Chapter 734 The Air Show Ends
The manuscript of designing an airplane for L'Oreal was collected by the Bettencourt family until it was auctioned off at a charity auction 50 years later. Two designs hand-drawn by Mr. Bao sold for a whopping 2.9 million pounds, which is probably something no one expected. But no one thought it was expensive at the time, and many people even thought it was cheap.
Thursday, June 23, 1983. At Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France, the 35th Paris Air Show officially ended. Different people have different opinions on this air show, whether it is the emergence of the Su-27, the incredible performance of the F-18, or even the US government agreeing to Lockheed's sale of strategic transport aircraft. They were all defeated by one company and one aircraft.
Compared with the Heiyun Group's HH-01 Phantom combat bomber, these aircraft are more like foils. Although it is very reluctant, this is the fact. With a single unit price of US$450 million, more than 30 units have been sold. This is still without data for export to the United States. It is definitely the MVP of this Paris Air Show and will be difficult to surpass even in the future.
Not only that, 83 Black Cloud 919 passenger aircraft were also sold. The main market is in the Middle East, and it seems that Bao Zixuan's efforts have paid off. At the same time, because of the relationship with L'Oreal Group, a total of 6 wealthy people chose to believe in Heiyun Group. Six of the 919 passenger planes have been converted into private jets, which is a remarkable achievement. You must know that even Airbus and Boeing have not sold so many private jets. After all, the number of super-rich people in this era is very limited.
Even the old product Xiangjiang Monster ground-effect aircraft has received orders for more than 20 aircraft, which is not a big surprise. You must know that there are still many orders queued up, and it is amazing to be able to get orders.
The 35th Paris Air Show is a very successful one among the recent air shows. For this reason, the main committee also specially held a celebration banquet. The purpose of inviting major aircraft manufacturers to participate in the exhibition is to win people's hearts.
You must know that although the Paris Air Show is the largest and most influential air show in the world, there are many competitors. The British and Americans are all watching over there. If we cannot retain major aircraft manufacturing companies, we will be in trouble in the future.
In any country, companies that produce aircraft have a transcendent status. It has a huge impact on domestic industry, economy, and technology; at the same time, each aircraft manufacturing company has its own customer base. If it really makes people feel uncomfortable, they may not be able to come to Paris to participate in an exhibition next time.
The banquet will be held in the exhibition hall, where there is a banquet hall. Moreover, the entire venue was decorated with industrial elements. You must know that most of the exhibitors are engineers, who are more practical.
Bao Zixuan brought several project leaders and engineers to the banquet hall, also wanting the Heiyun engineering team to communicate more with the outside world. It would be better to poach technical talents from competitors. Even if you don't poach them, you can still learn more experience. At least you can understand the design concepts of the world's most cutting-edge aircraft, which will be of great benefit to future work.
As for whether Engineer Heiyun will be poached, Bao Shoufang is really not too worried. There are not many companies in the world that can surpass Heiyun Group in terms of employee treatment. I believe smart people know how to choose.
One characteristic of Heiyun Group's exhibition is that its clothing is very uniform. This is true whether it is an auto show or an electronic product show. It has become a habit over the years. Moreover, the work clothes of Heiyun Group are designed by Joanna herself, so they are definitely at the forefront of fashion.
Seeing Bao Zixuan's arrival, Little Macdonald greeted him enthusiastically. Knowing that this was the first time for Mr. Bao to attend such a banquet, he would be a little uncomfortable. The most important thing was that he didn't know anyone yet.
Little Macdonald began to introduce several heads and executives of aircraft manufacturing companies to Bao Zixuan. He was very familiar with this aspect. Although it may not be possible to make friends with Bao Zixuan, the richest man in Hong Kong, no one will refuse him once he gets to know him. Even as a competitor, one has to admire this young man's talent. They are competitors now, but there may be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
Bao Zixuan is not suitable for this kind of occasion, after getting to know a circle of people. I started eating in the corner. The level of French catering is recognized around the world. I want to give it a try today.
After the banquet started, the chairman of the air show main committee stood on the stage and said: "Thank you all friends who have come from afar. It is because of your trust. The Paris Air Show will be better and better. What kind of hospitality will you have in these days?" I hope you can forgive me for any inaccuracies in cooperating with our work. In the future, we will improve our services and ensure the satisfaction of all exhibitors and customers."
