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Attempt at Aircraft Design

Another objective of China's aviation industry was to establish aviation scientific research institution and to develop and design aircraft on its own. Although the aircraft it produced at that time was fairly advanced, it would lag behind, if China's own R&D were not carried out and its personnel not sufficiently trained. The Bureau of Aviation Industry therefore, called for a special meeting in May 1955 to discuss problems of development and design, and the guiding principle of carrying on scientific development, production and personnel education simultaneously was defined and a proposal was made to the Ministry of Defence to set up aviation research and development institutions immediately in order to change the backward status of research and development.

In the report of "The development status and future task of aviation industry" to Chairman Mao Zedong by Director Wang Xiping of the Bureau of Aviation Industry in May 1956, the grave situation of research and development lagging behind production was further analysed and the practical measures of conducting work immediately using the existing conditions were proposed. During this period of time, state leaders in charge of defence science and technology and leaders of aviation industrial departments paid several visits to the Soviet Union, negotiating for their assistance to China in setting up a complete set of research and development organizations. Apart from setting up research and development organizations closely associated with material, process and test flight, no agreements were signed on other matters, which further aroused determination of the Chinese people to establish aviation research and development institutions independently.

In 1956, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao Zedong called for a "march towards the modern science". A 12 year-development-plan of China's science and technology was worked out under the guidance of Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, Li Fuchun and Nie Rongzhen, mastering and developing the jet technology for catching up with the world advanced level was ranked one of the five major programmes. This greatly inspired and pushed forward the work of setting up research and development institutions. According to the spirit of the Central Committee, aviation industry began to put the development of scientific research and product design in the important position during the Second Five-year Plan. Three catagories were divided for the establishment of aviation research and development in the initial stage:

1. A group of excellent engineers and technicians were assembled within the industry around 1956 to establish an aero material research institute, an aero manufacturing technology research institute and aeronautical science and technology information research institute which were urgently needed for production, research and development.
2. Since production already started before research and development in the Chinese aviation industry, there had existed already backbone engineers and production floor area, equipment and test facilities. All these advantages had been used for the setting up of design and research departments and institutes. Design departments of aircraft, aero engine, aero instrumentation and parachute were established in aviation factories in Shenyang, Nanchang, Nanjing and Beijing. These design departments were later developed into design and research institutes gradually. '
3. Design and research institutes of flight test, aerodynamics, aircraft accessory and avionics were established in Shaanxi and Shenyang respectively around 1958. At the same time, aviation scientific research departments were set up in BIAA , NPU and NAI; product design departments were also set up in some factories.

Through several years' efforts, aviation industry already possessed 6 research institutes, 3 product design institutes, 19 research and design departments or offices in factories and colleges, about ten thousand employees and several thousand research and design personnel by the end of 1960. Thus, the embryonic form of aeronautical scientific research and design institutes was bred in the cause of production development.

Technical cadres transfered to work in scientific research and design institutes all devoted to their work and most of them were the first class technical persons in aviation industry at that time. They went to their posts with lofty aspirations and great ideals of developing aviation scientific research of the motherland. Some of them applied for the permission to leave their offices in government departments or leading posts for the first line design and scientific research work; some of them left their families for the far away work site, living singlely and having meals collectively. They worked hard and arduously for construction of test facilities, for design of new products and the scientific research work. They were the first generation of pioneers of aeronautical scientific research work and made praiseworthy achievements.

Aerodynamic research and test facilities must be provided for the design of aircraft. China only had a few small wind tunnels for teaching purpose, which could not meet the requirement of aircraft design then. The government, hence, decided to build a transonic and supersonic wind tunnel in Shenyang, which was a copy of the Soviet AT-1 wind tunnel, named FL-1. The test section area of the wind tunnel was 0.6m x 0.6m, and an air supply system with 8 atmospheric pressure and a complete system of automatic control, measuring and video recording equipment was included. Construction of the wind tunnel was undertaken by the Shenyang Aircraft Factory, starting in September 1958.

Great difficulty was involved in the construction in view of the technical level of China at that time. In order to build the wind tunnel soon, the relevant departments, Liaoning Province and Shenyang City organized a large scale cooperation. The welding of the air storage tank required high standard, about 100 best welders, therefore, were assembled from 29 units in Shenyang and Beijing. The work was finished with good quality in six hard-working months. Construction, testing and acceptance of the wind tunnel were all completed by March 1960, and the quality of which was up to the requirement. This was the first wind tunnel for industrial test, built mainly by our own efforts in China. For many years, this wind tunnel had played an active role in scientific research tests of aerospace industries.

Scientific research and design people deeply felt that they had been entrusted with ardent expectations from the motherland and the people. Warm support was rendered from the Air Force. Air Force Commander Liu Yalou once said at a meeting to leading cadres of aircraft and engine factories in March 1958: "There are a lot of young people in aviation factories. They must have enthusiasm and be bold to design; factories should try to manufacture them; our Air Force will support them and fly the aircraft you turned out." An upsurge of aircraft design and manufacturing was unfolded immediately and, two types of aircraft - Primary Trainer CJ-6 and jet fighter trainer JJ-1 were successfully designed.

The JJ-1 jet fighter trainer was the first aircraft designed and manufactured by China itself. It was designed by a group of young people in design department of the Shenyang Aircraft Factory headed by Chief Designer Xu Shunshou, Deputy Chief Designers, Huang Zhiqian and Ye Zhengda. Its power plant, PF-1A jet engine was designed under the leadership of Wu Daguan, Director of design department, and designer Yu Guangyu of the Shenyang Aero Engine Factory. Design preparation work started in 1956. Xu Shunshou suggested "To read 300 Tang dynasty poems and do not stick ourselves to just one MiG theory," asking young designers who had no practical experience then to collect various kinds of aircraft information and select only the best for our own use. He reminded, at the same time, that our design should not fall into MiG aircraft pattern.

Chinese aircraft were not to be the copy of MiG Aircraft. Bifurcated inlets was boldly adopted, not following MiG tradition of nose air intake arrangement. Initial design was soon finished after very hard work. The state approved trial manufacture in April 1958 after a consultation in the Soviet Union, check up by government departments and the Air Force and some design modifications. In July of the same year, the final assembly of the aircraft was finished. When the aircraft was ready for test flight, the whole factory was just as happy as celebrating a grand festival. People beat drums and gongs, standing in lines at both sides of the road to accompany the aircraft to the flight test station. The first test flight was piloted successfully by the shooting practice hero Yu Zhenwu. Ye Jianying, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission of CCCPC, and Air Force Commander Liu Yalou went to Shenyang from Beijing personally to take part in the celebration meeting. The aircraft afterwards also flew to Beijing for a flight demonstration.