After eating, a few people came to the balloon factory of 'Jupeng Bird Balloon' in Knopp. Not to mention, although their sales store is not large, the factory is quite large, with a factory area of more than 10,000 square meters and 200 square meters.
With many hot air balloon manufacturing employees, it can be said that 'Jupeng Bird Balloon' is the largest balloon manufacturing factory here.
On the open-air site, various steel and wood materials can be seen everywhere, and three or two completed hot-air balloons are placed on the factory ground, seemingly waiting for various tests.
A few workers who had just finished their meal were sitting lazily on the materials, smoking and drinking coffee, chatting from time to time, and some even played cards.
Hoffman smiled awkwardly and said: "It's still lunch break, so they are so leisurely. They work very hard when they are working. I guarantee that they will be completed on time and your 170,000 gold coins will not be wasted."
"170,000? Didn't you say 140,000?" Hughington asked.
"Oh, because Mr. Bing Zhixie requires us to maximize the speed, we have to give up some relatively cheap but heavy steel materials and switch to lighter and more durable alloy materials. The price will naturally increase."
"Another 30,000." Hughington was heartbroken, but thinking that now there was a rich man around him who could make millions anytime, anywhere, he had no choice but to endure the pain.
Alice asked: "Then where is our airship?"
"We are still finishing each component, but our workers have been doing this for many years and are very skilled. In addition, we have ready-made molds for all components, and now the keel and most components have been completed. In the past few days
We are rushing the work in three shifts, and we do not stop working. We should start assembling it tonight or tomorrow at the latest. We will try to assemble it in one and a half days and then test it. If there are no problems in the test, it can be handed over to you for use." Hoffman said:
"Please come with me, I will take you to see your airship."
Hullington asked as he walked: "What if there is something wrong with the test?"
"We are still dealing with these problems in more than a day, and we will definitely deliver the goods to you within seven days." Hoffman assured confidently.
Following Hoffman, we came to the huge factory building for manufacturing and assembly. Various molds and formed tools were placed on the ground in a chaotic but very orderly manner. At this time, there was only one young man in the entire factory who was sorting it out.
Measuring those instruments.
Hoffman shouted: "Kester, come here, let me introduce you."
Kester, however, did not move. After finishing the work, he came over and looked at Bing Zhixie and the others.
Hoffman smiled: "Sorry, let me introduce you to Mr. Bing Zhixie. He is the chief designer and chief engineer of your airship."
"Ah, isn't it, him?" Alice and Hurlington shouted at the same time.
Hoffman affirmed: "That's right."
Alice said: "I thought he was your apprentice here."
"Hey, uncle, aren't you teasing us?" Hullington said: "You see that we are not very young, so you think we are easy to bully! Give our airship to a child to practice our skills.
, do you think we are here to shave your hair?”
"No, no, no, you have misunderstood. He is really a very good engineer." Hoffman hurriedly explained: "Have you not read newspapers, magazines, or heard of it? He has won two world aviation awards.
The first prize in the airboat design competition.”
"Really?" Hughington and Alice looked at this young man who was only a few years older than Bing Zhixie with doubt.
"Of course it's true." Hoffman said proudly: "Because he is my son."
"Ah, he is your son!"
Hoffman said to his son: "Kester, these are the buyers of the airship, Miss Alice, Mr. Bing Zhixie and Mr. Hullington."
"Hello, my name is Charlie Kester. Nice to meet you." Kester extended his dirty and oily hands, then retracted them.
"Nice to meet you." Alice took his hand and said, "Then, please introduce us to this airship."
Kester was held by Alice's soft hand, and his heart started to flutter: "Uh...oh, yes." He quickly retracted his hand, his cheeks turning red.
Hoffman said: "Then you guys are here to visit. I have something else to do and will come back later. Kester, please greet the customers."
"Yes." Kester said, "Please come with me, and I will show you the keel of your airship."
Bing Zhixie and the others followed Kester to an open space in the factory, where a large metal skeleton stood in front of everyone.
"Wow, this is the keel of the airship!" Alice shouted.
Brand new and shiny keels, these metal frames were recently melted, and you can still see traces of anti-rust oil on them.
Alice asked again: "What is the dragon bone and what is it used for?"
Everyone was suffocated.
Kester explained: "The keel is like the main frame supporting a house, the main load-bearing part of a ship. If the keel is broken, the ship will fall apart and the house will collapse. The airship is like
For a ship flying in the air, if you want it to not completely fall apart in the air, it must be supported and connected."
"Oh, I understand." Alice nodded in understanding.
Hullington asked: "Why is the keel of this aircraft so small? It seems to be just the pod and the skeleton of the balloon?"
Kester said: "Have you not seen the picture album of this airship?"
"No."
Kester said: "Then let me tell you. Generally speaking, airships are divided into three types: rigid airships, semi-rigid airships and soft airships. The first two or more or
Most of them have a metal dragon frame to support the shape of the balloon, which is relatively low-grade. However, the shark-type airship of our chamber of commerce is a high-end soft airship. The balloon part does not need a frame to support it, so it can
Greatly reducing the weight of the airship itself can increase the load capacity and speed of the airship. Therefore, in the album that Mr. Bing Zhixie read, this shark-type airship is the fastest, because among the four models
Only this one is an airship."
"So that's it." Hullington smiled and said, "He is indeed an expert."
There are still some factories in the world that can make hot-air balloons, but there are very few that can build airships. They are the only factory in this city that can build them.
Kester said: "In order to increase the speed as much as possible according to Mr. Bing Zhixie's requirements, this pod will be made closed, so it may be different from the picture album you see. After the pod is completed,
The length is 5.9 meters, the inner cabin is 4.6 meters long, the outer width is 3.7 meters, the inner width is 3.2 meters, the height is 2.2 meters, the inner height is 1.7 meters, and it can accommodate five people except the driver."
"Oh, by the way, the driver." Alice said, "Master, Hughington, can you drive it?"
Bing Zhixie shook his head.
Hullington also indicated that he would not.
Kester said: "There's no way around it. It's easy to learn how to fly an airship. It's just like a boat, but with an extra elevator. I can have someone teach you."
"Okay, I want to learn." Alice volunteered to be a pilot.
Kester said: "Follow me again, and I will take you to see the airbag of the airship."