Chapter 195: The Mystical DC-10

The unexpected "troublesome guest" continued to passionately explain the design of his company's aircraft, hoping to convince Carter that the DC-10 wasn't as flawed as he had claimed.

Just from this alone, Carter was about eighty percent sure of the man's profession. If he wasn't an engineer involved in research or manufacturing, Carter would eat his own hat.

One of the hallmarks of engineers is their tendency to talk endlessly about their field of expertise, often disregarding whether the listener can understand them. To this man, Carter's ability to point out flaws in the DC-10 indicated that he must be knowledgeable.

However...

"Excuse me, sir, could you please calm down a bit?" Carter interrupted, recalling some information he'd seen on TV last year, feeling he couldn't listen any longer.

"Even if you claim there aren't many design flaws, last year's Chicago crash was caused by maintenance issues that led to the number one engine falling off, but it did damage the hydraulic lines, didn't it?"

"You won't convince me; I simply don't trust it. If you insist that your design is flawless, I have nothing more to say. You must be from McDonnell Douglas, right? If I've offended you, I apologize."

"No, no, Mr. Carter, you've misunderstood! I don't need your apology. On the contrary, the hydraulic line issue you mentioned is indeed something we should pay attention to. For example, the emergency shutoff mechanism—you're right about that. In fact, I should be thanking you!"

While engineers might generally have low emotional intelligence, it doesn't mean they lack it entirely. Seeing the impatience on Carter's face, the middle-aged man quickly waved his hand to clarify his intention.

"I am indeed an aerospace engineer at McDonnell Douglas. My name is Kirby Proctor. Beyond expressing my gratitude, I also want to apologize on behalf of McDonnell Douglas and my colleagues for disappointing you with our DC-10, and I hope you can give us a chance—a chance to prove ourselves!"

"When I return to the company, I will immediately report the suggestion to add an emergency shutoff mechanism. Of course, I will put your name on it. Could you please leave me your contact information? I hope to inform you as soon as we complete the improvements on the DC-10 and invite you to witness the safety tests of our newly enhanced, more reliable DC-10!"

Carter was taken aback.

Is inviting people to witness tests a common practice in the aerospace industry?

Thinking back, Paulson had invited him to witness the maiden flight test of the Gulfstream III. Now, a chance encounter with someone from McDonnell Douglas led to another invitation for a test.

Can't they come up with something new?!

"Alright, alright, but just to correct you—my first name is Carter, and my surname is Black."

Wanting to quickly get rid of this self-obsessed engineer, Carter called over a flight attendant to get a pen and paper, then swiftly wrote down his name and office phone number.

In all honesty, Carter believed what Proctor said. The DC-10 did have design flaws, but they weren't as severe as he had implied. Otherwise, how would it have passed airworthiness certification?

Behind the reputation of the DC-10 as the "king of air disasters," human error accounted for the majority of accidents. For example, the Chicago crash last year was due to maintenance issues causing the engine to fall off. Another incident that year, the Mount Erebus disaster, was caused by the airline changing the flight plan without informing the crew, who then crashed into a mountain due to their inexperience with polar routes.

Other incidents included aborted landings leading to crashes into residential areas, overly confident captains attempting to land in dense fog, resulting in collisions with mountains, and landing on closed runways and colliding with maintenance vehicles.

Even more absurd was a terrorist hijacking where a bomb was detonated mid-flight, causing the plane to disintegrate.

Design flaws rarely caused these accidents. This made the situation even more terrifying. It seemed like every misfortune and calamity befell the DC-10, almost to a superstitious degree. Compared to scientific design issues, this mystical bad luck was even more frightening.

As a result, while Carter left his contact information, he certainly wasn't going to start flying on DC-10s anytime soon.

After this small episode, Carter's plane landed at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, at 7:20 PM. Flushing Bay was right next door.

Leading Licorice out of the terminal, Carter immediately spotted the old man leaning against a car, smoking a cigarette. Well, calling the 48-year-old Julian an old man might not be accurate, but compared to Carter, who was not yet 18, it seemed fitting.

"Long time no see! Julian, you should cut down on the cigarettes now that you have a child."

After a warm hug, Carter patted Julian's back, reminding him to put out his cigarette.

"Hahaha, don't worry, I never smoke at home. But you, you're still young. You should really cut back on smoking. With your habit, how will your body handle it when you get older?"

Julian casually flicked away the cigarette butt and, after hugging Carter, noticed the girl standing behind him. His eyes immediately turned playful.

"And who might this be? Your girlfriend?"

"No, I... I'm Carter's classmate and his secretary, Licorice Shepard! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Julian. I've heard Carter mention you often."

Steadying her nerves, Licorice quickly got into character, wearing a light smile and extending her hand.

"Haha, nice to meet you too! It's an honor to meet such a lovely young lady!"

Shaking her hand lightly, Julian gave Carter a peculiar look. From her addressing him as "Mr. Julian," Julian knew Carter hadn't told her much about him.

In other words, this girl was not actually Carter's secretary. Julian was confident that if she were truly Carter's secretary, she would know his full name. Besides, it was always either Carter or someone named Goodman answering the phone, never a female voice.

"So, it seems you've arranged your accommodations for tonight? I was planning to offer you a place to stay at my home for a few days, but it seems that's unnecessary."

"Hahaha, thank you for the offer. Indeed, I've already arranged a place, thanks to Goodman. I'll visit you tomorrow!"