which was caught between two enemies, there was no better news than the Russian Empire's attention being focused on the Far East.
As long as the Russian Empire's attention was occupied by the island nation in the Far East, a small country like France wouldn't be a concern for the German Empire.
In July 1904, on the outskirts of the Capital Territory.
This area was originally an industrial district belonging to New South Wales, but after the Capital Territory was established, it was incorporated into the region, becoming the only industrial district in the Capital Territory and currently the most developed industrial area in Australia.
This industrial district now housed Arthur's military factories, automobile factories, engine factories, and a newly established aviation laboratory dedicated to aircraft development.
This industrial area represented Arthur's hopes for Australia's revival, and the technologies developed here would influence the entire nation.
What could draw Arthur personally to this location was an event that could significantly affect all of Australia.
Indeed, since the successful creation of the AU-1 airship over a year ago, Theodor Kober and Ludwig Dür had thrown themselves into aircraft development.
To support this, Arthur had allocated £100,000 in research funding and gathered many talented individuals, lured by the Victoria Prize, to help with the project.
Now, Australia's aviation laboratory had more than ten renowned European aviation and aerodynamics experts, along with dozens of other skilled professionals in the field of aircraft and airship design.
It could be said that Australia had at least attracted one-fifth of the world's top aviation talent, and this number and proportion were steadily increasing.
While the Wright brothers are recognized as the creators of the first airplane, they relied solely on their own resources before gaining any significant attention.
Australia's national efforts in aviation development had achieved far greater speed and success than the Wright brothers could have ever hoped to reach.
When Arthur arrived at the aviation laboratory, Theodor Kober and Ludwig Dür were already waiting outside respectfully.
Standing to the sides were dozens of experts and scholars, all of whom showed Arthur great respect.
This was, of course, to be expected. Even the fastest airships developed so far hadn't attracted worldwide attention, let alone the airplane, which was still in the early stages of exploration.
Though these experts had some knowledge in the field, none of them had any substantial backing. They had no benefits except for being considered pioneers in the aviation industry. Without Australia offering them work opportunities, many of them would have likely abandoned their beloved field.
With the joint effort of these experts, Australia's first airplane was successfully completed.
Unlike the rudimentary designs of the Wright brothers' Flyer 1 and Flyer 2, Australia's airplane was designed with the clear goal of successfully flying into the sky from the beginning.
Arthur had painstakingly tried to recall the designs of aircraft from later wars and submitted rough sketches to Theodor Kober and Ludwig Dür for reference.
Surprisingly, after much deliberation, Theodor Kober and Ludwig Dür were able to actually build a plane according to the design sketches.
Of course, the plane in front of them was an improved version after numerous tests and experiments. It no longer looked as rudimentary as it initially did.
Arthur turned his attention to Theodor Kober, who immediately understood and quickly explained, "Your Highness, this is the final product we arrived at after many experiments and improvements based on the design sketches you provided. The aircraft is a single-engine, single-seat, biplane, powered by a new gasoline engine developed by Mr. Diesel. The engine is expected to provide a speed of between 150 and 220 km/h."
"To increase the plane's range, we have added two auxiliary fuel tanks on the sides. This allows the aircraft to travel over 700 kilometers. Without these auxiliary tanks, the range would have been limited to about 400 kilometers," Theodor Kober explained.
Arthur nodded.
He was satisfied with the speed of the aircraft's development and the current data on the plane. After all, this was a completely new concept for everyone, and achieving it required more time.
Based on the current data, this was already an achievement comparable to the Wright brothers' progress after many years of work.
Before the Wright brothers gained worldwide attention, their development process was extremely slow. Australia, utilizing national resources, had quickly surpassed them, which was only natural.
"Is this plane capable of flight now?" Arthur asked, slightly intrigued.
Arthur had seen many large aircraft from the future, but this plane, still in the exploratory stage, was something he had only seen pictures of.
This made Arthur very curious about the plane in front of him. How did it compare to future aircraft?
"Of course, Your Highness," Theodor Kober nodded. "Since there isn't yet a standardized pilot training system, the person flying the plane will have to be the one most familiar with its design. Please wait a moment while we make the final preparations before the flight."
Arthur nodded and signaled Theodor Kober to proceed.
The person actually piloting the plane wasn't Theodor Kober, but Ludwig Dür.
The reason for this was simple: Ludwig Dür was the designer of the aircraft's balance system, and he was the most familiar with the plane's control system, making him the most suitable person to fly it.
After about half an hour of preparation, Ludwig Dür put on his goggles and asked Arthur for permission to take off.
(End of Chapter)
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