Chapter Eighty-Nine: Takeoff

Although the negotiations were rather informal, when it came to the most crucial matter of signing the contract, both parties did not neglect it. With swift strokes, they signed their names, making the agreement officially effective.

“Well then, we’re now partners. Let us both perform our respective duties well, work together to expand the model aircraft business, and provide the best possible service to enthusiasts everywhere.”

Hearing Xie Lianfa’s words, Mara stood up, smiled, and nodded, extending her hand to shake his. The gesture left Xie Lianfa feeling quite embarrassed—for he had never experienced this in his home country before. The sensation of shaking hands with a young woman for the first time was, it turned out, rather unique.

“Very well, Mr. Xie. Rest assured, I shall return at once and begin preparations for the early-stage promotion of the model aircraft, striving to establish its presence in Italy as soon as possible and do my part well.”

“Good. As soon as an order arrives, we’ll arrange shipment immediately. Of course, you can also choose to pre-order one or two units; that way, there’s no need to wait after placing an order.”

After some thought, Mara tentatively asked Xie Lianfa, “When you leave Paris, could you lend me the two model aircraft you’ve been using? I’d like to take them back to Italy for promotional work.”

Lending out these two model planes? That was a matter requiring further discussion among the group.

“In that case, come with me. I’ll need to consult the others, and you may as well use the opportunity to meet the rest of our team.”

Since the negotiations were taking place at a model aircraft enthusiasts’ estate on the outskirts, finding Yang Hui and Old Wu was easy; their opinions would be important. Xie Lianfa quickly located them and explained Mara’s request, intending to discuss the best course of action.

“Old Wu, Yang—negotiations on my end are wrapped up. Now Mara hopes to take these two model planes back to Italy for demonstrations and publicity.”

Following Xie Lianfa, Mara soon met Yang Hui and the others, realizing these must be the other key members of the company. She once again explained her intention.

“I’d like to take these two models back to Italy for demonstrations and promotion. Without the actual planes, it’s truly difficult to publicize them.”

Yang Hui considered whether to leave a model behind. After some thought, he believed it wasn’t entirely impossible. However, it was clear that Miss Mara didn’t know how to operate a jet-powered model aircraft; taking it to Italy wouldn’t accomplish much unless she learned to fly it.

“Leaving one isn’t out of the question, but do you know how to operate a jet-powered model? Unless you stay and learn to fly it, bringing it back to Italy won’t be of much use.”

Mara was not deterred by this. If she didn’t know how, she’d simply learn; mastering jet-powered models was essential.

“That’s no problem. I can spend time learning to fly the model. Once I’ve mastered it, I’ll return to Italy.”

There was nothing more to say—since she had expressed her willingness to stay until she learned, such sincerity deserved to be rewarded. After consulting with Old Wu, they agreed. After all, they had already left one model in Paris, so leaving another made little difference.

Yang Hui announced the decision, “Alright, we’ll leave you one model plane. Two is out of the question; another will remain in Paris, as had been decided from the start.”

The model left in Paris was for local after-sales purposes. The young man there had proposed an installment payment plan, which the director gladly agreed to—after all, he was still a partner, and a little consideration was in order.

One or two models—either way, Mara agreed at once. Having one for temporary use was sufficient; later, with more funds, she could purchase it outright.

“Very well, I’ll start learning right away and be sure to master it as soon as possible so I can return to Italy and get to work.”

With the final flight manual in hand, Mara quietly withdrew to a corner to pore over it.

...

Back at the small inn, the director had already completed the task of booking their flights home, and they could now begin counting down to their return.

“All set. The tickets are booked—the flight is the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, still on the Ilyushin-62. I chose seats toward the front this time, so the noise will be much less.”

Having flown on an Il-62, with its rear-mounted engines, the director had learned from experience and reserved seats up front.

Yang Hui considered the timing and found it suitable. They could finish training the first group of students the next day, planting the seeds for the grand future of model aviation.

“No problem. We’ll finish teaching all the modules tomorrow, and there should be some qualified pilots among them. Once we’re back, we can immediately move forward with the trainer plane project.”

Indeed, during the assessment the next day, four model pilots passed successfully and officially graduated. With their graduation, they would transform from trainees to instructors.

As their coach, Yang Hui naturally had to say a few encouraging words—no graduation ceremony could do without that, East or West.

“Well done. The four of you trained the hardest, and your efforts have paid off. You are now officially qualified. I hope that when you become model aircraft instructors, you’ll maintain the same dedication.”

A few brief remarks about the key points for their future work, and as night fell, they returned to the inn.

...

It was the final day in Paris. At the airshow venue, companies were gradually packing up and departing. As always, some left in joy, others in disappointment. Such was the aerospace industry—once orders dried up, production lines couldn’t be maintained. If the line shut down and there were no other projects to keep the business alive, and no government support, then closure was inevitable.

Reflecting on it, Yang Hui grew increasingly satisfied: whether foreign companies closed early or found new ventures, it was of little concern. Once the Republic’s aviation industry rose, even more would be forced to close—such was fate, predetermined for these Western companies after Yang Hui’s rebirth.

During the entire exhibition, Yang Hui’s group sold fifty sets of model planes—the first batch—totaling four million dollars. Some true DIY enthusiasts also purchased engines.

The turbojet engine, the core technology for jet-powered models, naturally fetched a high price: twenty thousand dollars each.

Historically, in 1993 France launched its first model-scale turbojet engine, and that too cost several tens of thousands of dollars. At twenty thousand each, this was a fair price.

In total, nearly eighty engines were sold separately, bringing in another 1.6 million dollars. With the four million from the models, the total came to 5.6 million.

Yet high-value-added aviation products also meant high import tariffs. Since the Republic was not yet a GATT member, about two hundred thousand had to be paid in duties, leaving 5.4 million dollars—still a handsome profit for the project.

The only free time was at noon on the last day, and, as if by tacit agreement, everyone headed for the Paris library. With a little foreign currency from their travel stipends tucked away, it was time to spend it.

Yang Hui, Director Bai, Yang Yue, and Old Wu naturally made for the aviation engineering shelves.

The only exceptions were Xie Lianfa, who, following Yang Hui’s suggestion, brought along the young man Old Wu had recruited to the economics and trade management section—apparently, this fellow truly intended to join a foreign trade company.

At the appointed time, everyone emerged clutching a few treasured volumes. This, more than anything, was the greatest reward of their Paris trip, the real reason why the true technical fanatics of the 1980s scrimped and saved when going abroad.

Yang Hui’s need for technical manuals was not as keen as before, but he still found a few that interested him—mainly on computer-aided design, since the current state of CAD technology was still quite far from what he knew.

Boarding the plane, as the massive Ilyushin-62 soared into the sky, Yang Hui looked back at the receding Paris, his gaze lingering on the now-distant airshow grounds.

“Just wait. In 1985, we’ll meet again, and then it won’t be the small sideshow it was this time—we’ll have our own place in the main exhibition hall.”

Once the aircraft reached cruising altitude, there was little turbulence, so everyone buried themselves in their books. After all, a transcontinental flight would take quite a long while.