Xu Chaoliang inspects the AC313A helicopter airframe. Photo courtesy of interviewee
Profile: Xu Chaoliang, Chief Technical Expert of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Deputy Director of China Helicopter Design and Research Institute; As the chief designer of the AC313 model, he successfully presided over the development of the AC313 large civil helicopter, overcoming the worldwide problem of domestic helicopter operation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for the first time, and ending the long-term history of no domestic helicopter available in the mainland plateau.
【Chief Teacher Dialogue】
On the front line of flood fighting and rescue this year, AC313 and other civil helicopters showed their talents, providing strong support for air rescue. The members of the "family" of AC series helicopters are still expanding, and the emergency rescue equipment system of Continental Airlines will also add "sharp weapons".
The "auspicious bird" AC313A (hereinafter referred to as AC313A), developed on the basis of AC313, has completed its first flight in May 2022, which will effectively improve the aviation emergency rescue capability of domestic large civil helicopters and better support the construction of mainland aviation emergency rescue system.
At present, AC313A is undergoing intensive test flights, and it is planned to complete the airworthiness certificate and deliver it to users during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.
As the chief designer of the AC313 model, Xu Chaoliang, deputy director of China Helicopter Design and Research Institute, witnessed the leap of domestic helicopter plateau technology from "following" to "leading".
Help the "auspicious bird" overcome "altitude sickness"
Reporter: Helicopters are a strategic product of national development and the embodiment of advanced manufacturing. At present, what is the current development status of Continental helicopter industry?
Xu Chaoliang: The mainland helicopter industry started on an almost blank basis, and after more than 70 years of development, it has embarked on a path of introduction, digestion, absorption until independent innovation, and has now formed a relatively complete lineage of light, medium and large domestic helicopter models.
Among the large civil helicopters of the mainland, the performance of AC313 is very eye-catching, representing a major leap in the independent research and development capabilities of the mainland, and its development AC313A will reach a higher level.
Reporter: Can you talk specifically about the superiority of AC313A?
Xu Chaoliang: AC313A is a 13-ton, single-rotor, multi-purpose domestic civil helicopter with tail rotor. By enabling a number of new technologies, AC313A has greatly improved its adaptability, flexibility, reliability and load capacity in the alpine environment of the plateau.
The significance of the development of AC313A is that it further improves the aviation rescue capability of Continental helicopters at high altitudes.
Reporter: How will the climatic conditions of the plateau affect helicopters?
Xu Chaoliang: AC313A has a maximum hoisting and flying weight of 13.8 tons, a sprinkler capacity of 5 tons, and can transport 28 people. At a high altitude of 4500 meters, the AC313A is expected to have a load capacity of more than 1.3 tons and can fly 600 kilometers. At low altitudes, the AC313A can have a load capacity of 4 to 5 tons.
However, as the altitude rises, the air gradually thins, and the engine power of the helicopter will drop significantly, resulting in a decrease in the load capacity, resulting in an increase in the accident rate, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region of the mainland.
Reporter: What have you and your team done to help AC313A overcome altitude sickness?
Xu Chaoliang: We have carried out a series of technological innovations, such as increasing the power of the transmission system, equipping more advanced engines, upgrading electromechanical, avionics, flight control, control and other systems, and installing health monitoring systems, rotor anti-icing and other airborne equipment.
In 2012, AC313 obtained the type certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, becoming the world's first large-scale civil helicopter to obtain a Class A airworthiness certificate at an altitude of 4,500 meters. The AC313A will be the next large civil helicopter with excellent performance after the AC313.
Large civil helicopters "first grown"
Reporter: Helicopters are becoming more and more widely used in the civilian field, what are the main application scenarios of domestic civil helicopters now?
Xu Chaoliang: The mainland civil helicopter industry started late, but through independent research and development and international cooperation, the development of civil helicopter models and technical research and development has developed rapidly, showing a product pattern of "one aircraft, multiple types, series development".
AC311 series, AC312 series, AC352 series, AC313 series and other civil helicopters can be used in flight training, public security law enforcement, communication command, aviation shooting, medical rescue, power line patrol, agricultural and forestry operations, forest fire prevention, rescue and disaster relief, search and rescue, offshore oil services, business flights and other fields. We are also constantly conducting market research and launching a series of light, medium, large and heavy helicopter products in batches to meet the diverse needs of users.
Reporter: On October 1, 2009, at a rally to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a Z-8 helicopter formation flew over Tiananmen Square. The Z-8 is the mainland's first helicopter that can reach the international advanced level, and its improved development is carried out under extremely difficult conditions. You are the chief designer of the Z-8, can you introduce the development route of this model?
