Disposable Emergency Aircraft, How to build your own airplane. Options

[ker'ion]

I ran across the description for the Goodyear Inflatoplane and was thinking about the design for a more updated version.

The Inflatoplane was designed in 1956, so I'm thinking that in over a century, something better could have been created along the same lines.

The problem is that I don't know much about the system and am not sure where to look for rules to create such things.

I was thinking about a VTOL version for an emergency escape.

[Fix-it]

a pure VTOL would be kinda hard, even with another 60 years of technology. VSTOL would be easier. I'm thinking a Parafoil would probably be easiest.

of course the rules for take-off distance is just a rough approximation, and in no way reflects real-world physics.

the Artemis Dawnglider or Moonlight Phoenix on Pg 112 of Arsenal might already fit your bill with some modification.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

I was thinking about a VTOL version for an emergency escape.

It's called a blimp.

[BRodda]

I ran across the description for the Goodyear Inflatoplane and was thinking about the design for a more updated version.

The Inflatoplane was designed in 1956, so I'm thinking that in over a century, something better could have been created along the same lines.

The problem is that I don't know much about the system and am not sure where to look for rules to create such things.

I was thinking about a VTOL version for an emergency escape.

OK lets do my stupid stating thing:

Dodge Personal Escape Craft
Cost: 9,000 ¥

The Dodge PEC is a rather extreme variation of the Dodge Scoot. It is (for all intents and purposes) a fully enclosed scooter with a deployable blimp top. It seats 2 people and is capable of VToL. It makes a great choice for either personal aircraft or water craft for this reason. It is slightly more armored to help avoid the debris that can occur with a travel disaster. Once the craft has landed it is a fully capable scooter able to help the passengers quickly get to more civilized areas.

Note: Normal stats are for use as a bike. The paraphrases are for use as a blimp.
Handling: +1 (-2)
Accel: 10/15 (5/8)
Speed: 60 (30)
Pilot: 2
Body 4
Armor: 6
Sensor: 1
Avail: 12

Modifications:
Life Support (Lvl 1)
Lighter Than Air
Wheeled
Special Machinery (Microfan propulsion units)
Special Machinery (Blimp Deployment unit)

Notes: It takes 3 combat turns for the blimp to inflate. If it is being added to a larger craft as an escape pod it takes up 3 slots.

[Udoshi]

C-D Dalmation and a rigger cocoon. Done. Yes, this is legal. Its a Large drone, which means it counts as a standard vehicle for modding. Total cost: a little over 3 grand. Total effective cost? Over twenty grand for Improved Takeoff and Landing 2 on a body 4 drone.

[nezumi]

For real? You attached a dodge scoot to it?

First problem is a dodge scoot is not optimized for weight. It uses whatever is cheapest, not new, super-lightweight components. That means the blimp is far bigger and less maneuverable than it should be, slower to inflate, and generally more useless.

Secondly, it seems like you took the Scoot and just made it lighter than air. Unless you have some really weird vehicle generation rules, it should be very expensive to make a scoot lighter than air. On the basic level, what is it carrying that is so light? Giant tanks of helium?

You need to look at the prices for the LTA vehicles, then probably double the cost to make it collapsible and quickly expandable.



Another alternative might be using kite technology to make a rigid airframe for a simple airplane. There are kites currently available (very special ones!) that have veins through the kite. When inflated with air, they make a huge wing with enough strength to pull a person off the ground. Get a superlight base frame and a tiny little engine. Give the vehicle a tow to get it up to speed. The wings inflate. Kick on the engine and off you go.


There are other possibilities, but it depends on what you are trying to emergency escape from.

[BRodda]

For real? You attached a dodge scoot to it?

First problem is a dodge scoot is not optimized for weight. It uses whatever is cheapest, not new, super-lightweight components. That means the blimp is far bigger and less maneuverable than it should be, slower to inflate, and generally more useless.

Secondly, it seems like you took the Scoot and just made it lighter than air. Unless you have some really weird vehicle generation rules, it should be very expensive to make a scoot lighter than air. On the basic level, what is it carrying that is so light? Giant tanks of helium?

You need to look at the prices for the LTA vehicles, then probably double the cost to make it collapsible and quickly expandable.

It is a Dodge Scoot. I even said that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Cost to make a Dodge Scoot use a LTA mod is 1,600K (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) per Arsenal. (Bodyx400 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) ) It reflects that fact it is hard to steer in the 1/2 speed, accel and -2 to handling. It was a lot cheaper and more maneuverable then I thought it would be too. But rules are rules.

I threw in the two extra Special Machinery (Microfan propulsion units and Blimp Deployment unit) even though I think that the propulsion unit is included in the LTA mod. The Blimp deployment was also an extra just because I can't see the whole system being inflated all the time but I'm not sure how the gas system would work IRL. And yes I'm sure the blimp part is pretty large.


So as odd as it might seam this is actully more expensive then it should be and it is technically completely RAW. Blimp technology must we WAY ahead of what we have now.

[Udoshi]

The lighter than air mod is hilariously cheap. Between it and the hovercraft modification, you can make yourself a professor-x style flying hoverchair out of a transys steed at a very affordable price of around two build points.

Nezumi: You should check out arsenal's modification rules. Just because something does not make sense at all, does not mean the rules agree with you. If you thought the dodge scoot was bad, consider that you can lighter-than-air anything up to body sixteen. That includes small submarines, ambulances, prison transport vehicles, and transport jetcraft. Retarded? Yes. Entirely possible? Also yes. Commonplace? I sure hope not. Otherwise the skies of the future will be littered by anyone with two thousand nuyen to rub together.

[nezumi]

I don't play SR4. Rigger 3 may be difficult to use, but at least I don't remember anything quite THAT painful. The worst was cars breaking the speed barrier (iirc).