“Let’s take it up a few more times. Maybe we’ll find a pattern for the arc fluctuations. Then we’d be able to find a flying method that avoids having it strike the fuselage,” the pilot who had been injured said, waving a bandaged arm. From his movements and expression, it was evident that his wounded hand hurt, but to show that he could still work the helicopter controls, he didn’t have it in a sling and was deliberately making large movements.
“We can’t afford to have another accident. There needs to be a reliable guarantee of safety,” Lin Yun said.
The other aviator said, “I’d like to ask you all to get one thing straight: We’re not taking risks for this project of yours. We’re doing it for ourselves. Army aviation needs new weapons now more than ever.”
Lin Yun said, “Lieutenant, you misunderstand why we halted the experiment. We did so out of concern for the project. If we have another catastrophic crash like Lieutenant Wang Songlin’s, the project is over.”
Colonel Xu said, “Let’s all use our brains. We’ve got to come up with workable safety measures.”
An engineer said, “Can we consider using remote-controlled aircraft to conduct the experiment?”
An aviator said, “The only craft capable of hovering and low-speed flight that has sufficient carrying capacity is a helium airship developed by Beihang University,[8] but it’s unclear whether it could be controlled precisely enough to guarantee discharge accuracy.”
Lin Yun said, “And even if it could, it would only eliminate the risk of loss of life. It doesn’t help the experiment itself, since it would still be susceptible to a lightning strike.”
I had a sudden thought. “My master’s advisor developed an anti-lightning paint for use on high-tension wires, but I’ve only heard people talk about it, so I’m not too familiar with the details.”
“Your advisor was Zhang Bin?” Colonel Xu asked.
I nodded. “Do you know him?”
“I was one of his students. He was just a lecturer back then, and hadn’t transferred to your university.” Colonel Xu turned melancholy for a moment. “I called him up a few days ago. I’ve wanted to see him but I haven’t been able to find the time. I’m afraid he doesn’t have much time left. You know of his illness?”
I nodded again.
“He was rigorous in his studies, and he worked diligently his entire life….”
“Let’s get back to the paint!” Lin Yun said impatiently.
“I know of that invention. I was on the appraisal committee. It was remarkably effective in protecting against lightning,” Colonel Xu said.
“The key thing is whether it needs to be grounded in order to work. If it does, then there’s not much point,” Lin Yun said. I had always admired her technical mind. The majority of anti-lightning paints needed to be grounded, but the question was not one a non-specialist was likely to ask.
Colonel Xu scratched his head. “Hmm… it’s been so long that I can’t remember. You’ll have to ask the inventor for the details.”
Lin Yun snatched up the phone and passed it to me. “Give him a call at once and ask him. If it’ll work, then have him come to Beijing. We’ll need to manufacture a batch of it immediately.”
“He’s a cancer patient,” I said, looking at her awkwardly.
Colonel Xu said, “It’s not a problem just to ask.”
I took the receiver from Lin Yun’s hand. “I don’t know if he’s at home or at the hospital…,” I said, flipping open my address book. His home number was on the first page. I dialed, and then a weak voice sounded on the receiver. “Who is it?”
When I gave him my name, the distant voice instantly became stronger and more excited. “Oh, hello! Where are you? What are you up to?”
“Professor Zhang, I’m working on a national defense project. How’s your health?”
“You mean you’ve made progress?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“It’s hard to say on the phone. How’s your health?”
“Diminishing by the day. Zhao Yu visited. He may have mentioned it to you.”
“Yes. How is your treatment going?” As I spoke, Lin Yun whispered urgently, “Ask him…,” but I covered the mouthpiece and snapped, “Get away.”
When I returned the receiver to my ear, I heard Zhang Bin say, “…I’ve pulled together another set of research materials and I’m getting ready to send them to you.”
“Professor Zhang, I’d like to ask you about something else. It’s about the high-tension wire anti-lightning paint you developed.”
“Oh. That stuff had no economic value and was shelved long ago. What do you want to know?”
“Does it need to be grounded?”
“No. It doesn’t need grounding. Its shielding effect is self-contained.”
“We want to use it on aircraft.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work. The paint produces a fairly thick coating, and definitely won’t meet the aerodynamic indicators required for an aircraft surface. Also, the skin of the plane is of an entirely different material from high-tension wires. It might erode the skin it’s painted on in the long term.”
“None of that matters. I just want to know whether it would have an anti-lightning effect on planes.”
“Definitely. Paint it thick enough, and the plane could fly straight through a thunderhead. The paint’s been tested for that before, just not on planes. The academy’s atmospherics lab once had a project to use sonar balloons to probe the structure of storm clouds. But on several occasions, the balloons and the instrument module suspended from them were destroyed by lightning strikes shortly after entering the clouds. So they looked me up, we put a layer of paint on the instrument module and the balloon, and they ended up entering clouds several dozen times without incident. That might possibly be the sole practical application of the paint.”
“Excellent! Is any of the finished paint still around?”
“Sure. It’s in the storage room of the atmospheric electricity lab. It should still be usable. There’s probably enough to paint a small airplane. The administrator has tried to get rid of those sealed barrels on a number of occasions, since they take up space, but I wouldn’t allow it. If they’re useful to you, then take them. I’ve also got a complete set of materials, so it won’t be a problem to fabricate more. I’ve got a question… though if it’s inconvenient, then of course you don’t have to answer: Is this connected to ball lightning research?”
“It is.”
“So you’ve really made progress?”
“Professor Zhang, it’s not just me now. Lots of people are involved in it. As for progress, we just might make some.”
“Great. I’ll come over at once. You’ll need me, at least as far as the paint is concerned.”
Before I had a chance to speak, Lin Yun covered the mouthpiece. She had heard what Zhang Bin said and was evidently afraid I wouldn’t let him come. She whispered, “He can be admitted to 301 Military Hospital once he comes. They’re better equipped for treatment than where he is, right? Besides, if his materials are complete, then he won’t have to expend much energy.”
I looked at Colonel Xu, who picked up the receiver. They were clearly in frequent contact, since without much in the way of salutation, he said, “About how heavy is all of that paint? Roughly two tons? Very well. Wait at home, and we’ll come pick you up.”
The next afternoon, Lin Yun and I went to Nanyuan Airport to meet Zhang Bin. We parked on the tarmac, awaiting the plane. It was the height of summer, but a storm had just passed, taking with it the oppressive heat of the past few days and leaving behind fresh, cool air. After such a long period of hard work, this was a rare occasion to relax.
“You’re growing to dislike me as we work, aren’t you?” Lin Yun asked me.
8
This elite university was known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics until 2002.