Chapter 194: Chapter 188: The First Airplane

The war in the Far East had entered a stage of massive consumption in the form of offensive and defensive battles. The majority of the Manchurian army had come to the outskirts of Port Arthur Fortress, vowing to capture the fortress that could determine the fate of the war.

The Russian Empire was also urgently deploying more troops to Port Arthur, and the current number of defenders in Port Arthur had already exceeded seventy thousand.

Apart from this, there were not many significant moves in other regions of the Far East. Both the Island Nation and the Russian Empire were well aware that the fate of Port Arthur was the key to determining the outcome of the war.

Before that, occupying more regions was far less important than capturing Port Arthur Fortress.

This war of attrition was bad news for both the Island Nation and the Russian Empire, but it was good news for the British Empire, the United States, Australia, and the German Empire.

The longer the war of attrition dragged on, the greater the losses for both the Island Nation and the Russian Empire. At the same time, more weapons demand could be generated, allowing the watching nations to make a fortune.

For the German Empire, which was facing enemies on both sides, 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 drawn to the Far East by the Island Nation, the German Empire did not regard France with a minor concern.

July 1904, on the outskirts of the Capital Territory.

This used to be an industrial area belonging to New South Wales State. After the establishment of the Capital Territory, it was incorporated into the Capital Territory, becoming the only industrial area in the Capital Territory, and currently the most developed industrial area in Australia.

At present, this industrial area is home to Arthur’s Arms Factory, car factory, and engine factory, as well as an aerospace laboratory specifically set up for the development of airplanes.

It could be said that this industrial area carried Arthur’s hope for Australia’s revival and that the technologies it produced would affect all of Australia.

Naturally, what prompted Arthur to act personally was an event that could have a significant impact on the whole of Australia.

Yes, ever since the successful manufacture of the AU-1 airship more than a year ago, Theodore Korbel and Ludwig Durrell had been working on the development of airplanes.

To this end, Arthur allocated one hundred thousand pounds of research funds and many talents lured with the Victoria Award.

Now, there were more than ten famous European aviation experts and aerodynamics experts in the Australian Aerospace Laboratory and dozens of outstanding talents in various aspects of airplanes and airships.

It was safe to say that Australia had at least attracted one-fifth of the world’s top aviation talent, and this figure and proportion were still increasing.

Although the Wright brothers were indeed the makers of the first airplanes, they were only able to rely on their own strength before receiving attention.

With Australia applying the power of the nation to develop aviation, the speed and achievements they made absolutely could not compare to the Wright brothers.

When Arthur arrived at the Aerospace Laboratory, Theodore Korbel and Ludwig Durrell were already waiting respectfully outside the lab.

There were also dozens of experts and scholars standing by, showing great respect for Arthur.

This was quite normal. Even the most advanced airships, which until now had not been taken seriously worldwide, let alone airplanes that were still in their exploratory period.

Although these experts had some research on this aspect, without anyone supporting them, besides being the pioneers of the aviation industry, they had no other benefits.

If it were not for Australia taking them in and providing them with job opportunities, most of these people might have given up their beloved industries.

With the joint efforts of these experts, Australia’s first airplane was born smoothly.

Unlike the simple planes initially made by the Wright brothers, such as Flyer I and Flyer II, the goal of the airplane made by Australia was to fly in the sky successfully at the very beginning.

To achieve this, Arthur racked his brains and desperately recalled the appearance and design of airplanes from World War I and World War II in his later life. He then handed a simple sketch to Theodore Korbel and Ludwig Durrell for reference.

Unexpectedly, after much contemplation, Theodore Korbel and Ludwig Durrell managed to make an airplane according to the design sketch.

Of course, the airplane in front of them was already an improved version after numerous trials and adjustments, and it was naturally no longer as rudimentary as it was at the beginning.

Arthur looked at Theodore Korbel, who understood the situation and hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, this is the final product we have come up with after many experiments and improvements based on the design sketch you provided. Our airplane adopts a single-engine, single-seat, and biplane design, using a new gasoline engine specially developed by Mr. Disel, with an estimated power of 150km to 220km.”

“To increase the endurance of this airplane, we’ve added two additional fuel tanks on both sides of the aircraft. This allows the total range of the airplane to exceed 700 kilometers. Without these two additional fuel tanks, the aircraft’s range might only be around 400 kilometers,” Theodore Korbel explained further.

Arthur nodded his head.

He was quite satisfied with the speed of the airplane’s development and the current data on the finished product. After all, for everyone involved, this was a completely new concept, and realizing it required even more time.

Considering the current data, this was at least the result of the Wright brothers’ research on airplanes for several years.

Before the U.S. military paid attention, the Wright brothers’ research process was very slow. Australia, using the power of the nation, quickly overtook them, which was within reason.

“Can this airplane be piloted now?” Arthur asked with some interest.

Arthur had seen many large airplanes in the later generations but had only seen pictures of those in the exploratory stage like the one in front of him.

This made Arthur very curious about the differences between this civilian airplane and those he had seen in the future.

“Of course, Your Highness,” Theodore Korbel replied, nodding his head. “Since there is no systematic pilot training method for now, the only person suitable to pilot is the one who is most familiar with this fighter aircraft. Please wait a moment. There is still some preparatory work to be done before the plane officially takes off.”

Arthur nodded and gestured for Theodore Korbel to proceed.

The real pilot of the airplane was not Theodore Korbel, but Ludwig Durrell.

The reason was simple: Ludwig Durrell was the designer of the airplane’s balance system, and he was most familiar with the control system of the plane, making him the most suitable person to pilot the aircraft.

After about half an hour of preparation, Ludwig Durrell put on his goggles and asked Arthur for permission to take off.