Xu Chaoliang: In 2002, after I took over the technical improvement of the Z-8 platform, with the help of industry experts, I formulated a technical route for engine replacement, rotor replacement, avionics replacement, transmission improvement, and airworthiness certification, forming a "long-term plan, step-by-step implementation; Break through the plateau and cover the sea; One machine multi-type, series development" general idea.
Reporter: Does the development of AC313 fully reflect this general idea?
Xu Chaoliang: Yes. The development of AC313 not only makes full use of the straight-8 aircraft platform, but also achieves a major innovation breakthrough. For example, in order to achieve the goal of the AC313 plateau, different from the traditional technical route of large-diameter rotors adopted by Russia and the United States, we adopted the compact overall aerodynamic layout design of small-diameter rotors to explore another technical route on the plateau. At the same time, we not only made AC313 meet the requirements of low noise for civil use, but also made it a global leader in altitude performance.
Digitalization and intelligence have become the future research direction
Reporter: Can adapt to complex environments, with high safety, comfort, economy, environmental protection and other characteristics, is the main symbol of an excellent civil helicopter. In your opinion, what are the most critical technical points for the development of large and heavy helicopter platforms and civil helicopters with excellent performance?
Xu Chaoliang: Civil helicopters should pursue high safety and protect public safety to the greatest extent.
The mainland already has the ability to develop civil helicopters below 13 tons, but the development of heavy civil helicopters of larger tons still has to overcome many technical difficulties, and it is necessary to achieve a major breakthrough in development capabilities.
The increase in the tonnage of civil helicopters makes the rotor size, transmission chain power, body space and load weight increase significantly, and the rigidity design and dynamic matching of the whole aircraft are more complex, which puts forward higher requirements for material development, precision manufacturing, strength verification, flight test, use and maintenance, etc.
Facing the development needs of future civil helicopters, we must continue to carry out technological innovation, design new configuration helicopters, and carry out a lot of scientific research work, the most important of which is to solve the problem that traditional configuration helicopters do not fly fast and do not fly far.
Reporter: Is there a lot of changes to design a helicopter with a new configuration?
Xu Chaoliang: So to speak. One of the design points of the new configuration of the helicopter is to reduce CO2 emissions. Aviation greening has become a future development trend, and we have begun to carry out key technology research around all-electric/hybrid helicopters, multi-rotor modular electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, etc.
In addition, unmanned is also the direction of helicopter design. At the same time, the vibration and noise generated by helicopters is a traditional problem that cannot be ignored and needs to be solved with great efforts.
In short, we hope that in the future, helicopters of new configurations can fly faster and farther, with higher carrying efficiency and environmental protection.
Reporter: In recent years, in order to meet the requirements of green and intelligent development, Aviation Industry Corporation of China has proposed a digital aviation strategy. So, what is digital aviation? What is the important role of the strategy?
Xu Chaoliang: Digital aviation is to quickly apply the latest digital technology and form productivity to ensure the innovation and efficiency of scientific research and production in the aviation industry.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China put forward the digital aviation strategy as an important starting point to promote the comprehensive digitalization and intelligence of equipment development and production, aiming to build a new efficient and secure digital capability system for the aviation industry based on the "cloud" architecture.
Reporter: At present, in the application of digital technology, what explorations has the China Helicopter Design and Research Institute carried out?
Xu Chaoliang: In recent years, China Helicopter Design and Research Institute has actively implemented the digital aviation strategy proposed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China and promoted digital aviation to take root in helicopter development.
The first is to actively participate in the construction of the digital aviation special project of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, orderly carry out the development and implementation of a predictive maintenance system based on digital twin, and build a rapid service guarantee capability oriented to practical efficiency.
Second, in the development of models, promote model-based system engineering, build the digital construction of helicopter forward R&D system, and carry out research and application of helicopter rotor system life pre-assessment, full life cycle demand management, virtual integrated simulation verification technology based on big data.
The third is to actively embrace new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, carry out IT architecture development and data governance, build industry-level engineering data centers, build agile and efficient information independent development platforms and data management and control platforms, and effectively improve comprehensive management capabilities and strategic decision-making capabilities.
People are the future of the aviation industry
Reporter: Based on your personal growth experience, how did you firmly choose the helicopter industry in the first place?
Xu Chaoliang: Looking back on my personal growth experience, I have faced three major choices in life.
