Chapter 194: The King of Air Disasters

"Carter, is that the person here to pick us up?!"

The next afternoon, after Carter and Licorice had finished their leave procedures and arrived at the school gate, they saw a black Cadillac parked there. Standing beside the car door was a man in a black suit wearing white gloves.

Next to him was a

"Carter, is that the person here to pick us up?!"

The next afternoon, after completing their leave procedures, Carter and Licorice reached the school gate and saw a black Cadillac parked there. A man in a black suit, wearing white gloves, stood beside the car door, holding a sign with Carter's name written in ornate English script. He seemed a bit weary from holding the sign for too long.

"You can see it yourself, can't you? Why are you asking me?"

Carter could understand why the girl clinging tightly to his arm was nervous.

The Cadillac brand wasn't yet known as the luxury car of foot massage parlors as it would be in the future. At this time in America, Cadillac was synonymous with luxury!

After the whimsical rocket car designs of past decades, Cadillac was now at the height of its glory, with its wide, boxy body, Rolls-Royce-like grand front, and the emblem of wealth. In these times, Cadillac overshadowed brands like Mercedes and BMW.

This car would stand out not only in front of the school but also in downtown Douglas. And with a driver who looked like a chauffeur or butler, it was no wonder Licorice felt uneasy.

"Hello, I'm Carter Black. I'm the one who booked first-class tickets on Delta Air Lines for the flight to New York today."

"Hello, Mr. Black! We're honored you chose Delta Air Lines and our business transfer service. Please get in the car. We're a bit pressed for time, so I might have to drive fast. Please bear with me!"

"No problem, thank you for your effort."

After a brief greeting and identity confirmation, the three quickly got into the car. The driver thoughtfully drew the partition curtain between the front and back seats right after they got in.

All he could do was inwardly curse these damn rich kids.

"Carter, how much is all this going to cost?"

As the car started, Licorice leaned over to Carter and whispered, pointing to the front seat.

"No idea. Uncle Goodman arranged it for me."

Carter shrugged honestly. He really didn't know the cost of this trip since Goodman had made all the arrangements. Even if it cost thousands of dollars, it wouldn't be noticeable in an account with millions in cash.

The driver, hearing this, became even more convinced that Carter was one of those damn rich brats.

"Must be expensive," Licorice sighed, stretching her legs in the spacious backseat and tossing aside her small bag containing her office uniform and heels. The comfortable space made her stretch lazily, strengthening Carter's resolve to make a move on her this time. Hopefully, Goodman had booked just one room for them.

After nearly two hours, they arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which still looked somewhat unfinished, with many areas under construction.

According to the driver, the airport's expansion and renovation were expected to be completed by October. Therefore, there was currently no lounge service for first-class passengers. To compensate, Delta Air Lines had assembled a fleet of Cadillacs and signed a contract with a star-rated hotel to provide resting places for VIPs and transportation services.

Carter enjoyed some top-notch service because of this arrangement.

After boarding the plane via the gangway truck, Carter looked at the promotional leaflet for the Boeing 737-200 in a daze. The plane he had flown on most often in the future was the 737-800. He had never even seen a 200 model.

As he gazed out of the window, he noticed that the Atlanta airport tarmac was filled with DC-10s, known as the "King of Air Disasters."

Amusingly, the manufacturer of this disaster-prone plane was also called Douglas, but Carter didn't feel any kinship with it. On the contrary, his first instinct when booking a flight was to tell Goodman to avoid any DC-10s, even if it meant waiting for another flight.

Thanks to his strict request, they had to rush a bit.

While Carter was reminiscing, Licorice was simply excited and a little nervous, so she reached out and held Carter's hand tightly.

Feeling her soft hand, Carter smiled and reassured her:

"Don't be nervous. Flying is quite safe. Except, of course, for the DC-10s!"

"Why do you say that?"

Carter's joking comment piqued Licorice's curiosity.

"Just look at its design. Especially the placement of the engines—heavy in the rear, light in the front. If one engine fails in mid-air, it's hard for that big guy to stay balanced."

"But if it's designed that way and has passed all inspections, it should be fine, right?"

"You'll see. I'm not going near that thing!"

Their conversation went on until the plane took off. Carter used his knowledge from watching "Air Disasters" in his previous life to scare Licorice quite a bit.

Then, out of nowhere, a man appeared beside Carter, causing him some embarrassment. Judging by the man's use of "our hydraulic lines," Carter guessed he worked for McDonnell Douglas.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Carter. But I couldn't help overhearing your discussion about our DC-10. I noticed you're quite familiar with it, even aware of our hydraulic line issue without emergency shut-off valves…"

Carter, realizing the man had overheard his bad-mouthing of the DC-10, felt awkward. He quickly thought of a way to explain himself.

"I understand that there's public skepticism about the safety of our DC-10. Your concerns, Mr. Carter, are valid. The cargo door design flaw you mentioned does exist, and your concerns about hydraulic lines are reasonable too. While it's unlikely for a fan disc to detach, if it did, it could indeed damage hydraulic lines and cause a leak.

But regarding the issue of tires skidding on a wet runway, I must disagree. If a skid happens before V1, you can activate reverse thrust and stop the plane. After V2, takeoff isn't greatly affected. Our three-engine design allows for very short takeoff distances, so the time between V1 and VR is brief. A minor skid wouldn't cause the plane to veer off the runway."