Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

Sing to the Sun

And Ro-TAAAATEEE!

- Toshitsugu Utei

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"I never thought I'd end up participating in the Birdman Rally in this lifetime," Yōko sighed in her room. In her past life, she – or "he" as she called herself at that time – had aspired to be an airplane builder during his student days. As a first step, she had joined the Birdman Club at university and helped build aircraft every year. However, she never expected that in her reincarnated life, she would have to design the aircraft herself.

"In my previous life, I couldn't become an airplane maker after all. But I never imagined that in this life, and at this timing, I would be entrusted with the design... especially in an era without CAD or CAE... Can I do it?"

Fate had a different plan for her, as she was much better at organic chemistry than physics. Due to this, she chose a material science major instead of a mechanical one in graduate school. By the time she graduated, the CFRP boom in the aviation industry had passed, and she had failed in her job search. Instead, she was picked up by an automobile manufacturer that was struggling with the limits of weight reduction in vehicle bodies. However, she was overwhelmed by the harshness of society and unreasonable development schedules, leading to her health deteriorating. This was her previous life. The experiences from that time seemed to be useful in this life, a twist of fate, perhaps.

"Well, as Kikuchi-san said, it's not a matter of can I do it but rather I have to do it ...I'll leave the mathematical aspects to everyone at the company and Yokota-san, and I'll focus on concept art and drawings. I'm still a schoolgirl at this point, so I might get some leeway."

Saying such irresponsible things, Yōko turned to her study desk.

"First, I need to draw. Good art will surely lead to a good product..."

Yōko ran her pencil over the words of Shinkuro Momose, who 48 years later would complete the Subaru 360, the famous car loved by many Japanese.

. . .

On the other hand, the production headquarters was also facing challenges.

"Do you want a 5-meter-long GFRP panel?"

"We don't have molds that big."

The most significant manufacturing challenge became the essential structural element "spar" that ran vertically through the main wing. The design team's request was to use a single GFRP panel for this spar, aiming to simplify structural calculations and reduce weight. However, at that time, Teijin did not have the equipment to manufacture such long FRP panels.

"Can't we just join shorter panels together?"

"It would make it heavier with rivets, and the structural calculations would become more complicated, so we'd rather not..."

The gathered craftsmen all looked at each other with reluctance. They were being asked to mold long flat panels without using molds, and since these panels were for an aircraft, it was preferable for them to have minimal warping. They couldn't visualize how to make it work. As a heavy atmosphere settled in the factory, a young man spoke up.

"If it's what the customer wants, we'll do whatever it takes to deliver. That's our job."

It was Michio Suzuki from the Production Technology Department. He had come all the way from Hamamatsu – at that time, it was in the village of Hōgawa in the Hamana District – to Yamagata and had quickly risen to prominence, obtaining patents for improving weaving machines. At the tender age of 23, he had been promoted to section chief.