First, apply for volunteering after the college entrance examination. My hometown is very close to Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, where the "cradle of Chinese helicopters" - China Helicopter Design and Research Institute is located. As a child, I often saw airplanes flying in the sky and became very interested in mysterious flying machines. When I applied for my volunteer after the college entrance examination, I chose the helicopter design major of Nanjing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (now Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics) without hesitation.
The second is to choose a career after graduation. When I was in college, I won the runner-up in the Nanjing University Badminton Competition, and a Nanjing company threw me an "olive branch" because of this. However, out of love for my major, between big cities and helicopters, I chose the latter.
The third is the choice between studying abroad and returning to China. In 2000, I went to the University of California, San Diego as a visiting scholar, conducting research on impact energy absorption of composite structures, and obtained the admission qualification for doctoral studies. At this time, I was faced with another choice.
Reporter: Why did you give up continuing your studies and decide to return to China to deepen your helicopter business?
Xu Chaoliang: At this critical moment of life choice, the leaders of China Helicopter Design and Research Institute encouraged me to make achievements in the helicopter industry, and gave me the opportunity to preside over the research and development project of the Z-8 platform, which strengthened my confidence and determination to return to China to continue to engage in helicopter design.
Reporter: The establishment and development of China's aviation industry system is inseparable from the continuous struggle and silent dedication of generations of scientific and technological workers. Please talk about the current development of the talent team of China Helicopter Design and Research Institute.
Xu Chaoliang: Talent is the future of an industry. After decades, China Helicopter Design and Research Institute has built a large-scale, reasonable structure and excellent quality talent team. China Helicopter Design and Research Institute has more than 2,000 professional and technical personnel, including 17 national talents and 56 provincial and ministerial talents; There are more than 200 researchers and more than 900 senior engineers; There are more than 90 doctors, more than 1300 masters, and more than 45% of them are masters and doctors.
Reporter: In terms of talent training, what explorations has the China Helicopter Design and Research Institute carried out?
Xu Chaoliang: In view of the specific conditions of the industry, we have explored a "six-in-one" talent training path, specifically "training exchanges, mentors and apprentices, practical exercises, special projects, job evaluation, and incentive mechanisms".
Reporter: Can you elaborate on the "six-in-one"?
Xu Chaoliang: China Helicopter Design and Research Institute has launched a multi-level training mechanism to create a variety of learning and exchange platforms; Promote the "set sail" project for new employees, and implement the "thought + business" dual mentor system; Implement the "721" talent training model, that is, 70% of the working time is used for on-the-job training, 20% for professional course training, and 10% for general course training; Promote the construction of leading talents, implement the "Double Qing" plan, and focus on cultivating a large number of young backbone talents; Broaden the promotion channels of employees; Establish a diversified salary incentive mechanism, etc.
Reporter: What suggestions do you have for attracting outstanding young people to join the field of helicopter development?
Xu Chaoliang: First, we must cultivate interest, starting from popular science education; Second, we should enhance our sense of mission and responsibility, and establish the ideal and belief of aviation serving the country; Third, we should attach importance to career planning and let young people establish goals in life.
【Reporter's Note】
It is not easy to interview Xu Chaoliang, he is always busy, and business trips are already the norm.
Thin figure, soft voice, slow and methodical speech, low and rhythmic tone, this is Xu Chaoliang's first impression to reporters.
On March 18, 2010, AC313 successfully made its first flight; In September 2011, AC313 landed at the base camp of Mount Everest at an altitude of 5200 meters; On May 17, 2022, the first flight of the upgraded AC313A was successful... Every important moment of AC313 is deeply engraved in Xu Chaoliang's mind.
When it comes to the painting of the colorful auspicious bird on the AC313 fuselage, Xu Chaoliang is even more affectionate. "This idea comes from the legendary auspicious divine bird, which is draped in colorful light and steps on auspicious clouds, bringing happiness and well-being to the world." He said.
From the overall design of the helicopter to the rotor structure, from the transmission system to the ergonomics, from the current situation to the future development... Speaking of helicopters, Xu Chaoliang can always accurately find the key core points in the long scientific research process and complex technical network, and his words are full of wisdom.
"He has a strong sense of innovation, broad thinking, long-term vision and super affinity." Colleagues who have worked with him for many years say this about him.
Decades of helicopter scientific research have closely linked Xu Chaoliang's life with the helicopter industry, as if he was born for helicopters.
Today, Xu Chaoliang continues to climb the peak of technology to achieve one new breakthrough after another, and we will wait and see. (Reporter Jiao Yang)
Source: Science and Technology Daily