"We will intensify publicity for the next air show and invite more buyers to visit. We must make the Paris Air Show the world's number one air show and bring greater benefits to exhibitors."
As soon as he finished speaking, Little Macdonald said beside Bao Zixuan: "It seems that the French are anxious. In fact, this is normal."
Little Macdonald thought that Bao Zixuan didn't know the world's aviation landscape. After all, Heiyun Group had just entered the aviation field not long ago. He really wanted to be the leader; if he wanted to surpass Boeing, he couldn't rely on McDonnell Douglas alone and had to look for foreign help.
Heiyun Group is a good choice. Producing aircraft is no different than others; it requires a very deep technical accumulation. Although Heiyun has achieved certain achievements, it is still far behind in some areas. Taking large aircraft as an example, Heiyun does not have the ability to develop super large passenger aircraft. Otherwise, we would not have cooperated with the Soviets to produce medium-sized passenger aircraft. In Little MacDonald's view, the Soviet design still had certain flaws. If it were McDonnell Douglas, the design might be more perfect.
The overall performance of the Black Cloud 919 passenger aircraft is good, because of the engine, avionics equipment and override system. If these are applied to McDonnell Douglas aircraft, it will definitely bring McDonnell Douglas to a higher level.
At this time, Mr. Bao could only pretend to be confused, otherwise the topic would not be able to continue.
Bao Zixuan: "The Paris Air Show is already the world's number one air show, what else do the French have to be anxious about?"
After hearing this, little Macdonald thought to himself, this guy is indeed a new recruit. I don’t know what’s going on here, let alone the competition and desire of various countries for air shows.
Little Macdonald said with a smile: "The French must be anxious, of course. You must know that the air show can not only bring some tax revenue to France. More importantly, it can promote the development of tourism, allowing military enthusiasts and super-rich people from all over the world to come and participate."
"What kind of place is France? The luxury goods, red wine, and cosmetics here are famous all over the world. Everyone who comes here can't just leave after watching the air show! Then it would be strange if their wives and daughters at home don't get angry. These are real benefits. .”
The British air show is slowly gaining fame, and the United States is also making relevant preparations. You must know that at every air show, the United States has the largest number of exhibitors. Coming to Europe once is a waste of time and money, so it is better to have things done at your doorstep.
"I heard that the Soviets also want to hold an air show in Moscow. This is not groundless. They want to test the attitude of major companies. It's strange that the French are not in a hurry."
In fact, Bao Zixuan knows a little bit about these, and Rolls-Royce Company will come to participate in the air show every time. It's just an engine exhibition, so the booth area required is not very large.
Seeing Bao Zixuan's expression, little Macdonald smiled and said: "I guess the Paris Air Show Chairman Committee will definitely come to see you, so be mentally prepared when the time comes."
Bao Zixuan: "Thank you for sharing, my friend. If you have any news in the future, please inform me in advance. Hong Kong is still too closed in terms of aviation."
Little Macdonald said with a smile: "These are all easy to talk about. The four-engine super large passenger plane you mentioned a few days ago is very feasible. The engineers think it is very feasible. Let's discuss it and see how to cooperate."
Little Macdonald was also a resolute boss, so he discussed it with the engineer that night. The engineer was very pleased that the young boss suddenly changed his mind and did not continue to insist on the three-engine design. He immediately said that as long as the company supports it, the aircraft designed will never have worse performance than the Boeing 747.
With this guarantee, McDonald Jr. will certainly have confidence. Only then did he dare to come to Bao Zixuan to see what this super genius had to say.
Bao Zixuan: "Heiyun is under investigation by the US Department of Commerce. If you are not worried, you can cooperate at any time. If you don't cooperate, Heiyun will also design the aircraft engine according to McDonnell Douglas's requirements. I will personally serve as the chief engineer."
Little Macdonald was not a shy person and immediately said there was no problem. And with Boeing on top, how could McDonnell Douglas be involved in a monopoly? The specific details still need to be negotiated by the professional team. At this time, the tasks of the two bosses have been basically completed.