In China's aviation industry today, there is an abandoned, technologically outdated production line – McDonnell Douglas MD-82. It was this once-illustrious production line that almost set China's aviation industry back decades ago. However, as a contest between justice and bravery unfolds, the ending is heart-wrenching: gone are the days when you were beaten if you were backward!
In the mid-80s of the last century, Sino-US relations gradually warmed up, and in order to improve its own civil aviation transport capacity and introduce advanced technology, China began to cooperate with the United States to introduce the production line of MD-82 aircraft. At that time, McDonnell Douglas became one of the preferred partners. However, the intervention and the subsequent bankruptcy and restructuring of McDonnell Douglas turned what should have been a key opportunity for the rise of China's civil aviation industry into a nightmare: technology transfer was restricted; Dependence on imports for key components; The construction process of the production line was difficult and delayed, which eventually led to the costly domestic MD-82 aircraft project becoming an unfinished project, which not only wasted a lot of national resources, but also hindered the normal development of China's civil aviation industry!
But even in the face of such a huge predicament, the people of Continental Airlines did not give up their efforts. They firmly believe that only independent innovation can save the mainland's aviation manufacturing industry, continue to learn and absorb advanced experience at home and abroad, strengthen independent research and development and innovation, and gradually narrow the gap with the international advanced level. It is in this arduous process of exploration and development that the continental aviation manufacturing industry finally ushered in a new spring: the advent of the ARJ21 Xianglong series aircraft marks that the mainland has the ability to independently develop jet airliners, and the successful first flight of the C919 large passenger aircraft further demonstrates the strength and potential of Chinese manufacturing. The success of these projects is inseparable from the unremitting efforts and wisdom of generations of aviation people, and it also fully proves that as long as we adhere to the road of self-reliance and independent innovation, we will be able to achieve the rapid development and leapfrog progress of the continental aviation industry!
Today, the once glorious McDonnell Douglas MD-82 production line has been abandoned for many years and has become a historical relic, which has witnessed the development process of China's aviation from backwardness to catching up and then surpassing, and has also become a vivid teaching material to warn future generations that "backwardness will be beaten". Looking forward to the future, we believe that under the guidance of the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and with the joint efforts of the majority of scientific researchers and aviation people, China will surely write a more brilliant chapter on the world aviation stage!